Freedom vs. Entitlement Sep 14 '07    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet Popular Products in Books Mark Billingham - Death Message From $20 Michael Abadie - Shiny Side Up: Motivati From $13 The Bottom Line is that you have the freedom to write your reviews any way you wish, but you are not entitled to dictate the rating you feel your review deserves. Some Epinions members are operating under a false assumption. These members believe that their reviews should be given higher ratings because they believe their reviews deserve higher ratings. They defend their work with illogical arguments, relying on double standards, peer pressure and sometimes even abuse to guard the sanctity of their reviews against those who dare to leave an offendsive low rate. Let's establish something right away so there is no questioning what I mean to say: At Epinions, you are free to express your opinion about a product or topic any way you wish. That being said, let's also remember that there are some basic site rules to be followed, and that Epinions has offered some suggestions about how a review might be written (see the Review Writing Guide info found in Step 1 when submitting a new review). In my opinion, it's also helpful for a writer to keep in mind Epinions' suggestions regarding how to rate a review, since these guidelines go into some detail about the sorts of things Epinions feels are important qualities to look for in a review. I'm all for variety. I'm all for experimentation. I'm all for differences in writing styles, content, length, language and so many other things. I'm all for feeling free to express one's self and for doing it within the guidelines that Epinions has set for us. However, the mere fact that a member stays within these wide boundaries when writing a review does not entitle that member to receive a certain rating. The fact that a review is acceptable by these guidelines is no guarantee of ratings agreement among the membership, and yet, members will resort to faulty logic in defense of the rating they feel the review deserves. Let me give you some examples of the sorts of entitlement arguments I've seen in my experience: "I offered my personal opinion. I talked about the product, and I followed the rules. Your rate is unfair." "Everybody else gave it a VH. Your rate MUST be wrong." "This isn't your usual category, right? You just don't understand the standards in this category, so perhaps you should reconsider your rate." "You don't rate many of my reviews, and I'd rather you didn't start now. Your rate is not welcome." "You rated my review low today after I gave you a low rating yesterday. Therefore, you must be a revenge rater." Perhaps you've seen these sorts of arguments in comments sections. Perhaps you've written these sorts of arguments to defend your own work. It's possible that you've been alerted via email to come defend a review that is "under attack" and you've joined in with a whole group using these arguments against the infidel who dared leave a low rate for the review. I am well aware that some members do abuse the rating system, and that this abuse is often the reason why some members make the assumptions they do about low rates and those who leave them. But it is often a long history of bad blood between members that fuels the comment wars, causing members to stoop to trolling tactics, calling in friends to provide covering fire so bombs can be placed with surgical precision. These sorts of fights aren't actually about rates, content or anything of actual value to Epinions - they are struggles between personalities, vying for power, position and face-saving pride. If you want to do something about these fights, start blocking those people that are at the heart of the problem, those who are instigating these outbursts. If someone is truly behaving badly, you have it in your power to do something about it. But that's not the point of this piece; you can ponder what you've witnessed, you can think about what you've done after you consider this - I want to make sure we're perfectly clear: Just as you are free to write what you want, any other member is free to rate your work as s/he wants. What that means is simply this: the rate you have in mind for your own review means nothing. Epinions is designed to come up with an overall rating for your work based on the individual rates left for the review by individual members of the community. Ideally (and yes, I realize that this ideal is a rare beast in the wilds of Epinions), each member will have honest, fair, and explainable reasons for the rate left for your review. But it is a double standard for you to make demands of others regarding your rate when you hold tight to the expectation of being free to write as you wish. Here's something else to consider: why is it that members seem to expect that everything they write should be Very Helpful to every member of the community? There are thousands of us here at Epinions, submitting hundreds and thousands of opinions every day, and many more reading and rating what we submit. Why on earth should anyone expect a 100% VH agreement among all members at all times? Doesn't it make more sense that a review should have at least a couple rates that disagree with the majority? Why does this seem to surprise some people when it happens? If you don't agree with the rate someone left you, the only assumption you should make is that the member has an honest, fair and explainable reason for choosing that rate. Rather than lashing out with a wild, illogical defense of your review, your first move should be to simply look for clarification. Start by reading the ratings guideline in the FAQ, and check your review to see if it falls short according to those suggested ratings standards. Then, if you're still in need of an answer, ask the member who left the low rate for a simple explanation. Look at that member's profile to see if he or she has posted personal guidelines for rating. Failing that, ask other members, preferably trusted veteran members of that category, for advice on your review. And if you still have not received an answer to your question, don't start making trouble for that other member, and don't encourage others to do so. Epinions is a community of wide diversity - you need to remember and understand that others don't think like you, and their opinion is equally valid as your own. So, let's bring it all together into one statement, just so we have a common understanding that can be discussed: Every Epinions member is free to participate as s/he wishes, within the rules provided by the site. This applies equally for both writers and raters. Help Epinions become better every day by treating people as you want them to treat you. Can we safely assume that you wish to be treated honestly and fairly? If so, then be sure to give others the same respect when they challenge your review or your rate.

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