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Decision time, 'How do they rate?' (Rev1 2/12/00)Jan 10 '00 (Updated Feb 12 '00) Write an essay on this topic.Epinions is a wonderful idea with a lot great people sincerely sharing experiences with other consumers. The value in this is immeasurable as a research tool prior to purchasing. As such, it is important that we, the members, make every effort to work within the system as designed. This will serve to benefit our Web of Trust as well as establish our own credibility. When I first came to Epinions, a mere 2 months ago, I trusted quickly, and handed out 'Highly Recommends' as thought they were breath-mints. I cannot say that I am incredibly wiser, but I have since realized the value of establishing a higher ideal for 'highly recommend' (HR). In the midst of so many articulate personages, it is difficult not to lend the highest praise to all who write succinctly. But it leaves no room to distinguish the best from the great to not be a little more discerning. Heretofore I will be far more conservative with passing around the coveted 'HR', but my hope is that people I respect will not be insulted with a Recommend as I will explain its value in the following text. Highly Recommend ... I love to give these, when merited. In order to determine what is of highest value, it will take time and effort on my part to determine the following: 100% factual, well researched, wonderful prose, and or something within the body of the epinion text rises above the norm. Further if the post is impassioned, yet knowledgeable and articulate, whether I agree or not, I recommend highly (provided there is no diminution, or derogation of a person, or a people). Recommend ... Accurate on all important points, well thought-out, and may even contain a few grammatical errors. If a part of the epinion is extraordinary, but one paragraph is derogatory, I will try to rate the average, and explain why I have done so. If a change is made to an epinion I have rated, please email me to let me know so that I may re-evaluate it. Slightly Recommend ... If there is some promise to the premise of the prose, but it was so vague that misunderstandings and misinformation may abound, I will use this rating. I usually leave a comment as to why I have rated the work below recommend. Not Recommended ... If I think the piece is a work filled with jokel and snyde comments designed to enrage, or inflame, it goes here. Also, if a work were filled with falsehoods, I would file it here, but if I think the person writing it has good-will while being misled, I will respectfully comment to them of their error. If I have seen enough of the author to have a feel for them, and have access to their email, I rather inform them in private. I suppose my efforts at giving others feedback takes time from writing my own epinions, but I want to be more thorough in rating my fellow epinionites than in rating an impersonal product. Oh, I guess I do have one other rating: Not Rated. If I cannot decide what to do, I would rather not rate than give an improper rating; or I may choose to revisit the epinion after having seen what others have written on the subject. I also have chosen not to rate an epinion if I felt that doing so might harm my tenuous credibility (although, this comment alone may do more damage than any dubious e-rating --or would that be i-rating-- I may render ;) ). Generally speaking, I can find a lot of good in most reviews, even if I vehemently disagree with the opinion within the epinion. Maybe that comes from years of being told to 'walk in other people's shoes before passing judgement'. Happy epinionating. :)  |
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