An Open Letter to New Members
Jan 11 '03
The Bottom Line Writing at Epinions can be fun. Please don't let your first low ratings get you down.
First of all, welcome to Epinions.com. Many of us are absolutely thrilled that you are here because new faces are vital if Epinions is to continue growing. We hope that you do more than post one review and scamper back to whatever corner of cyberspace that you normally frequent. In fact, we hope that you become as utterly addicted as we are and that you write many more reviews. I am writing this little letter to you in order to try to make your assimilation into the Epinions community a bit easier.
Assimilation. That’s a pretty scary word. It almost makes us sound like the Borg. In fact, we are people just like you. Some of us are parents. Some of us love to read books. Some of us love electronic gadgets. You can probably find somebody around here who likes a lot of the same things you like. That is what makes this place magical. Once you find people whose tastes are similar to your own, you will be able to read their reviews and either learn from their mistakes or benefit from their experience.
There is a lot to learn about writing, rating, and trusting at Epinions.com. This letter is going to stick to writing and leave rating and trusting for another time. If you are like many people who create accounts here, you have something to say and you want to say it now. In fact, you have probably already written your first review. Unfortunately, the ratings on your first review might not have been great. That is where this letter comes in. I am going to try to salve your wounds gained at the hands of your first Epinions critics.
If you have been rated Not Helpful (NH) or Somewhat Helpful (SH) by several Epinions members, there are a few ramifications. First, reviews rated NH or SH overall are typically not visible to non-members reading the site. This also means such reviews will probably not earn any money. (I feel compelled to note here that the notion of earning money at Epinions is a bit silly. Most people will only earn pennies a month, if that.) Finally, being told that the review you took time to pen isn’t very helpful at all might sting your ego a bit. Luckily, there are ways to get rid of the SH and NH ratings and that is why I am taking the time to write this brief letter to you.
Most Epinions members hate giving low ratings and would like nothing more than to show you the ropes so that you can review your heart out and have some fun at the site. Unfortunately, there are a few xenophobes out there who are not crazy about the idea of newcomers. If you run into a grump on the site, please don’t hold it against all of us. Some people just feel compelled to knock the work of others in order to make themselves feel important.
Now, to the nitty gritty. Here’s how to get the low ratings off your reviews.
1. Read any comments left on your reviews. If they make specific suggestions about possible improvements, consider making those improvements. Remember though, the final product is your review. If somebody comes along asking for stupid details, feel free to ignore their request.
2. If no helpful comments are there, feel free to email anybody with a blue or red graphic next to their name and ask them for suggestions on improving your review. Those people have colored badges because they have expressed a willingness to rate reviews properly and help members. Finding their email address is usually easy. Click on their username next to their rating. This will take you to their profile page where their email address is probably listed. Please remember to be polite in your email and to provide a link to your review. Many of us rate dozens of reviews a day and will need a reminder of who you are.
3. If all else fails, here are some general suggestions:
a. Pretend you are talking to a friend or neighbor about the product or service you are reviewing. What would they need to know? Have you included that information in your review?
b. Look over the presentation of your review. Is it filled with spelling errors and is it difficult to read? Fixing little things like that makes a big difference in ratings sometimes.
c. Are your facts correct? If you are uncertain about some elements of your review, it is best to either research them or refrain from writing the review until you are more knowledgeable about the subject matter.
d. Is the review your own work? If you have copied and pasted from another source you might be in violation of the site’s rules. Reviews do not need to be term papers. Write what you know and don’t worry about copying shipping tables or other such trivia from web sites. Readers want to read YOUR thoughts, not somebody else’s.
e. Specific details win every time. If you are having problems with a product, give specific details about the problem. Sometimes, readers will have an answer for you. Other times, you will clearly show a reader that the product is junk and is to be avoided.
4. Finally, if you do decide to edit your review, feel free to email anybody who rated it. Give them a link to your review, tell them that you have revised it, and invite them to read it again in order to reconsider their rating.
Some people will suggest that you read other reviews on the site and get a feel for how it’s done. I am not sure that is entirely necessary. The key is to have something to say about the product and then to say it clearly and in your own voice. If you don’t really have anything to say about the product, skip writing that review and find another product you are more passionate about. Don’t worry about being Hemingway, but collect your thoughts before you write your reviews. The more organized your thoughts, the easier it will be for readers to understand. Most importantly, write in your own voice. Put yourself into your reviews because that is what makes Epinions great. You are a real person with real ideas. Share your personality as well as your ideas so that readers get a sense of who you are. Each review needs to reflect the person behind it. Don’t be afraid to let yourself shine through.
Every time I leave a comment on a new member’s first review, I wish I could find some way to communicate why I am taking the trouble to try to help them improve their work. I am not a teacher grading work. You will not get a black mark on your permanent record if your Epinions ratings are low. What is to stop you from leaving Epinions.com and never come back again? The plain truth is I comment because I hope you will see that somebody does care about what you have to say. I comment because I hope that once you see somebody cares about what you have to say, you will come back and say something else. There is something so satisfying about being heard. I honestly believe that is why most of us continue to write product reviews. We like knowing that somebody out there cares about what we have to say. So please do not look upon my low rating on your review as a sign that I want you to go away. Indeed, my rating means the opposite. I want you to stay. I want you to find your own Epinions voice, and I want you to have as much fun as I have been having for the past three years.
I hope this letter has helped a bit. If you need any help finding your way here, please feel free to comment on this review or email me.
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A note to veteran members: I have written this letter with the intentions of including the link to it in the comment sections of new writers. I am not a fan of cookie cutter comments, but it is impossible to leave a comment of any real depth on every review we rate down. Over time, I hope to refine this letter so that combined with a personal comment, it can encourage new members to try again rather than flee. Today is the anniversary of my third year at Epinions.com and it is my hope that this little letter might encourage somebody new to stick around for as long as I have.
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Epinions.com ID:
amykhar
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 - Top 500 |
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Member: Amy
Location: USA
Reviews written: 320
Trusted by: 480 members
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