Do you let reviews sway your choices?

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- BerberElla
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Do you let reviews sway your choices?
OP - June 25, 2012, 03:55 PM

For books, movies, albums, someone's sexual prowess lol (j/k)

A lot of the time I go to choose a book, or decide to watch a movie and I read the reviews since I don't want to waste money, and the reviews can sometimes seem off putting, or on the other side of things, make something sound so good that actually turns out to be completely rubbish.

Get so caught up that I avoid making a choice and just add it to my wish list instead.

I know reviews shouldn't mean anything, and personal preference should take the lead, but still........I hate to waste money.

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Re: Do you let reviews sway your choices?
Reply #1 - June 25, 2012, 04:03 PM

I usually only download new albums with good reviews.

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Re: Do you let reviews sway your choices?
Reply #2 - June 25, 2012, 04:08 PM

Berbs! Feels like I haven't seen you in ages.

Not really. People have a tendency either easily amused by things I consider pretty basic and overly critical of things based on their feelings and that's just not how I assign value to something. More often than not, I know I'm the best person to judge whether it not something will be enjoyable because no one else knows me like I do.

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Re: Do you let reviews sway your choices?
Reply #3 - June 25, 2012, 04:31 PM

With music, I go for whatever tickles me fancy , and check out recommendations on Youtube. Actually I don't buy music... :/ Just listen to them on Youtube now and then.

With movies, I would go with recommendations and reviews of people I trust to have good critical views on things, but also mixed with my own preferences.

With books, I'm more fussy, go with it based on the topic, the preview and sometimes I check out the background of the author, but I do check reviews too just to make sure there isn't something hugely negative about it talked about many people.

Sometimes I recommend books to people which I wouldn't personally read, but think it might be good for them...after a quick look at it, and suggest it might be of interest to them.

"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." - Viktor E. Frankl

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Re: Do you let reviews sway your choices?
Reply #4 - June 25, 2012, 04:36 PM

.

You need to read this book.
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Re: Do you let reviews sway your choices?
Reply #5 - June 25, 2012, 04:41 PM

ok, but how much either way do you need to finalise your opinion?

Like say you were interested in a book and 40% of the people who read it rated it badly, would that put you off?

Where do you draw the line?

Understand everyone, this is because I want to buy a book and it seems pretty even split on those who love or loathe it and I just can't make up my mind

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Re: Do you let reviews sway your choices?
Reply #6 - June 25, 2012, 04:44 PM

Quote from: Susie Cues on June 25, 2012, 04:08 PM
Berbs! Feels like I haven't seen you in ages.

Not really. People have a tendency either easily amused by things I consider pretty basic and overly critical of things based on their feelings and that's just not how I assign value to something. More often than not, I know I'm the best person to judge whether it not something will be enjoyable because no one else knows me like I do.

I've been semi here, but way too tired to post by the time I got here.

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Re: Do you let reviews sway your choices?
Reply #7 - June 25, 2012, 04:44 PM

Can't you get it out of the library?

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Re: Do you let reviews sway your choices?
Reply #8 - June 25, 2012, 04:46 PM

Ohhhhh yea I totally forgot about libraries. I've become so used to buying my own books because I am lazy when it comes to returning library books.

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Re: Do you let reviews sway your choices?
Reply #9 - June 25, 2012, 04:49 PM

Or go to Google books for a little sample to base your decision on.

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Re: Do you let reviews sway your choices?
Reply #10 - June 25, 2012, 04:49 PM

Yeah that's what I do. I always read the book first from the library, then buy it if I like it....

So um yeah......

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Re: Do you let reviews sway your choices?
Reply #11 - June 25, 2012, 04:52 PM

I haven't used libraries in years, other than the uni library for studies. Stopped reading fictional books for while, loved them when I was much younger.

"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." - Viktor E. Frankl

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Re: Do you let reviews sway your choices?
Reply #12 - June 25, 2012, 04:58 PM

Usually go by recommendations of friends or any connoisseurs I may know in the field rather than reviewers, cuz I don't trust them because they can have agendas.

Online forums are also useful to sift through to find the general consensus of real, generally unbiased people on a particular product, game, book, etc.

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Re: Do you let reviews sway your choices?
Reply #13 - June 25, 2012, 05:00 PM

I do tend to check out the reviews before buying a book or watching a movie. Not always but often. For example I was really excited to watch Prometheus. I was so hyped for it. Then I read a few reviews, got bad reviews from some friends whose judgment I trust, and decided not to go see it. I'll probably catch it on DVD eventually, but that was a situation in which the reviews put me off paying my money for a ticket at the Odeon.

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Re: Do you let reviews sway your choices?
Reply #14 - June 25, 2012, 05:05 PM

.

You need to read this book.
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Re: Do you let reviews sway your choices?
Reply #15 - June 25, 2012, 05:12 PM

I do.

The exceptions are when the book/movie was endorsed by someone whose opinion I respect. Then I would read/watch it even if it had all 1 star reviews.

Often times, books or movies dealing with controversial and polarizing issues don't have spotless rating on sites even if they are wonderfully executed.

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Re: Do you let reviews sway your choices?
Reply #16 - June 26, 2012, 09:07 AM

I answered yes, but to be more specific, I only lend credence to a few reviewers whose opinion I know I can trust as they tend to agree with mine, generally.

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