Guest Reviews
Potential reviewers: Have you ever had the intention to review for Captious but found our Staff Application page to be intimidating? Have you ever wanted to review for any site in general without wanting to commit to being a part of the permanent staff?
Site owners: Have you gotten tired of submitting your site to us and not having anyone picking up your request?
Well, at Captious, we now have a solution for both of those problems. Guest Reviewing is a process developed in order to provide site owners with an increasing chance of getting a review, allow potential reviewers with an opportunity to practice their skills, and help us deal with the ever-growing number of unclaimed review requests. This process of guest reviewing is divided into three parts: the guest reviewer, the site being reviewed, and Captious Pedants, the intermediator.
The part of the Guest Reviewer
Whether you're new to the Website reviewing community and would like to try your hands at reviewing, or if you are a "seasoned" reviewer caught up in the hustle and bustle of "real life" and would rather not commit yourself to any team, being a guest reviewer is a one-time experience with no strings attached. Feel free to help yourself to a dose of critique when the craving strikes.
The part of the Reviewee
When you submit your site to Captious Pedants, you have the option to choose whether you want your site to be reviewed by someone who might not be a staff at Captious. It's not something to be feared. Once your site is online, it's already open to public scrutiny anyway. Allowing the possibility of having a guest reviewer reviewing your site will greatly increase the chance of your request's being picked up. You can rest assure that the review you will receive won't be just any random thing written by any random person. We will take every measure possible to make sure that it measures up to the "standard" that Captious normally provides.
The part of Captious Pedants
Captious Pedants will act as an intermediary party primarily responsible for quality control. All guest-submitted reviews will be subjected to critiques by the staffs of Captious Pedants before they are published. Questionable points raised by the guest reviewers will be challenged; personal attacks and insults for the sake of being malicious will be called upon, and the reviews will be ripped apart until we feel confident that they are something we can publish in good conscience.
The reviewee can also rest assure that this will not be an anonymous review in that the guest reviewer can always be contacted if something needs to be addressed. If the reviewee cannot reach the reviewer directly, he or she may come to us. We will not hesitate to take responsibility for what is said in the review, since we have already approved it.
The Process
Now that we're all familiar with who plays what, this is what's going to happen:
- Visitor submits a review request.
- The request will be flagged to appear on the Waiting List once the URL is confirmed to be valid. (This will mean that just because your site is on the Waiting List doesn't mean that it has already been claimed..).
- Guest Reviewer picks a site from the Waiting List.
- Contact us to let us know that you intend to review that site.
- We will respond with a prompt e-mail to let you know of how long you will have to complete the review. (First-time guest reviewers will get two weeks after claiming a review to submit the review; guest reviewers who have worked with us before can ask for an extension.)
- After the negotiated deadline, if you have not sent in your review, we will consider it dropped.
- Otherwise, once you have completed your review, send it to us at pedants [at] gmail [dot] com.
- Make the subject line: Guest Review: [Name of Site Reviewed]
- Include your name and site, if applicable.
- Attach your review and any applicable images.
- Send in the review using the email address at which the reviewee may contact you.
- The review is critiqued by the staffs at Captious.
- Guest reviewer is asked to take into account our comments and suggestions and make any necessary revisions.
- The final, approved version will be published on Captious under the "Guest Reviewer" category.
- An email is sent out the reviewee informing him or her of the finished review. This process altogether will take as much time as a normal review process would take if the site were reviewed by one of our staffs.
FAQ
Q: What are the benefits of having my site opened to the potential of being reviewed by a guest reviewer?
A: As previously mentioned, the most significant benefit would be an increased chance of having your request picked up. (Statistically, we accept less than 1/5 of all of our review requests...) If you receive a review from a guest reviewer, you can be confident that such review has already been subjected to harsh critiques and scrutiny before it gets to you, therefore, it measures up to the "normal standard" of Captious.
Q: What are the benefits of being a guest reviewer at Captious?
A: You mean you want more than an opportunity to stretch those reviewing muscles with no strings attached? Well, if you're really that curious, being a guest reviewer at Captious will also give you an insight into how we all work at a team, and if the occasion ever arise, it's a way to be invited to become a staff at Captious without having to go fill out that dreaded staff application...
Q: Can a guest reviewer do a collaboration with a staff member?
A: To avoid delays in the review process in case the guest reviewer turns out to be a troll, only guest reviewers with a history with Captious Pedants may request to do a collaboration with one of the staff members.
Q: As a guest reviewer, may I choose a site that has already be claimed?
A: Yes, but unless you have discussed with a staff member beforehand about the possibility of a collaboration (see the question above), we expect a completely independent review of the site.
Q: I'm a guest reviewer, and I cannot make the deadline for the review. What should I do?
A: Please contact us at least 3 days before it's due, and send in what you have completed. We will deal with you on an individual basis and consider whether the review will be dropped or completed by a staff member.