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What the WOT is to me...and I may be a minorityMar 30 '01 (Updated Apr 04 '01) Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Be selective, and use your WOT to your advantage. You can learn from good writers and get great advice on products!
Please let me start of by giving a little reason why I use Epinions. This is important because that will make my WOT discussion more understandable. I write here because I enjoy to write. I am going to have some work published later this year, and I wouldn't have had the confidence to do so if I hadn't been exposed to EPINIONS. I write here because I want feedback on my writing. I also love to look at other writers and either learn from their mistakes or their brilliance. Finally, helping someone make a decision in their life is a reward for me. Not that I don't like the money - I order my checks, I cash my checks, and I spend that cash. But that is not my motivation here, honestly. I put so much time and effort into my writing that I sincerely cannot see how my 1 cent a click is worth it. I want to share my writing with others, and see what they think of it. That is why I leave a lot of comments - I like to encourage others to do the same. That said - onto the subject of this category: Explain how the Web of Trust impacts your experience on Epinions.com My WOT is very selective. I am picky, and maybe, perhaps, appear snobby to others. The first (and most obvious) factor I consider is the quality of writing. No, it is not necessary to be a walking dictionary, but I expect proper grammar, spelling, and a wide vocabulary. I also need to see an amount of detail included to make the epinion useful. Rants are ok for me - if you had a terrible experience at Taco Bell and you write it up for us all to see, that can be helpful to someone deciding whether or not to try them out. I know a lot of people will disagree with me, but hey - it is my WOT, not yours! Oh yeah, humor really impresses me when combined with valuable information. If I end up laughing hysterically at the end of your review it will not only get a high rating but I will look at your other stuff. If the rest of your work is along the same lines - we are heading for WOT territory! Not that humor is a requirement - just a plus. The second thing I look for is agreement. (*I am ducking from the virtual object being thrown at me*). I figure that people who have me on their web of trust also see my trusted members, and in turn, that reflects upon myself. Therefore, someone who writes about "homeschooling mothers and mothers who breastfeed are awful people" would not be on my WOT because that does not reflect my view point. I also look at comments that a member I am considering for my WOT has left. I want them factual, polite, and away from epinions gossiping. This again, goes along with being a reputable writer. Finally, I look at the ratings a person has left. If I see VH on an obvious piece of junk, I cannot include that rater on my WOT. By obvious, I mean the typical SH rated pieces that are just poor quality. There is always going to be some disagreement amongst ratings, and that is ok. It is the continuous problem that bothers me. Of course, I am not going to catch everything out there, but an obvious rubberstamper is someone I will not include on my WOT. I do not play the trust me I will trust you game. If I am added to someone's trusted list, I will take a look at some of their reviews, and if interested, I will start considering them. But it is not automatic. My web of trust helps me tremendously. I have ended up with a small WOT that includes a lot of various interests. When I need more information on a product, I consult my WOT members first. Also, if a friend has a question about a product, I will send them links to reviews done by members of my WOT. I also read members of my WOT as often as I can, mainly because they are good writers and I learn a lot from them. I particularly rely on these people to give me guidelines on writing in an area I haven't written on previously. I noticed recently that there are some members on my WOT who are constantly battling with other members. I have not been chastised by either side for including the other on my WOT - perhaps that goes back to my polite comments criteria. I appreciate that people thusfar are respecting my WOT and understand that I am not playing Epinion's Politics. I don't care how often someone writes, all that concerns me is that the epinions written, for the most part, fit my criteria. I also edit my WOT frequently, and will drop people occasionally if I feel that they no longer meet my guidelines. That DOES NOT MEAN I will no longer read their work! I use ptieman's notification site at http://www.preview.org/cgi-bin/notify.pl to alert me to new epinions. And when Email Alerts are up and running again, I am sure to be inundated with epinions. Update Well, I just violated a rule of mine. I added jellypoems to my trusted list. I disagree with her on some things, maybe even many things, and agree with her on others. However, she is a VERY good writer. The first person that has really caused me to bend my rules, as a matter of fact :) And finally, the first person to be named in one of my epinions! Check her out, she may make you mad but she will make you think at the same time.  |
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