Join epinions, gain 10 pounds (eprime W/O)
Aug 02 '01
The Bottom Line Not signing off completely, just stepping back to the sidelines a bit.
Fellow epinions members:
I write this epinion as a sort of farewell letter with a stern warning: Epinions may harm your health.
I believe, friends, that I have developed a serious addiction to this great website. I have tried everything, including Epinionaddicts.com, with very little luck. It seems that the more I think about ways to end problem, the more I feel compelled to click and rate. When not writing, I read. When not reading, I cruise for fun and talented writers to add to my web of trust.
Speaking of the Web of Trust, this circle of friends has tormented me from the start. When a member adds me to their web, I feel a certain elation that others might (and rightfully should) consider extreme and excessive. Yet, when another drops me from her web, I cannot hide my pain and disappointment. Who would drop me? Have I offended anyone with my words or lack thereof? Have I not behaved in a reciprocal manner? Or have I not taken enough effort to develop an "epinions personality"? I believe that maintaining my current web of trust statistics, and encouraging these numbers to grow, quickly developed as my prime motivation to produce commentaries faster and faster.
I visited the doctor today.
I have gained 10 pounds since my last visit, which took place just before I recommenced my activity on epinions.com this past April.
10 pounds? Geesh...
When I think about it, I recognize a decline my mental and physical health throughout the past 3 months. I eat many of my meals alone, in front of the computer, as I read and rate epinions. We all know the dangers of eating while distracted, don't we? People tend to forget how much they eat and ignore the nutritional content of their food. I choose foods that don't require cleanup or preparation: nutrigrain bars, Luna bars, Clif bars. Lots of bars.
I spend less time on other recreational activities that I enjoy. I cannot remember the last time I picked up my guitar or drum sticks. The desire to publish more epinions takes precedent over the wish to make music, creating a sad commentary about my need produce anything concrete. A young adult who once loved learning melodies and rhythms now sits and often mindlessly stamps ratings on other people's works.
I speak to my family and friends less. If one should dare interrupt me while composing an informative article, they face the danger of cranky tell-offs. Perhaps I have started valuing the virtual company of people I don't know more than the true relationships offered by those that I do.
Yes, I exaggerate a little, but my points arise from sincerity and my recognition that I do have a problem. They call me Jennifer, and I suffer from epinions addictions.
Many addiction specialists suggest completely removing yourself from the source of your temptation. I tried that, and though I stayed away for several months (made possible by my dislike for Epinions Beta), I could not resist a return to this forum.
I recently decided on a compromise that may allow me to sanely participate in epinions. To encourage moderation, I will only submit epinions as contributions to write-offs. This limits my total number of contributions to perhaps 5 a month. Notably, I will continue to participate in write-offs because I believe that writers involved in these forums demonstrate high-quality writing, critical reading and appraisal, and an interest in helping themselves and others develop writing skills. Of course, I will continue to rate epinions with moderation.
I understand that the next few weeks will present me with a challenge, as weaning oneself off their dependencies never comes without difficulty. But with this step, I hope to return to the largest single reason I began contributing...to become a better writer.
Sincerely, respectfully, and gratefully,
Jennifer
-Appropriately, this contribution joins other as part of the "Eprime of your life Write-Off:A writers Write-off" hosted by proeditor. No conjugations of the verb "to be" should exist here; please inform me if you find the verb "to be" within the body of the epinion. Other contributors:
proeditor, magenta321, lernerj, DrDad, HowardU, jankp, nylawgirl, amykhar, mike24, zzjulia, infoscott, nfp, tlimjoco, eplovejoy, sloucho, ginahill, rich2003dm, epicure, wovengold, pageclot, hhassellaa, ledomaine, teskue
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Epinions.com ID:
dequebec
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Member: Jennifer
Location: los angeles, CA
Reviews written: 131
Trusted by: 118 members
About Me:
No longer an editor, thanks a bunch Nirav.
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