Fahrenheit 300 : Adventures in Epinionland, Continued
Jul 22 '04 (Updated Jul 25 '04)
The Bottom Line Keep on a-truckin'.
Well..okay, for a while there this was gonna be #300, but when I tried to submit it the Epinions machine for essays was broken or something, so here it is at #305 or something...but anyway...
When you come to one of these 50-100-150…all the way up to 300…waypoints, and beyond, in your Epinions journey, conventional wisdom says it's time to stop, take stock, and maybe share with folks, some folks anyway, some of the pearls of wisdom you've learned along the way. I was going to “publish” this as No. 300, but when it came time to do that under “advice to members”, the Epinions site machine kept kicking it out. So that’s why I’m publishing it in this category; maybe at least here the Epinions machine will let me sneak it in as a stretch . It’s a small miracle that I was finally able to get it listed, but for what it’s worth, here it is.
I think maybe there are two or three…or maybe four or five things…hmmm…maybe or even six things that I might take a look at with you at my personal Waypoint 300 .
Observation No. 1: When writing in Epinions, take one major and one, two, or three minors. What do I mean? When many people begin writing Epinions, they write on twelve or fifteen or twenty different subjects: movies, books, computers, office supplies, toys, restaurants, travel destinations, etc. It's a big table spread with goodies and we want to write about it all, just to see what is fun. That is probably a normal reaction in the first few weeks, months, or even years, but as I reflect on this approach, it seems to me that a smarter approach to reviewing is to specialize strong in one area and occasionally write on a few minor areas. I say this as one who has taken the eclectic approach but who is now rapidly moving away from it like Mars in retrograde.
Why should you specialize in, say, electronics or toys or some other single area of reviewing? When you concentrate on one area as your "major area" you are more likely to develop a sort of mastery over that topic area and your epinions are therefore probably going to reflect the sharper focus you will have developed. You'll write more confidently too. I remember the reviews of a very excellent Epinions reviewer, sadly no longer active, who specialized in reviews of magazines--- she was superb in what might have seemed a fairly mundane area, but she earned the respect of legions of epinions readers. So should you restrict yourself to one area only? It depends. Some epinionators have done that to great success. But I think it can lead to being stuck in a rut if you write in only one place. Therefore, it's probably a good thing to write in a few other areas where you "minor", but may some day major if you ever get tired of your current major. Even so, I think concentrating on essentially one area at a time is better than writing on twelve different areas all the time. Test it and see,
Observation No. 2: Write long, deep, and honest. Probably the most common mistake I see new epinions writers in virtually all areas commit is that the epinions they produce are short, shallow, and somewhat non-committal. The more experienced writers read these eps, give them a "Helpful" or a "Somewhat Helpful," and then leave a comment apologetically telling the writer, "I'm sorry I rated your review as "Helpful" but your epinion just didn't seem to me to have the amount of depth content in it that a "Very Helpful" review should have. Just re-write your review and inject more meaning and content in it, and I’ll probably re-rate your review if it’s up to snuff." The writer’s feelings are mildly singed, but also he or she may learn from the experience.
It's understandable that new writers may write short, shallow, and somewhat non-committal Epinions reviews. This is a new thing and the new writer wants to make valid contributions, but isn't sure how they will be accepted, so the reviews are thin and relatively non-committal.
I wrote my own Epinions reviews that way at the start. I look back at those early reviews and I either cringe or laugh at what I wrote and how I wrote. Mediocrity in spades. Some of my reviews are so thin they're anorexic. Yuk. Like a lot of others, I was trying to gain readers but I wasn't willing to stick my neck out or get thorough with my subjects. And in this game it is sticking one's neck out that is interesting. It is moving beyond one's comfort zone that shows the seasoned readers that you don't mind working without a net, and that you can hold your own.
There is a certain "zone" that most of the good and committed Epinions writers operate within, a "zone" where you know what the readers want, and a "zone" where you know you can grow as a writer. I feel like I am partially aware of this zone much of the time, but it is elusive. Even so, the more you jump off into the deep end, so-to-speak, and the more you put honest feelings into your work, the more the zone becomes apparent. Most writers of some experience here know what that zone is, and they will often be glad to share with the newer writers what they have learned.
