I don't believe using a stick to beat some kind of feedback out of readers would be productive. The review process is something like voting for politicians; those who choose not to participate make the efforts of the rest all the more valuable.

Regarding the comment about responding to reviewers, I answer email but do not directly respond to posted reviews, in part because many of the reviewers have email blocked. I always, always, respond to any comments on email as long as the return address is valid.

The one exception was a recent one line email from someone stating I was a bad writer but did not elaborate on my many failings in the pursuit of literary excellence. I would ask the sender to provide a bit more detail next time. And a valid address would help as well.

Many of the technical news sites I read now include a quick rating at the end of the article. It consists of selecting a 1 (worst) to 9 (best) rating, plus space to send a comment. I would like to see something like this for the stories, with the addition of a 0 (no interest) to signify looking at the story but finding it wasn't to taste.

I do like the idea of giving some exposure to diligent reviewers. It would be nice to see some kind of scorecard of who sent in reviews, how many, *and* the average length of the review text. Someone who did three thousand one-word reviews isn't offering much in the way of an opinion. Someone who did ten reviews with an average of over a thousand words I would take the time to read. And the stories that got that kind of a review would draw my attention.

One other idea would be some kind of FAQ as a guide to what might go into a detailed review. Was the dialog realistic, were the characters cardboard, was the style compelling, did the plot hold the reader's interest? And other technical points, like the accuracy of the story codes, spelling, grammar, punctuation (or lack thereof).

I take pride in my stories (okay, maybe some more than others). I put in a lot of time to do the best I can. I do it because I want to produce stories people enjoy reading, perhaps even attempt some kind of commercial effort in the future. I know I'm not at the point where I could send something to a publisher, but each story I learn a little bit more about what it takes.

Amateur sites like this are invaluable as a training ground for the wannabe Steinbeck (or maybe I should say Poe, considering the material). From the number of hits on each story and the positive reviews (but so few!) I assume the stories do have an audience so I make the assumption I'm headed in the right direction. And that's why authors need reviews, to get some sense of what works and what doesn't resonate with the reader.

So let's find some carrots instead of sticks for future reviewers. Make it fast and easy for a quick rating, and give some pointers for those willing to expand on their opinion but who don't know where to start.