Thanks for joining with O'Reilly Media to spread the knowledge of innovators and expert early adopters. Perhaps most importantly, your job is to offer honest reviews. It's OK to not like a book or video; just tell your readers why in a reasoned manner, fearlessly citing your objections. It's also of course OK to like a book or video, but don't gush. Write conversationally, as though you were making a recommendation to a friend. Reviews can range from 200 to 1,000 words, but we suggest that you keep them between 250 to 500 words. Shorter is always better online.
Here are some suggested guidelines for structuring your reviews:
Title
For the title of your post, please include the title of the book, the name of the author, and the publisher, (e.g., "Myths of Innovation" by Scott Berkun; O'Reilly Media;).
Summary
Try to summarize the work in the first few sentences of your review. For example, with the Berkun book, you might start by naming the author and his background and giving a short thumbnail of what he is attempting. Here's an example (and no, we don't expect you to use the word "seminal"): "Journalist Scott Berkun examines the history of creative thinking in this newly revised paperback edition of his seminal investigation into what makes mankind move forward."
Reactions
If you liked something in particular, mention what it is and why you liked it ("Berkun's creativity—where did he come up with 'juggling hungry cocaine-addicted baby tigers'?—makes for a fun read"). Conversely, if you didn't like something, say what it is and why ("I found the footnotes to Wikipedia links to be suspect"). Also, note any missing and/or incorrect information that you find. Be as specific as you can be—this helps other readers. End the review with an overall summary. Good? Bad? Indifferent? And: Why?
Posting
After you've posted your review on your blog, please repost it on at least one consumer site. Some products, such as videos, are only available for purchase through us. In that event, you'd post your review on your blog and our oreilly.com catalog page. And don't forget—when posting your review on your blog, please include a link at the review's end to our oreilly.com catalog page. This link can be found on the product page.
Finally, sign in to your account at oreilly.com/go/blogger and submit the links where your review is found.
Now you have a delicious decision to make about what you'd like to review next! We're glad that you've joined the O'Reilly Blogger Review Program. Thank you for helping us spread the knowledge of innovators and expert early adopters.
If you have any questions or are unclear about our guidelines, don't hesitate to reach us:
