The day the music faded for me.....
Nov 10 '01 (Updated Mar 22 '03)
The Bottom Line It has been a pleasant walk in the clouds
Writing words in cyberspace has always been a bit of a rollercoaster ride...equal parts stunning vistas and stomach churning declines.
Your journey here at Epinions probably has - or will - contain some of those same ups and downs.
Since stumbling across this site way back in September of 1999, I've found myself drawn back here again and again. First out of amazement (can you believe someone would actually pay for my opinion?), then out of addiction (can you believe how many people seem to actually like my stuff?) and finally out of simple reading enjoyment (can you believe there are so many great writers contributing here?)...
But, for me, the music which was so seductive then has gone from full orchestration to background music....and lately to a faint noise from a very distant drummer.
The money was not why I got so heavily involved, nor will it be the reason I fade into my own setting sun. The loss of the initial Epinions community and of many of the most involved contributors is what leads me to a simple, but harsh, conclusion.
The music here is fading too fast and obscuring what once was a beautiful combination of lyrics and melody. Writers who I admired again and again have left in droves, and the band seems to be out of key this November eve. After reading way too many swan songs, I realized that the thing that motivated me to post many times in the past is gone.
Passion.
The passion that compels writers to spend a lot of time on a piece of writing because they cared so much about the subject matter.
The passion that accompanies a feeling that what one writes has some value to others.
The passion that comes from reading so many terrific reviews, and feeling energized in an attempt to meet such high standards set here by others in the past.
The passion of having a band of writers become a community online, with a true sense of belonging to a wonderfully unique group.
And the passion that often seemed to be so evident in others as I read their past contributions.
That passion seems to have been a meteor here - one which burned long into the night for so many, many months - only to finally disappear as the flames were extinguished one by one.
And I came to my own ephiphany sitting in front of a computer screen as I searched for that passion during the last few days.
The meteor that is Epinions gave us all a breathtaking display for longer than any of us could have anticipated - and its trail across the sky was a beautiful sight for all of us who stood below it and watched with a sense of awe and amazement.
But the meteor - like the music - is dying as it crosses the horizon.
The hundreds of talented writers who initially gave this site that warm glow have turned off their collective electricity, and the passion that made everything shine here for me is but a feeble gasp this evening.
The view was spectacular. I'm glad I got to see it in all its radiant glory.
And I'll cherish the memory of a remarkable past, and a wonderful group of people who made the night sky bright.
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Epinions.com ID:
Bonies7
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 - Top 500 |
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Member: Jeff Clow
Location: The Lone Star State
Reviews written: 132
Trusted by: 1018 members
About Me:
Father, Husband, Consultant, Photographer, Writer, Conservative, Inquisitive, Texan
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