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The Underground World of Sex and PoliticsJul 12 '01 (Updated Jul 18 '01) Write an essay on this topic.
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I have been a member of the Epinions community for almost a year now. This Web of Trust is still as mysterious today as the first time I logged in. I think that part of the problem is that the Web of Trust has many political and social ramifications beyond its function as a simple content filter. In this review I will attempt to dissect the enigma that is Trust on Epinions. Trends Some people don't Trust anyone. Some people don't care who they Trust. Some use Trust to inflate their egos. and some people use Trust as a substitute for love. Some people Trust everyone, you know the type; their Trust list has half the Epinions community on it. There are a few who only Trust super-Epinionators like Ptieman or Poseidon. Those people keep a low profile. Others only Trust a couple people they either know in real life or have become "friends" with on Epinions. There are also people who keep their WOT secret. But I find that is a little much. Come on, play the game with us. What are you afraid of? The category you fall into determines a great deal of what people perceive as your Epinions personality. Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Working numbers Another variable is the Trust:Trusted By ratio. If someone Trusts 600 people but is only Trusted by 10, you know this guy is probably not someone you want to get involved with. If, however they Trust only a few, but have gained the Trust of many, they are probably a big league reviewer. If you trust this guy, everyone will know that you know how to pick 'em, right? All those people can't be wrong. However, this can be decieving. It is possible that this person Trusted many people to gain their Trust in return, and then unTrusted all but a few, hoping no one would notice. Plus, do you really want to be one in a thousand? Another notch in the proverbial bed post? If your ratio is too skewed in one direction or another, it could have negative consequences for future potential Trusters. A healthy ratio it seems is about 5:9, so trust about half as many people who trust you. Web of Trust functions, the electronics (if I get any of this wrong, please let me know) Trust If you Trust someone, their reviews rise up to the top of a category for you. But not only that, reviews that they have rated highly also rise up. This is where I have a dilemma. It follows that the decision to Trust should be based not only on the quality of the person's reviews, but also their taste in other reviews. If they are an exceptional writer, but they rate everything VH or they have different rating style than you, you will only get to see the reviews that they happen to have seen, too, or a good review could be sent to the bottom. However, to see how a person rates, you must first Trust them so that their ratings influence what you see. If you decide that you do not like the way they rate, you can unTrust them. But then they might think that you were one of those people who Trusts just to get people to read their reviews. Communication is key here. If after Trusting for a while you realize that you just don't see eye to eye on review quality, you can email that person and explain your actions. Tell them that you do not expect their trust or hits in return and that you still like their reviews, and will continue to read them. If you actually do what you say, no harm will come and no reputations will be soiled. (in theory at least) On the other hand, Epinions is much more than a collection of reviews, it is a community of people, as well. As we discussed above, how you Trust has a lot of bearing on how seriously other people take you and your reviews, and whether they decide to place their Trust in you. So what do I do? Do I bow to peer pressure and only Trust people I "like"? Or do I break the mold, risking ostracization and keep Trust and friendship separate. Can I Trust someone for their rating style, even though their reviews are lousy? The trust function gets the most attention because it is so powerful and complicated and visible, but it isn't the only tool you have to adjust what and who you see. Block (formerly Distrust) I think at this moment everyone's block list is secret, but a number does appear. I currently have blocked one person. I did so because I consistently disagreed with her ratings and because she was an advisor, so her opinions counted more. Her reviews were good and insightful, but I just didn't want to lose the reviews that she rated poorly. Plus her picture was stupid. (just kidding) I'm sure it happens, though. Content filters This function will block certain reviews if you or the Epinions community have rated them poorly enough. I currently don't have any filters on. I like to make up my own mind, occasionally multiple times. This works in conjunction with your WOT, but I am not quite certain how. If you don't want to see any NH's, but a person you Trust has a NHed review, which is more powerful? Alert If you really like a reviewer you can have Epinions tell you every time they write a new review. Because of this alert function, I can put only people on my WOT who rate the same way I do. If I like somebody's writing, I just put them on my alert list. But I'm not going to do that because Trust is not just an empty act to achieve an end. It is a relationship that shows admiration and respect and is the highest complement one can give another Epinionator. What have we learned? When I first started I didn't Trust anyone. I was afraid of Trusting the wrong people. The whole system was rather overwhelming. After a while I got to know a few reviewers on at a time. I developed a relationship through comments and diligent attention to their reviews. It was nice. I am not so picky as I was those first few months, but to this day my Trust list remains short. An unfortunate side effect of having a short Trust list is that my Trusted By list is also short. I am not without ambition, though. I would like to see my influence range a little farther, but I am not willing to be a Trust slut to get there.  |
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