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| ssjakira1 |
Original Post: May 17 '08, 6:37 am (Updated: May 17 '08, 6:39 am) |
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Reviews written: 741 Member since: May 13 '03
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Why is everyone freaking out?
Seriously. I don't get it.
It seems like ever since some noobs fussed about not getting IS instantly and assumed that meant the site was going kaput, people keep talking about the supposed downward spiral that Epinions has gone into and will eventually end in Epi-death.
Again, I say - seriously?
Maybe it's because of too many unhappy threads. Sure, I know the search is wonky, but I have had recent success with it in both finding things and having links fixed so to me that offers a bit of promise.
Sure, hits are down, and while I can't compare to people who have been here since '00 or even since my own start in '05 because I don't track all my hits, at least we're still getting hits and what's wrong with hoping that at some point Epinions will get it right again? (I know, we're all in doubt about that, but does that really mean the site is going to go belly up?)
It's like it's the beginning of the Great Depression - everyone started to worry, then they got freaked out, and then they all started pulling out and voila. Depression. I don't see anyone pulling out of here anytime soon (we're all suckers to keep writing reviews because we enjoy doing so - $10+ extra aside, which, by the way, is still more than I get in IS any month), but I just don't agree with the ugly cloud that seems to be growing over this place lately.
I'm not saying there's anything wrong with threading about how the search engine is ghetto or how hits are low, but I do think we're starting to kill the topics. I did one massive complaint many months ago and then let it go. I know this is one of the few ways we can make sure TPTB hear us but at the same time, I think the already know. I've seen the same sort of threads multiple times this month and after a while I just don't think it's constructive anymore because everyone goes on a fussing spree.
Again, I am not trying to bash on everyone for making their voice heard and I'm not saying the site is perfect or even semi-perfect.
I just don't think this is the end of days or even near it.
NT posting at FG today. =P |
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| trailhound |
Posted: May 17 '08, 7:16 am |
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Reviews written: 655 Member since: May 21 '04
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RE: Why is everyone freaking out?
I can only speak for myself - but I have quite a few reviews that used to pay IS that have recently died. No hits, no IS, nothing. There are exception with a few reviews actually doing better, but they are few and far between.
The only way to maintain a decent monthly payout is to keep producing 10, 20, 30, etc.. reviews every month for the 10 for 10 contest, and many of those are getting no outside hits and no IS either. I think people are getting burned out producing a lot of reviews and then get frustrated when no one can find them after they fall off the Recent Reviews page. -Dave |
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| jps246 |
Posted: May 17 '08, 9:51 am |
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Reviews written: 849 Member since: Jan 25 '01
 in Outdoor Gear, Sporting Goods |
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RE: Why is everyone freaking out?
Quote: ssjakira1
I just don't think this is the end of days or even near it.
I don't think it's the end of Epinions either, I just think that a lot of members who have invested years of their time and tons of their writing to this site are justifiably upset that: #1) the search barely works; #2) random reviews suddenly become "temporarily unavailable" and disappear; #3) even if the search finds the correct topic, any review that has the /review thing in it is either invisible or simply doesn't register any visits that it may get; #4) hit counts are not being counted correctly; #5) any review that has the /review/ in it has, at least for me, stopped generating any hits at all - out of my 600+ reviews, that's probably half my content; and #6) the failure to track the hits correctly and make our reviews visible to the public is having a direct impact on members IS.
Do I think the sky is falling? No, but I find it hard that month after month things seemingly aren't getting that much better - if anything, especially with regards to the hit counts and the /review/ bug, things have gotten worse since I can't find a single review in May that has a recorded hit.
The 10 for 20 makes up for it a bit, but lately I just haven't had the time to invest in the site to write more than 10 or so reviews and it feels like I'm losing out on potential IS for a large number of my reviews (I've got a ton in Outdoor Gear).
As an example - I had written a cell phone review a few months before the database integration. Before the integration, the review was bringing in hits and was even the top earning review on the entire site for a month. When the integration occurred, it got the /review/ in its URL and the hits dropped to about 20 per month with almost no IS and now the hits have completely stopped being counted. This is still a popular phone and I know it's still getting hits, but nothing is showing up here. That's kind of a real downer.