Observation No. 3: Write from within the community. Does that sound weird? What I mean by this is that you must write like you are a part of the Epinions "team" even if you don't know if the "team" is really going to accept you or not. There are writers, of course, who write as if they could care less if anyone approves of them or their work. All of us are that way at least some of the time; it's a mood thing, and sometimes artists need solitude and are bothered by being a part of a larger system than themselves alone with the "weapon" or "paintbrush" of their art. They are writing for the art of it, or perhaps just for the heck of it. But the longer I stay in the community of writers here, the more I am conscious that what we are actually doing results in a collective sigh, as it were, a good sigh of one-ness. We together may be, as the late Carl Sagan once described something similar, “one voice in the cosmic fugue.” And usually it's a gratifying thing. Think of it like this: in a play or a movie that works, you can tell that the actors are all working together on a good thing. If you will let it, the Epinions community emanates a sense of unity in much the same way. The old cowboys used to say that they "rode for the brand." Write for the people here. And if Epinions the Company rewards you, that's okay. But write for your fellow writers within Epinions above and beyond just the company. I’m sure the company values good writing, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they want you to be a “company man” or a “company woman,” if you get my drift. In time you'll know why this way, writing for your sister and brother writers, is the best way. There's a spirit in it better than the other minor benefits, like the bucks.
Observation No. 4: Write often unless you are in the pantheon.There is a relatively small group of writers at the top of the Epinions pyramid like Ptiemann and others who once wrote like blue lightning and they got high in the pecking order as a result of it. They probably did this by skill but some may have worked the system a bit to get themselves where they are now. I don’t know; maybe they are F.O.N. (Friends Of Nirav.) Well, whatever happened, more power to them. Some of them don't write very often any more, but when they do many, many people read their reviews and rate them. It's okay. They worked hard, they are rewarded, and most of us can learn a lot from them.
But what about you and me? Can we write only a few times a year and expect to develop our skill or be read and rated positively by lots of interesting people? Nope. That's why we have to write fairly often. It's like playing golf or tennis. Tiger Woods (in spite of his slumps) practices making a hundred five-foot putts every night after supper (or something like this), and why? You'd think that if he was simply Tiger Woods, that would be enough. But Tiger wants to stay sharp. And practice is the whetstone of the blade. Excellent athletes in every sport know that practice, endless practice (for those of us below the pantheon anyway) is the key. Which is one reason why you have to love writing for itself to become proficient at it. So write a lot of epinions. Some day you may wind up in the pantheon where you can coast on what you have invested, but for now, write like crazy. And enjoy the writing for itself alone.
Observation No. 5: Remember who supported you in your pattern of development. As noted previously, a huge reward of writing epinions is being a part of the team, of sharing in the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Epinions is for many of us a way of connecting with minds which are as we are, geography or other barriers notwithstanding. That said, the refined product of all this sound and fury is to know that you have supported and Known others, and they have supported and Known you. You may even have some magnificent debates with some of your fellow epinionators, but the memory of going one-on-one with your colleagues, the swords of your comments clashing like sabers, may be worth more to you that a hundred peachy-keen conversations with people who never stray out into deep water of how they feel about something. Support them all, for they are the team which has borne you, as you have borne them.
Another thing in the "borne" category--- don’t take the company Nirav Tolia started for granted. It's a pretty amazing and radical thing, really. A lot of people fall into the habit of being critical and reviewing (and complaining about) the Epinions company when things are not ideal. If we’re honest, we’ve all done it at some point. I even wrote a long satirical "EP-ONIONS DICTIONARY" about the (or a parallel?) company's foibles three years ago. But lest we forget, none of us would be in Epinions if Nirav and company had not created Epinions, and allowed us to be in on it. And I think it is also accurate to say that a lot of people vent off steam at the company just to hear themselves gripe at times. I know we only get peanuts, but that’s just a way of keeping score; if we are honest the money is for most of us a small part of the experience. I say we should be thankful to these people for making this possible for us to begin with. I say if you are grateful, you only then really have the right to suggest improvements. Remember, the Epinions company is among those who have supported you during your development.
Observation No. 6: Certain writers are the exception to the foregoing five points I’ve dealt with. What I have written here is not Canon Law, nor the Da Nirav Code.
In any community of serious writers there are always those who are unique. And I hope I have been plain enough that my observations are in general, and do not apply to everyone. Even though I have a healthy dose of the introvert within me, I know that I need people with whom to converse and from whom to receive comments to help me improve my work.
Even so, some, apparently do not need the sense of community. They are always interesting to observe; island personalities in the great sea of Epinions. I do not understand everything about them, but I am somewhat in awe of them, for at times their Epinions are like a new evolution and invention rising up from within our collective sea, and they sometimes shape the future. My observations, then, are for a certain type of epinions writer, and if by chance you are among those for whom I have written, I hope this essay has been helpful.
Well, 300( ) down, and , as Robert Frost might put it, miles to go before I "ep."
At least before I do the next one, that is. Thanks for being you.
-Ed Williamson
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Member: Ed Williamson
Location: Way Out West, USA
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Wishing you a pleasant 2012, if the world doesn't end then (don't think so.)
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