I can think of many respected members who don't review. Like, that former member from the East who tracked legislation news.
Not reviewing does not get people in trouble. What does, is some controversial aspect in their posts, when the poster is not universally seen as an asset to the community.
The simple solutions are, be useful or don't be controversial. Otherwise, the Lounge is still relatively free speech. The rules are the same for everybody. The mods should be impartial but ordinary members will have some bias, realistically.
Lurkers and leeches are still beneficial to the community. Even by reading, they increase reviews' impact. The aggregate adds value for the advertisers, keeping the board afloat.
One case that triggers suspicion, somebody who may be not involved with the industry (now/before/in future), but spends time here. You have to wonder about their motives.
If I were to advise how to participate without reviewing,
Not reviewing does not get people in trouble. What does, is some controversial aspect in their posts, when the poster is not universally seen as an asset to the community.
The simple solutions are, be useful or don't be controversial. Otherwise, the Lounge is still relatively free speech. The rules are the same for everybody. The mods should be impartial but ordinary members will have some bias, realistically.
Lurkers and leeches are still beneficial to the community. Even by reading, they increase reviews' impact. The aggregate adds value for the advertisers, keeping the board afloat.
One case that triggers suspicion, somebody who may be not involved with the industry (now/before/in future), but spends time here. You have to wonder about their motives.
If I were to advise how to participate without reviewing,
- Don't tell us how to review. That doesn't have much weight when it comes from a leech.
- Don't expect we spent extra time helping you answering PMs and multiple 411 queries.
- Be prepared for extra scrutiny if your posts look like trolling or insults, so better avoid those. Reviewing members get more leeway in borderline cases.
- Don't expect you can get the same respect and admiration here as some other members who do review. There are surely other places on the internet and in real life to get recognized, why try it on a review board.