I think we're just trying to express how we are all feeling - we've put a lot of time and effort into this site and right now things just aren't looking that positive. I'm not saying things aren't being fixed or efforts aren't being made on the Eps side of things.
Jeff
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| sleeper54 |
Posted: May 17 '08, 10:32 am |
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Reviews written: 496 Member since: Feb 24 '01
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RE: Why is everyone freaking out?
Quote: jps246 --snip--
I think we're just trying to express how we are all feeling - we've put a lot of time and effort into this site and right now things just aren't looking that positive. I'm not saying things aren't being fixed or efforts aren't being made on the Eps side of things.
Jeff
Jeff sums it up really well. (Though I thought the /review thing was only infecting newer reviews. Jeff makes it sound like it is more 'invasive' than that...)
I think any user who has a solid, established set of reviews that had been bringing in solid IS over months and years . . .well yeah, I think they have every reason to be worried and to voice those concerns.
This whole 10-4-10 thing and the ongoing failure to see much (if any) improvement in search, the catalog, or recorded visits to their 'proven' reviews has got to be discouraging to them.
If Eps wants to go to a 'pay-up-front' format, fine. Just tell us that.
...tom...
' who has mostly 'books' and 'movies' reviews so not really affected by the recent 'troubles' on the site . . .. '
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| alexdg1 |
Posted: May 17 '08, 11:52 am (Updated: May 17 '08, 8:41 pm) |
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Reviews written: 1276 Member since: Dec 12 '03
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RE: Why is everyone freaking out?
Quote: sleeper54 Jeff sums it up really well. (Though I thought the /review thing was only infecting newer reviews. Jeff makes it sound like it is more 'invasive' than that...)
I think any user who has a solid, established set of reviews that had been bringing in solid IS over months and years . . .well yeah, I think they have every reason to be worried and to voice those concerns.
This whole 10-4-10 thing and the ongoing failure to see much (if any) improvement in search, the catalog, or recorded visits to their 'proven' reviews has got to be discouraging to them.
If Eps wants to go to a 'pay-up-front' format, fine. Just tell us that.
...tom...
' who has mostly 'books' and 'movies' reviews so not really affected by the recent 'troubles' on the site . . .. '
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I think Jeff said most of what I want to say about my feelings of...not quite disillusion but definite unease...about the way things have been going over the past few months.
I am not one of those "the sky is falling" or "I'm picking up all my marbles and taking them to play only elsewhere" doom-and-gloom naysayers. I still like Epinions a heckuva lot, and I'm not going to desert the site.
That having been said, I do think the issues of reduced outside hits, the sense of "reviewer burnout" some of us feel because the $10-4-10 promo is in some ways the one thing that keeps us motivated to write, and other little problems that are somewhat vexing to us members, all are piling up in a "perfect storm" kind of situation. |
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| antastic |
Posted: May 17 '08, 12:49 pm |
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Reviews written: 1 Member since: Nov 10 '07
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RE: Why is everyone freaking out?
Here's a thought: Maybe the strategy of epinions is to cut the pay and the hits on the old reviews and increase the pay on the new reviews. Such a policy would encourage content production.
The success of any site on the internet depends on fresh and voluminous content. |
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| pambo |
Posted: May 17 '08, 12:54 pm |
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Reviews written: 452 Member since: Jan 08 '00
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RE: Why is everyone freaking out?
That could be and it's a good thought. But if true, then Epinions should say so. Something is definitely amiss; people who have never bothered to complain have raised questions, had problems keeping their postings on the message board, and have not received any kind of proper answer. As someone who's been here since 2000 and seen a steady deterioration in payments and hits, I think that's a poor way to treat people. And I'm not talking about my questions. But if we were customers and being treated this way, we'd be scorching epinions with our reviews, wouldn't we?
Quote: antastic Here's a thought: Maybe the strategy of epinions is to cut the pay and the hits on the old reviews and increase the pay on the new reviews. Such a policy would encourage content production.
