Sad truth about Epinions Dec 06 '07 (Updated Dec 09 '07)    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet Popular Products in Books Rick Bragg - Somebody Told Me: The Newspaper Stories of Rick Bragg From $6 260 Drum Machine Patterns From $8 The Bottom Line Writers Corner.....a slick way to further the accolades of the clique. Several years ago I decided Epinions might just be the place to go before I made a purchase. After reading review after review, I decided..........."I think this would be a good place to voice my honest opinions on products." I did that. It only took a few postings to realize the way things work on Epinions. It is not a place to exchange opinions, but a nice place to become a social climber based on "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours." Now, don't get me wrong, there are many members who wish to honestly convey their opinions on products and services. But the way Epinions works is a waste of time for them. In actuality most of the high rollers on Epinions are involved in a practice of blabbering on and on about subjects that they may or may not have any real knowledge of and simply having these opinions rubber stamped as excellent by members caught up in the same game. They in turn do the same for the trusted clique. This goes to their heads and the assume that they are the next great American writer. Notice that many posters go to great lengths to pad the submission with fill dirt just to make a short story long. You know, the prolonged history, copied quotes from magazines and books, etc. Worse are certain Advisors who I consider to be hobby horse cowboy editors. In going to great lengths to criticize submissions to fit into their idea of what is proper, they in fact expose their own will to be an elite group of literary snobs. I don't know if they have cracked the code to actually make money off Epinions, but they surely have inflated their own egos. Most ridiculous of all is the Writers Corner. I truly cannot understand how these submissions (including mine) are of value to anyone wanting to know the pros and cons of a product. It is the epitome of what Epinions has become.....a bogus site designed to amuse rather than inform.

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