17.10.07

Review Writing for Amazon

Today we want to look at a few Amazon.com book reviews for Tapscott and Williams' Wikinomics in order to generate a sense for what distinctive features good reviews contain.

  • Donald Mitchell [April 6th, 2007]
  • Bradley Gessler [January 15, 2007]
  • M McDonald [December 28, 2006]
  • Rolf Dobelli [February 23, 2007]
  • David Brett [ February 9th, 2007]
  • Manny Hernandez [January 20, 2007]
  • Robert D. Steele [January 17, 2007]
  • Laura K. Turner [January 12, 2007]

We're going to read each of the reviews above and try to see if we cannot discern some structural principles for reviews on Amazon. As we read each, I want you to:

  1. Write the purpose of each paragraph in the review, paying particular attention to the first and last paragraph
  2. Note how the reviewers frame their ethos or incoporate personal information into the post
  3. Pay attention to what specific details from the book reviewers tend to cite
  4. Pay particular attention to how the reviewers offer criticism

By the end of class today, we should be able to generate a pretty good primer on review writing.

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