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by jacobeiserman
I think you expressed, quite succinctly, what many of us have been thinking.
Sure...the 10 4 10 sounds like a good deal. (Even if those of us who write slow can't even take advantage of it.) And as some have pointed out, it will fill some of the holes in the database. But like you, the thing I miss is the sense that people are actually reading your reviews or the comments you make on theirs, rather than forging ahead and shoveling out as much barely-very-helpful as possible.
Matt
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Feb 19 '08
12:56 pm PST
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Very well-expressed (Reply to this comment)
by donnamr
Wish I had access to the Most Helpful button.
You point out some very definite trends and some thoughtful alternatives. Enjoyed reading this, nodding my head in assent every step of the way!
Donna
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Feb 12 '08
3:33 pm PST
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I share (Reply to this comment)
by panguitch
many of your same concerns.
Longtimers can become possessive of the site. Sometimes it's a rude shock to be reminded that while there's room on epinions for folks who write at a high level (like yourself), they're only peripheral to the primary concerns of epinions.com, even if they're the primary reason why I stick around myself.
-Andy
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Feb 12 '08
2:12 pm PST
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Excellent and witty (Reply to this comment)
by TimSingleton
Thanks!
Tim
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Feb 12 '08
1:58 pm PST
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Congrats on your milestone even if it wasn't ... (Reply to this comment)
by popsrocks
...as high a number as some of your contemporaries have accumulated. Lets see...
...finishing college early and getting into grad school vs. perhaps writing 600 reviews, earning $1,000 and an MPA of 50
Good choice you've made!!
I would like to see an MH button given a try for a while.
As far as It's not all about the bottom line. I believe the 10-4-10 may be addressing the many products that have no reviews on them. There's a lot of competition out there and Epinions needs a better represented library of reviewed product. That I believe is essential to staying in the race.
I believe the 10VH-4-$20 will help balance out the SH reviews that are tossed in like chicken feed.
Tricky business this is. Good to hear your thoughts.
It's also good to see you reading and rating and helping to keep all of us honest. It is appreciated!!
Here's to your 200 reviews, your education and good times at Epinions.
pops
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Feb 10 '08
9:11 pm PST
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by nad_masters
Congrats on your 200th review, and welcome back! I saw that you were rating some of my newer reviews, and just had to check you out.
I'm happy that you are working on your education, and you seem to be progressing through well. Don't let too much of this ePinion stuff distract you. :)
I agree with you on the 10-4-10, though. I was glad to do it for the first month, and maybe even the 2nd. However, a third time?
I will admit that the extra money is nice, but I feel compelled to write as much as I can, and it is hard to do since I don't like writing about something just to "make it". Plus, I do feel that it is wearing me out, and thus, may eventually water down my style in reviews. The only thing is that the timing for the 10-4-10 is perfect for me - I started a new job where I'm mostly at my desk in front of a computer. Internet is very restricted and monitored, so I type away reviews in MS Word and post them up when I get home.
Well, good luck to you, Greatpilgrim! Hope to see you here more often!
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Feb 10 '08
8:41 pm PST
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This being epinions ... (Reply to this comment)
by tgregoryt
I'll leave my opinion. I don't think my style has changed all that much. When I started here we weren't getting paid diddly, but it was fun to see the numbers roll up. One day I cranked out 10 Epinions - I think they were all VH except for an electronic one. My biggest thrill was when I became ranked in the Outdoor category, which appears to now be dead.
As for my quality, then or now, I think I've always been the borderline helpful guy because I don't like to write something really lengthy unless there is a true need for it. The 10-for-10 thing hasn't changed that.
I can say that it felt a bit weird seeing these one-paragraph somewhat helpful things and knowing that they got the same dollar I got. In the end, however, a dollar isn't really all that much, and it is more valuable to fill our database with something then to have most of it empty.
I can say that this 10-for-10 thing brought me back, at least last month. Now I'm settling in for more of a 10 opinion-per-month average. The only real difference between my writing now and my writing then is that now I am a shade more likely to write an opinion on something like Ebay, where there are already 8 bazillion opinions on the subject.
Well, thanks for commenting on this thing. And congratulations on #200. I was going to write a Harry Potter review for my #200 (I wrote a Harry Potter review for #100), but I couldn't quite do it. Glad to have you around.
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Feb 10 '08
8:04 pm PST
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I couldn't agree more . . . (Reply to this comment)
by countess_eva
Congratulations on your 200th review by the way!!! You are such a good writer and every review of yours is simply delightful. I know what you mean about the 10 for 10 thing too. I’m in college, and therefore always stressed out and busy, so it isn’t even a temptation for me. To write ten reviews in ten months is more than I could hope for right now but before college I always went for those things. It was really more about winning something than about the money but I found that I would write a review quick and just slop it out instead of spending time lovingly correcting and perfecting it. Reviewing isn’t about getting a certain number, but about the joy and beauty of writing and sharing that writing with fellow reviewers. I couldn’t agree with you more!
