Epinions Rollercoaster: From Member to Expert to Advisor to Member...May 08 '01 (Updated Mar 19 '03) Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line The Epinions journey is full of twists and turns.... No, this is not going to be a rant against this site by a disgruntled reviewer. Nor is it some type of final statement by a retiring member. It is simply another stop for this writer on the ongoing journey that Epinions has taken me through - from the early days to the present. Full of more highs than lows, and more fun than hassle. My Epinions experience started innocently enough. In late September of 1999, I happened upon a chance mention of a new site where consumers were being paid to write reviews. Being intrigued, I jumped over to the site and found myself reading some terrific reviews by everyday people. But I also found some horrific writing that convinced me that I could do better on some particular items than the people who had contributed up to that point. Sound familiar? Well, as newcomers are apt to do, I hesitatingly offered up a couple of reviews. Looking back on them now makes me shudder, since they weren't very thorough or very well written. Nevertheless, a handful of people actually read them and rated them highly - which encouraged me greatly, and actually got me to be much more careful in what I submitted under my byline. It is one thing to contribute a posting into cyberspace, but it is clearly a different thing to have other writers peruse your work. After the first dozen contributions or so, I began a pattern that has worked well for me through these many months. I decided to write less reviews, but to spend a lot more time on each. And I decided to write only about things that really made me passionate about the subject - whether that passion was utter disgust at the failings of a product, or utter joy at something actually exceeding my expectations. As the months progressed, the Epinions site grew by leaps and bounds. A ton of talented writers joined - the equivalent of the stable that many top-notch literary magazines possess - and the quality of reviewing and writing soared. There were comical writers that made me laugh out loud at my computer screen, and historical writers that had me reaching for my dictionary. There were people that were truly professional journalists that posted as a lark and made one feel that they were reading the front page of The New York Times. And there were non-professionals posting that were able to bring this reader to tears with heartfelt tales of triump and disaster. And the "buzz" of Epinions was growing by many multiples. Since I was a frequent contributor, several main line journalists contacted me - since at that time I was one of the "Top Ten" reviewers - and one of the very few that posted my real name and email address for the world to see. And yes, the "egoboo" - that so many disdain here - was a powerful attraction. That ego boost from seeing one's name featured on a front page Epinions article in The Los Angeles Times is fleeting, but real and very strong nevertheless. And equally compelling was the mountain of emails that crossed this writer's desk from newcomers and veterans alike. People from around the globe who began a friendship simply because of each other's posting at this burgeoning site. And then the bank vaults opened in late 1999 and the pay per member read started getting serious. From one cent to ten cents to thirty cents - and all of a sudden the earnings from the site became real money that might actually buy something other than a cup of coffee. And yes - I was well aware that those type of expenditures were draining millions from Epinions coffers - but I happily posted month after month and kept a tally of my bank account balance at Epinions Mountain View offices. And sure - I'm more than willing to reveal the amount. Over the course of the last 20 months, I've earned over $6500. The majority of it was during the boom months of late 1999 and early 2000, but the monthly earnings still continue to bring in royalties which total $100 a month to this very day. Not bad at all, and something that I'm happy to say has exceeded my initial expectations. After all, the only promise made when I initially joined was for one cent per member read, and that rate is still in effect. Along the way I was granted the title of "Expert" and took that with a grain of salt, since the only thing I'm really an expert at is the difference between Carolina and Texas barbeque. And then the title was changed to "Advisor", which was still pretty much of a misnomer, since my advice to Epinions and its members has been minimal over this long haul. And then the email finally showed up last month telling me that my last Advisor title was being removed for insufficient contributions to make the cut. I wasn't really surprised, since I'm not at all prolific these days when it comes to reviews. Very few things remain for me to review that I can get passionate about, and I've decided not to violate my own personal standard in order to retain a title. And no - I'm not complaining. Not at all. I'm simply stating a fact about my own personal scorebook. And perhaps offering up one tiny piece of advice to any newcomer who happens upon this offering: And that is to avoid the temptation to substitute quantity for quality. After all, the majority of people who will be reading your contributions are fellow Epinionators. Fellow writers who have read hundreds - if not thousands - of other reviews. And if you "hurry" a piece, or aren't thorough enough, you'll find yourself getting "graded" at levels far below your expectations. But if you set a personal standard, and stick to it, then you'll find yourself proud of your work - and whether it makes a dollar or a dime, you'll find satisfaction within. And, when queried on the subject of "why" I continue to write for the site when so many other veterans have dropped out along the way, I offer up but one simple explanation: I write to be read. And I have - somewhat surprisingly - found a part of me here that has flourished at Epinions. The writer within wanting to share his feelings and thoughts with others whom he does not know personally. It surfaced because of this site. It has been an enriching experience that has made me proud, humble, uplifted and sad - often within the same week. And that particular stimulation cannot be translated easily into a title, or into a checkbook. But it is definitely present at this site, and I'm quite thankful for the journey that has materialized for me here at Epinions. Sound familiar?  |
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