LunLun.com

Frequently (un)Asked Questions

Question 1: I noticed that most reviews you write are filled with compliments to the author/site. According to you, all sites are so perfect?
Answer 1: No. In fact, if you read my first posts, you’ll see that I was harsh on some of them. When I write about a site I’m not particularly fond of, I feel anger. On some cases, I felt cheated by the way information was presented on those sites.

I realized at some point that I felt very relaxed when I was writing reviews about sites that I liked. I decided to write review with critics only after I’m done with all the nice sites I want to write about. The last list is so long, that I’m afraid I might write only about what I like.

Question 2: Why do you write a review?
Answer 2: I like to share with others something that I believe it worth sharing. Please understand that everything you read on this site is from my point of view. I might be wrong sometimes, so there is an option to comment.

Usually, it’s like this. When I find a site that I like, I write its name on a list. As soon as I have time, I write a review for it. After I publish the review on LunLun.com, I inform the owner of the site about the review.

Question 3 : I got it! You flatter the owner of the site so (s)he’ll backlink to you. Are you hunting sites with high PR for that?
Answer 3 : No. On the contrary. The eMail I send just express my admiration for him/her and informs the owner about my review. In some cases, the owner was very kind to link back. This is not a requirement at all, and I don’t ask for it. I appreciate when it happens, but it’s not mandatory.

I don’t seek sites with high PR. Usually, sites that I like are so good so they have high PR anyway. However, there are sites with PR 8 or 9 for which I’ll not do a review, even a paid one.

A back link brings more traffic to my site, which converts in money. A sincere and genuine admiration review makes something beyond money. It makes a positive impact on someone who put a lot of work to make a site look real nice. It’s not all about cash, Visa or MasterCard. Think just a moment : a site had over 181 000 downloads, but nobody took the time to write a review for that site.

There are people with higher language skills than mine, not to mention the native English speakers. I’ve read a lot of other’s reviews, I even read eBooks about how to write one. It all boils down to one very simple idea : if you really like what you write about, your enthusiasm will jump through the screen inside the mind of the reader. You can’t fake it.

Compare these :
“Mr. Smith is a very good colleague, a reliable friend and a devoted husband.”
“I’m lucky that I have friends like John”.

The first sentence makes me think that poor Mr. Smith (or John, for his friends) died recently. I see on TV actors I’ve never heard about in years. When I hear so many empty praises, I know for sure that the actor died recently. You can write for rating or you can give a shape to the admiration you have for someone/something.

When a webmaster invests very much effort in making and updating a site, a honest review about his work is like talking about his/her child. So far, nobody complained that my reviews were too long

I made a review for a forum I liked very much. The owner was so happy about it so he shared with the other members. It’s a great forum. Reading the comments on his post about my review, it was very clear that everybody there felt like they were part of a family. You know, when someone praises one member of your family, your entire family is glad.

Traffic can be bought with money. Making people feel welcome and happy is something that I want beyond traffic.

Question 4 : What if something is really bad, for instance a horible eBook?
Answer 4 : When I read something horrible, I write down the review as it comes to my mind, then after a while I change some words to make them sound nicer. If I’m not under any obligation or promise to make that review, I simply don’t do it. That’s why you’ll see reviews only about eBooks that I like. If it’s a paid eBook, I request a free copy for doing the review.

I always remember the behavior of a good secretary, that can translate the wild expressions of her boss into some pleasant requests for the employee.

“Mary, yells the boss, tell that idiot to bring me that *** file!”
“Mr. Smith, says Mary with a smile, Mr. Boss would like to have the file you’re working on. Please bring it to him at your earliest convenience. Thank you.”

There is a way of telling the truth, while giving the facts the twist you want.
“John and Mike raced on bike competition. They were the only competitors, but their friends didn’t know. John finished first, while Mike finished second.
When Mike was asked how was the race, he said: (John wasn’t there to hear)
- I finished second.
- And John?
- Well, John was the last but one”
It was true, because if there are only two competitors, the first one is just previous to the second one, which is the last one. But people imagine the general situation, where the second is way much better than the last but one.”

Question 5 : If I’ll give you a free copy of my eBook, and you don’t like it, would you write a good review for it too?
Answer 5 : No. I will send you a message telling my reasons for not making a review. In those cases, the review will hurt you more than the lack of it. I don’t want to do bad. I’ve not finished doing all the pending good.

Question 6 : Your style is unorthodox.
Answer 6 : But effective (do you recognize the quote from “Enter the dragon“? )
Seriously, I can’t write for any magazines that have more readers than the people in the entire county of where I was born. I am not able to use guidelines. For me, it’s like wearing a black tie when going to bed. If, for any reason, you don’t like my style, please visit the sites I praise. (On the other hand, if you really don’t like what I write, how did yo make this far? It’s answer 6 … )

Any comments you have, I’d like to read them. Don’t be shy! You may write as bad as you like about me - the moderation option is active …