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Feb 10 '08
1:21 pm PST
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Congratulations, pilgrim, on 200! (Reply to this comment)
by macresarf1
I think you express a very reasonable, if not terribly commercial, attitude on the Epinions experience upwards of the last decade. No one should kid oneself that Pulitzer Prize material was produced here, but many of us were not auditioning for a stringer position in the Want Ad Department either. [Forgive the out of date analogy.] And I was always impressed by both the volume and erudition of, say, a Stephen Murray during that time.
If one will take the time to plow through the message boards of the last year or so -- and for some, they do seem addictive -- a trend may be seen to emerge, which as you point out, emphasizes "getting the (bleep) out" rather than producing anything of any particular quality. And some give the impression that they are (mostly secretly) hoping to live on Epinion 10-4-10 schemes, prizes, bonuses, etc.
My impression is that Epinions' bosses encourage this view, while generally poor-mouthing the idea that both quality and quantity might be accommodated.
The dilemma, again as you suggest, appears to be that as the data base expands (no matter how flawed it often is), the number of reviews, competent or not, is inadequate. [I was once told by Epinions brass that, in a certain category, no matter how many thousand Epinionators might be listed on a roster at the Home Office, only fifty or so produced an appreciable number of Epinions on a monthly basis.] In other words, "You got to keep this stuff moving through the pipe."
Again, as you suggest, this was not always the simple, exclusive goal.
"Brevity is the soul of wit," Greatpilgrim, as you know, but the long run question is, why would "consumers" come here to read a thumbnail sketch that might be anonymously attributed to "-- Mrs. A, in Altoona, Pa" in a newspaper or blog ad?
I hope that you will continue to sharpen your skills here, giving us a record of your progress," for many a year to come.
[BTW, I wrote a fairly long comment, which I lost, on your dismal experience with the Modern English Novel of the Early 20th Century. To boil it down to preferred Epinions length: Have you read Ford Madox Ford's The Good Soldier. I think that novel is the finest example of the genre. It will, I believe, if you have not already discovered it, challenge and intrigue you. And as you grow older, you will come to realize how profound it is.]
All the best.
Alex
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Feb 10 '08
11:46 am PST
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Bummer. (Reply to this comment)
by scmrak
We can't give MH ratings on essays.
I'm with floatingcity: three months in a row is wearing extremely thin for me.
Cheers, and we are most assuredly pleased to have you back!
R
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Feb 10 '08
7:17 am PST
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Nicely done. (Reply to this comment)
by ladyconsumer
I share much of what you have expressed here.
Mona
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Feb 10 '08
6:31 am PST
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Hiya (Reply to this comment)
by smorg
Adding another 'Kudo!' Very well said indeed, matie. :o)
I'm going to see if I can actually write 10 reviews in a month this month, but I'd be damned if each of those fall short of my usual stuff (which I'm hoping to improve to begin with). As much business as this promotion may be bringing to Eps... I really hope March brings at least a break from it. I'm a few months behind on my 'new reviews' notifiers as it is!
Hope the weekend is going great your way. Thanks again for another thought-provoking post!
Cheers,
Smorg :o)
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Feb 10 '08
2:08 am PST
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Well done (Reply to this comment)
by pestyside
Well done and well said for one so young, yet so old. I wish to have known some of the reputed witty and wickedly critical reviewers and writers of the earlier Epinions days. Congratulations on your 200, although a somewhat delayed celebration. These are odd days, indeed. Thanks for becoming active once again. I've enjoyed your fresh reviews.
Patsy
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Feb 09 '08
9:44 pm PST
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Re: 10-4-10 (Reply to this comment)
by ifif1938
exactly...I agree with you...This 10 4 10 has been fun in many ways, for those of us who don't abuse it... I've enjoyed earning a few extra bucks writing about my favorite candy bars and cookies, but always try to put helpful info in each review, guess its a habit with us veterins on the site....I don't think newbies understand what epinions has meant to many of us and all they see is a dollar sign...I've stopped commenting on reviews when I see it's someone who has written 10 or 20 reviews in a week or two and just joined...
at any rate, it's nice to see you writing again and congratulations on your 200th epinion...:)
Barbara
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Feb 09 '08
5:03 pm PST
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I like (Reply to this comment)
by susiewho
the 10 4 10 deal I feel its much better money for time value wise I sitll aim for quality and content
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Feb 09 '08
4:12 pm PST
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10-4-10 (Reply to this comment)
by floatingcity
You've written a very thoughtful and (in my opinion) accurate commentary here. The 10-4-10 has been a fairly exciting and exhilarating experience in some respects, but the third successive month of it is wearing a tad thin (at least for me - as I can't even participate in it!) I'm hoping that next month will see things calm down a little - I'd rather see fewer reviews per person (but higher quality) instead of stuff that's at 90% capacity. As things stand, the definition of a 'VH' review is starting to feel rather watery and arbitrary - there's obviously a range within any category, but it seems to be getting increasingly amorphous lately.
Anyway, thank you for sharing your thoughts (and giving me a space to air mine - albeit in a far less organised manner!) :-)
~Chris
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Feb 09 '08
2:36 pm PST
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