Writing.Com 101

Rating/Reviewing Preferences

Authors join Writing.Com for different reasons. Some of you joined to perfect the craft of writing, asking for honest, useful feedback for your items. Some of you write for pure pleasure and want to share your work with the community, but not receive suggestions for improvement.1

In order to accommodate these varying needs, Writing.Com provides settings for your items that allow you to choose whether they are reviewable or not, and rateable or not. The Rating/Review Preference can be set in the Advanced section of the item's create/edit page when you create a new item and can be changed at any time by editing the item.

Rating/Reviewing Options

   Rateable Options

Items that are "rateable" signify to members that you are looking for honest, constructive feedback for that particular item. Members are able to rate your item and leave extensive reviews. This information is very important for authors looking to improve an item and, as such, reviews for each item are stored in the View Reviews page linked in the Item Tools menu (click the gear icon at the upper right of the item to open this menu). The reviews can also be found in the Received Reviews listing of the Reviews tab.
For even more information about your item and its readers, members with an Upgraded membership or higher receive demographic breakdowns through "Item Statistics" .

There are two rateable options to choose from:

Unrestricted Rating and Reviewing
This is the default setting for new items. It allows members to leave a rating without a review or both rate the item and send a review. For the most feedback from readers and to get the most use from your Item Statistics, Writing.Com suggests using this option.

Rating Requires Review
Items will not accept ratings unless accompanied by a textual review. Since the average rating for these items excludes non-reviewers, their rating average is only visible to the owner of the item.

   UnRateable Options

Reviews Only; No Ratings
This option allows members to review your item without a numerical star rating. Anonymous reviews are permitted, and reviews will be stored and can be retrieved by the author and the reviewer. This option can be useful during the early draft stages of a work.

Email Comments
This preference allows you to showcase an item. It denotes to the community that you consider it finished work. It allows for feedback without using the rating option. Members do have the ability to send the author an email regarding the item, but these emails are not permanently stored as a review. In addition, these emails do not count as a review for the reviewer, and cannot be sent anonymously. The reviewer also receives an email copy of their comments.

In order to give the most exposure to those in need of honest and sincere feedback, Writing.Com excludes Email Comments items from the Browse By public listings. You can feel confident as a reviewer that any item in those public listings on Writing.Com wants honest feedback, including an honest rating where applicable! Email Comments items are also not eligible for any reviewing incentives.

Frequently Asked Questions

I want to review an item I already reviewed. How do I get the review box back?
Use the Clear Rating button at the bottom of the item. Your previous rating will still be visible in a review it was sent with, but that rating will no longer be used in computing the item's average rating.

Why is there no option in the review box to add a star rating?
Members can send only a review on items that allow Reviews Only; No Rating. Since they cannot be rated, there is no option to add a star rating.

I want to review a Review Only; No Rating item I already reviewed. How do I get the review box back?
For these items, instead of using the Clear Rating button to do that, you use the Re-Review This Item button, which is in the same place at the bottom of the item.

Why is there no option in the review box to make my comments public?
Members can send only the author comments on items that allow Email Comments. Since they cannot be reviewed, there is no public review option.

Can I change an existing item to Email Comments? If so, what happens to the existing reviews and ratings?
Changing an existing item to Email Comments hides the ratings and reviews for that item and denotes to the community that the item is for showcase only. If you decide to once again reopen the item as reviewable (and rateable), those previous reviews (and ratings) will reappear.

Why isn't my Email Comments item showing up on the public listings?
In order to give the most exposure to those in need of honest and sincere feedback, Writing.Com public listings by type and genre are reserved for reviewable items only.

How can I promote my Email Comments item?
You can link it in your signature, forums, or anywhere you can post on Writing.Com, just like any other item. It is up to you to bring recognition to these items within the community. Some of the suggestions found in "Seeking Reviews"  may help you find ways to attract readers.

Can I see an example of an Email Comments item?
"An Example Unrateable Item" 

Can unrateable/unreviewable items receive Awardicons?
Yes.

Recommended Reading

Item Statistics

Footnotes
1  Updated by northernwrites; written by The StoryMistress