Rules
I'm not much of a stickler for rules, but in order to keep this site regulated and functional, a few simple rules have been established in order to preserve the integrity of the reviewers and the reviews on this site. If you do not agree with the below written rules, please try to do your best to respect them anyway, as a common courtesy to me and to the staff who works so hard to make this site what it is.
For Prospective Reviewers
So, you're interested in applying for a staff position at Ballads & Bows, eh? Fantastic. Please read over the below rules. If you can agree to them, you are more than welcome to send in your application. If not...please do not submit an application. I don't want there to be conflict between the staff over basic rules after you've been accepted as a member. Be sure to put "fabulous" before your name on the join form, as proof that you've actually read these rules.
1. Respect each and every member of this site, even if you do not like them. Everyone has a valid opinion, and as such that opinion will be respected by everyone, even if you don't personally agree with it.2. Keep your reviews fair. Even if you do not like a song, please comment on other aspects of the composition in a positive manner. No song is completely bad. Likewise, if you love a song, give your reasons for liking it through components of composition. The review guideline is online for this reason. You are to review within the constraints of the guideline, but you are not limited to what it suggests. Feel free to add any other comments or details you feel appropriate.
3. Make sure that your reviews are grammatically correct. Reviews written in l33t speak, ebonics, all capitals, and other such nonsense will not be accepted. Make sure that you are using correct spelling. Your computer word processors come with a spell checker to ensure that you can have the best spelling and grammar possible.
4. There are five new songs up for review each month, and active staff members are expected to complete their reviews for them in a timely manner. Now, I know real life gets in the way. If you plan on going on hiatus, all you need to do is send me an e-mail with your expected return date (if you have one). Staff members are not limited to only completing the most current reviews -- all reviewers are welcome, even encouraged, to write reviews for past featured songs. The more opinions, the better!
5. You have one week after you apply for your position to send me your staff biography and one of your reviews. If this requirement is not met, your position will be posted back online, and you will not be allowed to be a reviewer. Sorry, but I can't have positions on hold for people who aren't going to be serious members of the site. If there are special circumstances constricting your ability to submit a staff biography and one review, please let me know ahead of time (preferably in the comments box).
If you feel you can comply with the above rules, please proceed to the reviewer application form.
For Visitors:
1. DO NOT TAKE THE LYRICS! I have had serious issues in the past with people taking my translated lyrics. You are not allowed to re-distribute my translations and lyrics, even if you give me credit. If you contact me first and ASK for permission, maybe we can work something out because I do like to know where my work is being reproduced. You can use the lyrics for your own personal use - like singing along to the songs at home - but do not put them on message boards, websites, LJs, etc. without permission or without credit. Translators work hard to bring you all of the translations offered on this website, so please respect the fact that they do this work for free by giving credit where it is due.
2. Reviews are copyrighted to their respective authors. Do not reproduce them anywhere without their express permission. If you are interested in publicing their reviews elsewhere, but aren't sure where to get their contact information, I would be more than happy to pass the line on to them for you. Most of the staff would prefer to keep their e-mail addresses private, so feel free to send any and all messages to me. At the very least, I can ask them if they don't mind my giving their e-mail address out to you, so that you can give them your message yourself. =)
3. Please don't flame us because you don't like a review from a particular reviewer. Flames are simply laughed at and discarded. Sometimes I like to chuckle with the staff member involved over them. So far it's happened just twice, because some fan got really annoyed off over a review they didn't agree with. I'd just prefer to see it never happen again. So, please keep your irritation/anger to yourself. Remember, everyone has a valid opinion, even the person who you think is a total idiot because they don't share your love for the song "Happy Time". Plus, your monitor doesn't care if you rant and scream at it over a review you see here. It's when you share your frustration with us in a non-constructive way that it becomes a problem.
