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Review purpose and audience contemplation
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From: TeachingBooks.net <Nicholas>
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:13:24 -0600
I'd like to chime into this thoughtful discussion -- to share my recent thoughts about review audiences, and to ask about purposes of reviews in this multimedia and diverse distribution age.
Regina's post really got me thinking about audience, and now Monica has pointed out that even 140-character Tweets can be considered reviews. Wow!
Is the goal of reviews to help purchasers make decisions? Or is it to help users of materials know professional opinions about recently produced materials? Is it professional development for all of us? I'm sure it is different for each publication and for each reader.
I use reviews to learn what others think, and to stay current about what has recently been produced. I'm addicted to learning how people think about books...what they like, what they choose to evaluate. I loved recently re-reading this listserv's own Kathleen T. Horning's "From Cover to Cover", and learning ways to evaluate all types of books. And I think the professional, thoughtful approach each and every one of you who have reviewed is worthy of respect and celebration.
What strikes me most in this conversation is that perhaps reviews have new purposes and possibilities -- with these amazing bloggers and others talking about and sharing insights about great books and authors. I recently examined and built a list of 140+ blogs that astound me with their conversations and insights into our field. Marc Aronson, for example, who has chimed in with great thoughts about non- fiction reviews, gives real thought and consideration to non-fiction books in his Nonfiction Matters blog.
I think the previous main purpose of reviews used to be to help purchasers make decisions. And while I agree reviews are great for that, I think and hope that there must be more.
I ran into a curious situation that addresses purpose and audience when I submitted a few online movies that I've produced for review, only to learn from a few traditional review journals and even award committees that my productions can not be considered because no one can purchase the material I submitted. (I asked them to review freely available online programs that I made with authors that are not for sale, and solely distributed online. See the Reader's Theater example below for context.)
After reading this thread with great interest, I understand much better that I was asking for shift in purpose of reviews. I think I wanted the review to learn thoughtful insights from professionals, and to help spread the word of my resource. But these outlets have existed in the past (I now believe) to help with purchasing. Perhaps the time has come for this shift to take hold -- where purchasers cull from many types of "reviews". Bloggers have unlimited real estate to write. Twitters have a few choice words. Amazon has reviews of non- professional and professional readers.... Print journals have their own guidelines.
Maybe someday, I dream, that awards for movies and the traditional journals will consider evaluating free resources among like items that are sold and distributed in more traditional channels. I wonder while writing this, for example, would the Academy Awards consider a great movie if it was made and put solely online? I'm not trying to compare my material to the quality of others, but I think that this change in publishing and distribution landscape does impact reviews and audiences....
Very interesting conversation. I'll end this ramble by giving you an example of a free resource that I submitted for review.... This was made only for web distribution, and has been free at this link since it was produced a few years back. It consists of 9 movies, an in-depth written interview, and links to scripts and other materials about Reader's Theater.
Reader's Theater -- a mini-documentary and 8 performances with Avi, Sharon Creech, Walter Dean Myers, and Sarah Weeks. Supported by HarperCollins Children's Books. Produced and directed by TeachingBooks.net
http://teachingbooks.net/readerstheater
Best,
Nick
_________
Nick Glass Founder & Principal
TeachingBooks.net LLC 313 West Beltline Hwy, Suite 204 Madison, WI 53713
p 800 596.0710 e nick_at_teachingbooks.net
http://teachingbooks.net/web20
Received on Sun 15 Nov 2009 09:13:24 PM CST
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:13:24 -0600
I'd like to chime into this thoughtful discussion -- to share my recent thoughts about review audiences, and to ask about purposes of reviews in this multimedia and diverse distribution age.
Regina's post really got me thinking about audience, and now Monica has pointed out that even 140-character Tweets can be considered reviews. Wow!
Is the goal of reviews to help purchasers make decisions? Or is it to help users of materials know professional opinions about recently produced materials? Is it professional development for all of us? I'm sure it is different for each publication and for each reader.
I use reviews to learn what others think, and to stay current about what has recently been produced. I'm addicted to learning how people think about books...what they like, what they choose to evaluate. I loved recently re-reading this listserv's own Kathleen T. Horning's "From Cover to Cover", and learning ways to evaluate all types of books. And I think the professional, thoughtful approach each and every one of you who have reviewed is worthy of respect and celebration.
What strikes me most in this conversation is that perhaps reviews have new purposes and possibilities -- with these amazing bloggers and others talking about and sharing insights about great books and authors. I recently examined and built a list of 140+ blogs that astound me with their conversations and insights into our field. Marc Aronson, for example, who has chimed in with great thoughts about non- fiction reviews, gives real thought and consideration to non-fiction books in his Nonfiction Matters blog.
I think the previous main purpose of reviews used to be to help purchasers make decisions. And while I agree reviews are great for that, I think and hope that there must be more.
I ran into a curious situation that addresses purpose and audience when I submitted a few online movies that I've produced for review, only to learn from a few traditional review journals and even award committees that my productions can not be considered because no one can purchase the material I submitted. (I asked them to review freely available online programs that I made with authors that are not for sale, and solely distributed online. See the Reader's Theater example below for context.)
After reading this thread with great interest, I understand much better that I was asking for shift in purpose of reviews. I think I wanted the review to learn thoughtful insights from professionals, and to help spread the word of my resource. But these outlets have existed in the past (I now believe) to help with purchasing. Perhaps the time has come for this shift to take hold -- where purchasers cull from many types of "reviews". Bloggers have unlimited real estate to write. Twitters have a few choice words. Amazon has reviews of non- professional and professional readers.... Print journals have their own guidelines.
Maybe someday, I dream, that awards for movies and the traditional journals will consider evaluating free resources among like items that are sold and distributed in more traditional channels. I wonder while writing this, for example, would the Academy Awards consider a great movie if it was made and put solely online? I'm not trying to compare my material to the quality of others, but I think that this change in publishing and distribution landscape does impact reviews and audiences....
Very interesting conversation. I'll end this ramble by giving you an example of a free resource that I submitted for review.... This was made only for web distribution, and has been free at this link since it was produced a few years back. It consists of 9 movies, an in-depth written interview, and links to scripts and other materials about Reader's Theater.
Reader's Theater -- a mini-documentary and 8 performances with Avi, Sharon Creech, Walter Dean Myers, and Sarah Weeks. Supported by HarperCollins Children's Books. Produced and directed by TeachingBooks.net
http://teachingbooks.net/readerstheater
Best,
Nick
_________
Nick Glass Founder & Principal
TeachingBooks.net LLC 313 West Beltline Hwy, Suite 204 Madison, WI 53713
p 800 596.0710 e nick_at_teachingbooks.net
http://teachingbooks.net/web20
Received on Sun 15 Nov 2009 09:13:24 PM CST