The success of any site on the internet depends on fresh and voluminous content.
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| sleeper54 |
Posted: May 17 '08, 1:05 pm |
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Reviews written: 496 Member since: Feb 24 '01
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RE: Why is everyone freaking out?
Quote: alexdg1 --snip--
I still like Epinions a heckuva lot, and I'm not going to desert the site.
--snip--
Well, you could dessert us all around and I am sure most of us would be real pleased for a day or two...
I am thinking maybe various fruit and creme pies all around . . ..
...tom...
' who admits if it was NT I was replying to I would be jonesing for cookies..!! '
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| rkingfish |
Posted: May 17 '08, 2:02 pm |
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Reviews written: 311 Member since: Jun 16 '06
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RE: Why is everyone freaking out?
Quote: ssjakira1 Seriously. I don't get it.
I'm not saying there's anything wrong with threading about how the search engine is ghetto or how hits are low, but I do think we're starting to kill the topics. I did one massive complaint many months ago and then let it go. I know this is one of the few ways we can make sure TPTB hear us but at the same time, I think the already know. I've seen the same sort of threads multiple times this month and after a while I just don't think it's constructive anymore because everyone goes on a fussing spree.
Again, I am not trying to bash on everyone for making their voice heard and I'm not saying the site is perfect or even semi-perfect.
I just don't think this is the end of days or even near it.
NT posting at FG today. =P
Most of my top earning reviews are still getting hits and Income Share. Electronics and Appliances are still rolling-along nicely. My food reviews and those posted in H&B in April are limping along - but from past experience this is not unexpected. I enjoy posting in these categories regardless of the reduced profits.
My first month at Epinions I earned seventeen cents. It was at least six months before I had enough money in my account for the “Redeem” button to appear on my page. Since November I haven’t earned less than $20.00 in IS; down from a high of $43.00 in shopping-crazed December. Coupled with the 10-4-10 promotional figures, I am making more per month than I would ever have imagined at the start; considering the total number of reviews I have posted since arriving 23 months ago.
As for progress, the new updated review format is a definite plus. Our postings are now presented in a more attractive and readable format. Recently SAPped movies are actually posting with the title and photo now - I went back and noticed that dozens of my book and movie SAPs now include the photos that weren’t visible before. The previously stolen photo of the luscious Diana Rigg has been returned to its rightful place atop my Avengers DVD review.
All is certainly not right with the site - the search engine does some really strange things and requires a magician’s skill at times to extract certain products. I feel for those members whose previously-robust hit totals are no longer so. I hope this situation is resolved soon. The same holds true for those whose latest reviews I see “Unavailable” and dipped in a ghostly shade of gray - I’ve suffered my share of that syndrome - though thankfully, not since I brought the situation to Garrett’s attention a few months back.
The fact that both Garrett and Andy have moved on to (hopefully) bigger and better things gives fuel to the conspiracy theorists and gloom-and-doomers who make-up a percentage of any population. I wish them both well and thank them for their past assistance rather than view their departure as some sort of omen of things to come.
Epinions has been a fun experience for me. I’ve corresponded with many folks I’ve met here over the past two years and will most likely continue to do so regardless of the long-term status of the site itself. If or when my experience ceases to become enjoyable, I will reconsider its value and adjust accordingly.
For now, I reserve my hand-wringing rights for those pesky and inconvenient real-world issues that occasionally confound. Until further notice, my rose-colored glasses are firmly in place and my glass is always half-full.. |
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| cr01 |
Posted: May 17 '08, 2:24 pm |
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Reviews written: 440 Member since: Apr 13 '01
in Hotels & Travel |
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RE: Why is everyone freaking out?
Good thread.
Almost from the day I started in 2001, people were happily predicting the end of Epinions (in those days, the automatic penny IS per member hit had just ended).
Seven years on, Epinions is still here.
