Paul McGowan: Magazine reviewers work hard at writing a review – many thousands of words written to make sure you understand a product and really get what the reviewer feels about that product. It’s a long time tradition of a thorough piece of work. Yet I only read the first few paragraphs of a review and then flip through to the conclusion.
I know some of you devour every word from beginning to end – but I suspect many are more like me. If a customer calls me and starts raving about a particular piece of equipment he just discovered, I want the meat of the product – what does it do and how does it do it – and then I want to know what the person thinks about it. How does he emotionally react to it? Has he really played with it? That’s really all I care about.
What must be tough for a reviewer is writing all those words only to have the first and last of them read. And the funny thing is, if a magazine decided to conserve space and give us only the first and last – I’d be disappointed and turned off – and I suspect others would as well. Why? Because the lengthy substance of the review lends credibility to the review and verifies the reviewer spent enough time to form an educated view. Once I am convinced of this, then I can accept his conclusion.
Odd that I need the lengthy review to accept it but rarely ever read it.
