Diamonds - you're havin' a larf aintcha?

Ha!

One review from this month's diamonds and it's surely 4000 words long. Kitchen sink included.

Hahahahahahahaha!

I lost the will to live after about 500 words. How can Ciao continue to justify that the diamonds are the best of each month?

I've never had a diamond, in all the years I've been writing there - and I've written some mighty epics!

I have had one, for my british shorthair cat review, it is quite an epic, 2500 words.

I've got 7, I think.

While I admit there are usually one or two good reviews in the list on a monthly basis, all too often the rest of the list is padded out with bloated nonsense that no-one (OK, in order to stop generalising, VERY FEW) would find anywhere near helpful. That these are continually being touted as THE BEST is very disheartening to those that can write quality reviews, not just the most words.

Personally I think that there's some excellent choices in this month's diamonds. Yes, some of them are long, but I enjoy the writing style of most of the authors of this month's diamonds, and I enjoyed reading their reviews!

I must have got one then..HAHA not.

I have had about four or five. Nice to get, although most of them were a surprise to me. It's ultimately a lottery.

I've never had one and I doubt now I ever will

Oddly, I got my one diamond when I was 16 and not writing all that coherently as I recall, and shock-horror, the review wasn't even on a game!

From what I've seen, Ciao only seem to award diamonds to reviews of very recent products, so that all but rules me out from ever getting any more.

I'm not so sure about all rcent products as one diamond this month was for a film which is over a decade old but I know they do prefer techy products

Dusky wrote:

I'm not so sure about all rcent products as one diamond this month was for a film which is over a decade old but I know they do prefer techy products

I noticed the old film on the Diamonds list but there were actually not that many real techy products on there at all this month - a car and a website but no mobile phones, laptops or gadgets......

Last month there were three computer games, two DVD's and a BOOK - that doesn't happen very often - on the list.

I've never had a diamond and I really don't think I ever will either.

Dusky wrote:

I've never had one and I doubt now I ever will

I don't know. It seems fairly clear about what's required.

Write 5000 on the simplest of items and make sure you describe everything, including the layout of the shop, the history of the company, maybe include some opinion on the item itself etc. Watch those E ratings flood in.

I think if you're more concerned about writing for the consumer, it's unlikely you'll get a diamond. However, it's very possible, and I'd probably imagine quite easy, to write for diamonds.

I can't remember a diamond. review less than 1000 words. I see starting with company history is a good way to go

Bluebloodedscouser wrote:

I can't remember a diamond. review less than 1000 words. I see starting with company history is a good way to go

That's why they introduced the Pearls / Short but good to reward the 'shorter but gooder' stuff.

I agree you're unlikely to get a diamond for a review less than 1000 - isn't that why Ciao have brought in the Short and Good reviews?

I've received 4 diamonds and yes they have all been long reviews, but I've put an immense amount of work into writing them. In retrospect I'm not so sure that my two earlier diamond reviews deserved them, but the criteria seems to have changed quite a bit. My mobile phone diamond was a time when a lot of mobile phone reviews were getting diamonds. My two earlier diamonds were reviews with a high level of non member reads, which I think had a big influence on diamonds until about a year or so ago when things seemed to start changing.

A lot of the moaning about diamonds does seem quite spiteful though (and some of it does seem to be jealousy). Surely it's all just a bit of fun at the end of the day?

Incidently my next review (just posted on dooyoo, but not yet on Ciao) is well over 4000 words.....perhaps I'll be lucky next month!!! But before we get into an attack against me I have written my review with the consumer in mind, haven't discussed the history of the hotel or layout of the room, but it's still ended up being a long one.....I just enjoy writing at the end of the day!

Well, I'm not jealous. I have loads of the buggers, but I think Ciao need to stop telling people that the diamonds are the BEST of that month. If they were the best, then category, length etc. wouldn't be a factor and you'd have a load of different reviews (in topics and styles) every single month.

The fact that they've created a "short but good" award that pays LESS then the diamonds just beggars belief IMO.

Camp Freddy wrote:

Well, I'm not jealous. I have loads of the buggers, but I think Ciao need to stop telling people that the diamonds are the BEST of that month. If they were the best, then category, length etc. wouldn't be a factor and you'd have a load of different reviews (in topics and styles) every single month.

The fact that they've created a "short but good" award that pays LESS then the diamonds just beggars belief IMO.

Precisely is that not essentially saying short but good although not as good as those 3000 word diamond reviews

I do agree with you there, they shouldn't make out that they are THE TEN BEST REVIEWS. Because that of course is a matter of opinion anyway!

Don't they say 'Ten of the best' rather than 'the best ten'?

Same thing IMO, K, or just as good as - they do mention "best" if you're accurate and the implication is that they are quality, not semi-randomly chosen using automated an algorithm that's all automated which, of course, is more accurate.

I've had several, can't be bothered to check how many cos I don't really care, although the money probably means more to be honest. I did notice a while ago that they were only awarding Diamonds to some of the reviews that had overall E rates. Personally I DON'T agree that the Diamond reviews are among the best, some of the dross and padding in these reviews defy belief. Also if they are only considering overall E rated reviews then that is farcical as there is so much over-rating on there these days, a few years ago you would be lucky to find overall E rated reviews, now they are everywhere. I blame the 'numpties' on Ciao that run around rating E to long reviews (probably not even reading them thoroughly) and then getting reciprocal rates.

I think you have to blame both the over-raters and Ciao themselves. If they're going to rely on an algorithm that has nothing to do with review quality and subsequently reward reviews that are long rather than good or even have an algorithm that seemingly rewards members for getting higher dot colours rating their reviews, then how anyone even thinks that Diamonds a re a reward for quality is beyond me.

Personally, my experience has shown that easily 80% of diamonds do not deserve to be labelled as one of the best or the best or whatever language Ciao chooses to use.

Lol, I got my diamond! Actually it came as quite a surprise as the review has lot a very low number of non-member reads which normally has some influence (not like it used to though) on the choice of diamonds....so quite chuffed with that.

Somewhat inevitably, I read one. I wish I hadn't. I've rated it now. I doubt I'll still be a member come Monday.

...before you go come and read my latest - it's 8p a read for me and no one wants to read it!

I'll come and read it )