I don't know whether Epinions will be around in another seven years, but despite the frustrations with those pesky bugs, I'm still enjoying the benefits of the site :o)
Chris |
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| roheblius |
Posted: May 17 '08, 2:46 pm |
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Reviews written: 601 Member since: Dec 13 '99
in Music |
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RE: Why is everyone freaking out?
Quote: antastic Here's a thought: Maybe the strategy of epinions is to cut the pay and the hits on the old reviews and increase the pay on the new reviews. Such a policy would encourage content production.
The success of any site on the internet depends on fresh and voluminous content.
I don't think so. The goal of IS is the same as it's always been. It's just not working well because of all the other issues. |
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| antastic |
Posted: May 17 '08, 2:52 pm (Updated: May 17 '08, 2:53 pm) |
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Reviews written: 1 Member since: Nov 10 '07
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RE: Why is everyone freaking out?
Quote: pambo That could be and it's a good thought. But if true, then Epinions should say so. Something is definitely amiss; people who have never bothered to complain have raised questions, had problems keeping their postings on the message board, and have not received any kind of proper answer. As someone who's been here since 2000 and seen a steady deterioration in payments and hits, I think that's a poor way to treat people. And I'm not talking about my questions. But if we were customers and being treated this way, we'd be scorching epinions with our reviews, wouldn't we?
I agree that it is rediculous that any of us should have to speculate as to the policies of this site. However, I am a believer in the free market. If there is a better deal at a competive site, the crowd will eventually catch on. For example, I had a bad experience with my bank. I thought I was treated poorly, so I switched banks. Voila! Problem solved.
The best way to improve things around here is to follow your own self-interest. Nothing motivates a business more than losing business. If the business is not motivated, it simply goes under and a new and better business takes its place.
The 10 for 10 promotion seems like it would attract lots of new business, but epinions has to pay for it somehow. It has to use its resources to the best advantage. That means it has to make more money or make cuts.
I am guessing again, but I would think that if more members are being added, then that might take some of the limelight and income away from established members. It could be the supply/demand ratio at work.
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| antastic |
Posted: May 17 '08, 2:59 pm |
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Reviews written: 1 Member since: Nov 10 '07
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RE: Why is everyone freaking out?
Quote: roheblius I don't think so. The goal of IS is the same as it's always been. It's just not working well because of all the other issues.
Mystery solved. Thank you for shedding some light on this topic.
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| antastic |
Posted: May 17 '08, 3:21 pm |
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Reviews written: 1 Member since: Nov 10 '07
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RE: Why is everyone freaking out?
Quote: rkingfish Most of my top earning reviews are still getting hits and Income Share. Electronics and Appliances are still rolling-along nicely. My food reviews and those posted in H&B in April are limping along - but from past experience this is not unexpected. I enjoy posting in these categories regardless of the reduced profits.
My first month at Epinions I earned seventeen cents. It was at least six months before I had enough money in my account for the “Redeem” button to appear on my page. Since November I haven’t earned less than $20.00 in IS; down from a high of $43.00 in shopping-crazed December. Coupled with the 10-4-10 promotional figures, I am making more per month than I would ever have imagined at the start; considering the total number of reviews I have posted since arriving 23 months ago.
As for progress, the new updated review format is a definite plus. Our postings are now presented in a more attractive and readable format. Recently SAPped movies are actually posting with the title and photo now - I went back and noticed that dozens of my book and movie SAPs now include the photos that weren’t visible before. The previously stolen photo of the luscious Diana Rigg has been returned to its rightful place atop my Avengers DVD review.
All is certainly not right with the site - the search engine does some really strange things and requires a magician’s skill at times to extract certain products. I feel for those members whose previously-robust hit totals are no longer so. I hope this situation is resolved soon. The same holds true for those whose latest reviews I see “Unavailable” and dipped in a ghostly shade of gray - I’ve suffered my share of that syndrome - though thankfully, not since I brought the situation to Garrett’s attention a few months back.
The fact that both Garrett and Andy have moved on to (hopefully) bigger and better things gives fuel to the conspiracy theorists and gloom-and-doomers who make-up a percentage of any population. I wish them both well and thank them for their past assistance rather than view their departure as some sort of omen of things to come.
