I complete agree! I don't want to read a dissertation on a product! It has to be concise and informative. Each person should provide their personal experience on the product and highlight the product's details in support of their review.

"Most people can't spend that much time reading reviews if they are looking to buy stuff."

I agree, which is why I understand EF putting a limit in the first place. But… I just randomly pulled up a new review done in the Extended-template and the word count (according to my word processor) was 1,728. And if memory serves, that's not the longest extended template review I've seen lately.

I think EF might need to do two things: raise the word limit for the standard template, and lower it for the extended template.

" if people stopped… …giving the chemical breakdown for things like water and air..."

touché…

…though I still think links & formatting shouldn't be included in the word count.

And a word-counter would be really, really, really nice.

I would be really upset if the word count was lowered for extended. I enjoy reading detailed reviews and write them myself. I like to know ALL of the information about something before I buy it. The sections allow readers in a rush to go to what part of the review matters most to them. So if they don't need to know how to care for or store the toy...skip that part and just read about the performance. If I'm in a rush I skim to the parts that matter to me. Those parts better be detailed though!

I do agree that we don't need the breakdown on water, but I do like the breakdown on lesser known ingredients. Having that in reviews has made me more aware of ingredients that I now avoid in products. I don't think it should be required, but it's nice when people go the extra mile and add it.

My draft usually goes above minimum so I have no problems there.

yes, 800 words is not enough. maybe 1200 is a good limit. i'm not sure why there's such a low limit in the first place. i always end up writing, writing, then having to scrounge around and go back and take out important segues that give my review my 'voice.' it's lame-o!

I can't stand the extended version.

i like it where it is. i do not want to have to write even longer ones, BUT i also prefer doing the extended not the standard

Right, I agree. Those of us with allergies or sensitivities or who don't want certain types of chemicals on or in our bodes DO appreciate the breakdown on what the ingredients mean. You don't need to describe what water is made from, but you may need to describe what Phenoxyethanol or Cyamopsis is, and why it is in the product.

Personally, I really appreciate when people go the extra mile and do their home work about products, rather than just say, "I like this toy 4 evah. It make me cum n cum 2."

When you do DRs, you don't have a choice. All DRs have to be done in the Extended Format, and then they are put on the regular review page as that format.

Also, I think newer reviewers do better with the Extended Format.

I really want to "like" this post. Alas, no like button!

I think that there is a HUGE chasm between the chemical breakdown of every ingredient in a bubble bath (and reviews that spend more time on ingredients and measurements than describing the actual product) and "I like this toy 4 evah".

It's also my opinion that if a person wants to know what chemicals are and what they do, they can use google -- just like they would do if they were buying that lube or bubble bath at a brick and mortar store.

This is a review, not a freaking thesis.

Want to explain all the chemicals? Use the handy, dandy "add a resource" button we have and link to a helpful, scientific web page. Just please, spare me the 5 thousand word reviews that tell me nothing about how the product actually works and feels and what your opinion of it is.

I don't mean to come across as sharp or evil, though I probably am.

I've been around a long time and it chafes my ass that people are so holier than thou about the "requirements" of a freaking review when none of those "requirements" are in the actual requirements put forth by the company... at ALL.

Is it cool to explain when a product has an iffy ingredient or two? Or when something is new or not often heard of? Of course! But the extremes we're seeing lately are often just that... extreme.

I think the word.min should be lowered. There are some items like body wash where it gets hard to write the min. If anything I think they should raise the max limit to give ppl the opp to write more.