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NH LadyCynic while you can, you may never get the opportunity again!Jul 02 '01 (Updated Jun 08 '05) Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line ME, ME, ME!!
Since I couldn't find a "LadyCynic" category, I'm throwin this rant in here...NH it for bein off topic, go ahead, I'm not afraid...cause I'm only gonna talk about me...ME, ME, ME! I started on this site for the money, who among you can say different? If you do, you're lying...plain and simple! How do I know this? Because since the money got down to next to nothing, at least two thirds of my WOT quit writing here entirely, when the rates dwindled down to mere pennies...they were history! Some damn good writers too. Anyway, as I started reading other reviews, I came across the wild personalities. The ones that make you laugh so hard you peed your pants. Their hits were enormous...some getting more than two hundred hits in just a day or two. While the truly informative reviewers, the one's who wrote about the product, (yawn) all the details with practically no personality...were averaging 30 to 40 hits each, but rakin it in on income share. This changed my views, this made me decide to try and throw my own personality into my reviews, I had changed my reason for wanting to write here...no, who cares about the money, the income share...I wanted to have fun...and damn it...I wanted FAME! So, what did I do to cultivate my member personality on Epinions? First, I started writing like I talk...I put ME into my reviews! As a bartender, you learn how to entertain people, it's part of what gets you the tips...it's part of what gets you regular customers. That helped a bit, but I still wasn't coming close to being the popular kid I wanted to be..that is, until Epinions finally added my category...SPIRITS! Now I had something here, something I knew all about and wasn't afraid to jump into with all I had. Now things were moving for me. I wrote my liquor reviews with my no nonsense, tell it like I see it, and who the hell cares what anyone else thinks attitude...the same attitude I'd always had behind the bar. I added the most interesting bar stories that I could remember, because I thought they were interesting, and obviously...I hadn't killed as many brain cells over the years as I thought I had...I was starting to get wild. I edged around the TOS with my titles, only because all of them included real drink names...I didn't make that stuff up. Epinions obviously saw that, and I suppose that's why I never got a ticket for offensive language. I was even surprised to see that I was getting mostly high ratings, I got very few low ratings and on some of them...none at all. Very few nasty comments, though that was a little disappointing, I've always loved a good flame. I made the MPR list in Gourmet pretty damn quick...what a rush that was! I was achieving my goal...I had fans...I was popular!! I still wasn't getting the hits and trusters that my favorite reviewers were getting, but it didn't bother me...I was completely satisfied with what I did have. How has this helped my experience on the site? I was finally having fun! I was feeling like the resident bartender on the site, I was getting fantastic comments...they liked me, they really liked me! (yeah, that line is over used...but hey, it fit!) My titles were even raking in the unsuspecting, the ones who hit my reviews simply on the titles, thinkin they would be an easy NH to even out their ratings...and then begrudgingly, they'd leave a high rating. Because even though I threw in a whole lot of BS...my reviews were complete, they really were informative and helpful. Now, the bětchin begins...I went and got myself pregnant! Okay, I didn't do that one on my own, but the hard facts hit me...I couldn't write liquor reviews anymore, I couldn't do the tastings, and LadyCynic can't write em any other way...she has to do it herself...all or nothing! How did this hurt my experience on the site? I wrote my last six reviews/editorials...I tried different styles, I mean I had to...where else can you fit in a bar story except on a liquor review? First, totally serious and informative, a book review...all I got was my regular fan hits, with far too few wonderful comments, the ones I had grown accustomed to. Well, that sucked! Then I tried some real life stuff, the K&F editorials..."What should I know about prenatal care?". Okay, this is a little better...most of the funny stuff was out, but I guess K&F is getting more overall hits from members than any other category, so I got a plethora (yep, pulled that word outta my áss didn't I?) of hits, with some really great comments. I thought that my real, no BS, experiences could actually help someone who needed advice (I am full of it too, um...advice that is...Heh Heh). So I tried it again, I was pregnant with twins at the time...so I wrote in the "Raising Multiples" category. I've always been one to want to try a new twist to something when there were already a gazillion opinions on a topic, so I figured that being pregnant with twins was part of the overall experience of raising them...WRONG! The advisor off topic police hit me on that one...COOL! I never got gang-banged before, it was kinda neat...though still, a little disappointed that I didn't get any nasty comments. Well now, I actually found a new topic that I could put a little of the old LadyCynic into..."What should I know about Liqueur". I had wanted to write about how to avoid hangovers for some time now, but had never been able to fit it in anywhere. This was the most logical place to put it, since my experience with learning how to avoid one has been with RumpleMinze...a Liqueur! This one went over great, it's the only one I've been truly pleased with since I've had to quit writing liquor reviews, even got to throw a story in with it. As I contemplated the other liquors in this category, I again, had a real life experience...I lost one of the twins. Okay, my particular experience and feelings about this was different than what I'd read in this category. I wrote that one for two reasons, first...to help myself rationalize my feelings, or rather lack of at that point, and second...I knew it couldn't just be me having these odd feelings...I really wanted to help and encourage people who had felt the same as I had. I do occasionally write very serious ones just for that reason, to try and help someone cope, or avoid a problem. This particular editorial is what prompted me to delete the one on "Raising Multiples"...it just didn't seem appropriate to leave it here now. I also found it interesting that the advisors who gang-banged that editorial, didn't even bother to rate the one on "How to cope with miscarriage". Oh, and a sidenote to those same gang-bangers...sorry guys, ya'll had nothing to do with my decision to delete it...go bother some newbie if you want that kind of satisfaction! Finally...up to date now, I wrote on "What should I know about Bourbon". At first it was to be a totally serious editorial, but after all the work and research...when I read the final draft...I was bored outta my mind! I left it for a couple of days considering...what could I do to make this damn thing interesting? I asked my good friend, and totally outrageous personality...SLOW. He gave me some great advice, even gave me my title...and I went ahead and threw in "LadyCynic's thoughts", based somewhat on his advice. Nope, it didn't do it for me...I'm not happy with it, the style just doesn't scream LadyCynic! Even with the great comments I've received from some of my more loyal fans and friends...the hits aren't anywhere close to what I'm used to, I was surprised to see that some of my regular commenters left me nothing, and to top it off...my last really good LadyCynic liquor review is now buried under "View more opinions by ladycynic". Which we all know, most people won't take the time to look beyond the first five. LadyCynic's final thoughts...everyone here writes for their own reasons, develops their own personality...or even lack of in some cases. I've given you mine, and if yours are the same...stick with what you're good at, your category where you feel expert and comfortable. If your style is working, if it's giving you the satisfaction that you were looking for...don't change it. It's a pretty big let down if it doesn't work...trust me! I still don't know if I'll try again before I have this baby, I may wait until I can start up my liquor reviews again. Maybe I'll find somewhere else I can fit my personality into before that, or maybe a spot where I can be of some real help to others...but for now, I'm disillusioned, and feeling pretty disgusted with myself. Maybe that's just the pregger hormones taking over...your guess is as good as mine right now.  |
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