In order to keep the Reviews forum full of reviews instead of just links to reviews that some webmasters have recently been placing here, threads that do not contain actual reviews will be closed.

Originating review threads that just redirect DVDTalkers to a review on another site bumps other reviews further down the topic list. I don't have a problem with people providing links to their sites or a particular page of their site, but make sure you include a review in your post or the thread will be closed.

Thanks,

Heather

Reviews Forum Moderator

Heather,

Thanks. I was wondering about this. I hope you don't get any flack.

After all this is DVDTalk's review section.

Maybe all the review link threads will start putting in mini reviews.

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-David

DVDer,

Ditto to what Blade had to say.
I like stopping in and getting short to the
point "why I liked/disliked this movie"
type of reviews.

Jason

Considering the work that goes into most full reviews, I'm not prepared to simply cut and paste the text to present what would be an incomplete piece of work. If you visit the page, you will see that we don't present just text.

Your decision in turn limits the services and information presented to the readers here and any possible insightful conversations that may originate based on the information contained in the review.

Thanks, however, for making me aware of this limitation in this forum.

Is this to say that links can still be posted even though the thread is closed?

- Marc

Marc,

I've seen you posting similar messages containing links to your reviews on Usenet, and most of us DVDTalkers are already aware of the resources available to us if we're looking for reviews at external sites. The point I'm trying to make is that this forum exists so that we can post our reviews for other forum members to read, not promote our sites (I know other folks who run DVD review sites, myself included, who have shortened their reviews to post them here).

If you'd like to summarize your thoughts on a DVD, fine, go ahead and you can also include a link to your full review. But if the same members continue to make several posts a week that include nothing more than links, I may begin just deleting them and sending the poster an e-mail notifying them of it instead of closing everything and making the forum look, as another member once termed it, like padlock city.

--Heather

Bumping to top.

--Heather

This doesn't affect me since I don't (as of yet) post reviews on my web site. But I'm wondering... As an example, Blake is a long time member here. Will even he not be able to link to his reviews on his web site? I can see not posting links for reviews on DVD Review or something, but I'm wondering about the solid DVDTalk members who just happen to post reviews on their web site.

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Stephen Ansley ---- Arlington, VA
>My home page< - >My DVD list<

Stephen,

quote:<HR>If you'd like to summarize your thoughts on a DVD, fine, go ahead and you can also include a link to your full review. <HR>

I think that about sums up the intent behind this announcement in addition to addressing the principle question of how to post a review and link to a site without your thread being closed.

Interesting that you should ask; when I was deciding what to do about the situation (several weeks ago there were numerous posts made in this forum that were just links to new member's external reviews) my model for what would be acceptable actually came from Blake's posts, which answer the questions posed by others (is ______ good?) or give us an overview of his thoughts on a movie, and also include a link to a fuller review. I also cited his posts as an example of what is acceptable when asked questions (similar to what you asked) via e-mail by one of the new members who wanted to link to his site without providing full reviews and without his threads being closed.

All members, old and new, have my encouragement to post reviews and links to reviews on their sites, they just need to do so in a way that provides their fellow DVD Talk members with an outline of what they think of the movie and/or disc (not a "This disc is great, click here for fuller review" type of post) in addition to the link.

--Heather