Epinions has been a fun experience for me. I’ve corresponded with many folks I’ve met here over the past two years and will most likely continue to do so regardless of the long-term status of the site itself. If or when my experience ceases to become enjoyable, I will reconsider its value and adjust accordingly.
For now, I reserve my hand-wringing rights for those pesky and inconvenient real-world issues that occasionally confound. Until further notice, my rose-colored glasses are firmly in place and my glass is always half-full..
I love your rose-colored glasses! Yes the glass is half full! I always wondered why people exit a burning building. Just because it's nicer outside? Rubbish! They should realize that the building still has its good points. I am joking, of course, but there is a point. If you are happy who can argue with that? However, some have moved on not because they find no goodness here, but because the glass is more than half full somewhere else. It is just simply the free market at work.
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| rkingfish |
Posted: May 17 '08, 3:36 pm |
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Reviews written: 311 Member since: Jun 16 '06
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RE: Why is everyone freaking out?
One additional observation:
Another thing to love about Epinions is the ability of the membership as a community to identify and either suppress or send packing-off to lesser sites those whose goal is not to produce, but merely to disrupt; usually with limited success.
This situation is ironic, seeing that the quest for limited success can be a lifelong dream, for some.
Just another plus in the credit list at Epinions... |
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| antastic |
Posted: May 17 '08, 3:47 pm |
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Reviews written: 1 Member since: Nov 10 '07
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RE: Why is everyone freaking out?
Quote: rkingfish One additional observation:
Another thing to love about Epinions is the ability of the membership as a community to identify and either suppress or send packing-off to lesser sites those whose goal is not to produce, but merely to disrupt; usually with limited success.
This situation is ironic, seeing that the quest for limited success can be a lifelong dream, for some.
Just another plus in the credit list at Epinions...
I guess every site has people you find undesirable. But try following your own advice: their glasses are also half full, not half empty. If my comment disturbed you, I am truly sorry. But I like your comment about not ringing your hands over such things.
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| CyndiA |
Posted: May 17 '08, 3:53 pm |
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Reviews written: 1158 Member since: Jun 25 '00
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RE: Why is everyone freaking out?
Quote: rkingfish One additional observation:
Another thing to love about Epinions is the ability of the membership as a community to identify and either suppress or send packing-off to lesser sites those whose goal is not to produce, but merely to disrupt; usually with limited success.
This situation is ironic, seeing that the quest for limited success can be a lifelong dream, for some.
Just another plus in the credit list at Epinions...
A lot of good people have left and not because they added no value to this site.
I'm not comfortable celebrating suppression and the "packing off" of others.
The thorn in your side may be the bright spot in my day.
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| antastic |
Posted: May 17 '08, 4:00 pm |
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Reviews written: 1 Member since: Nov 10 '07
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RE: Why is everyone freaking out?
Quote: CyndiA A lot of good people have left and not because they added no value to this site.
I'm not comfortable celebrating suppression and the "packing off" of others.
The thorn in your side may be the bright spot in my day.
Great point! I would add that people who talk optimism should walk the walk as well. I am not celebrating anyone's suppression either. This is an opinion site, is it not? All opinions, including the thorny ones should be welcome.
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| rkingfish |
Posted: May 17 '08, 4:12 pm |
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Reviews written: 311 Member since: Jun 16 '06
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RE: Why is everyone freaking out?
Quote: CyndiA
The thorn in your side may be the bright spot in my day.
I am obviously speaking of the trolls that inhabit the site. Are they really "the bright spot in your day?"
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| antastic |
Posted: May 17 '08, 4:25 pm |
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Reviews written: 1 Member since: Nov 10 '07
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RE: Why is everyone freaking out?
Quote: rkingfish I am obviously speaking of the trolls that inhabit the site. Are they really "the bright spot in your day?"
Anyone you don't care for could be labeled a troll by you. She probably is aware of this fact. Even the people you label trolls most likely have their good points. It is up to you to follow your own astute advice and see their glasses as half full. Perhaps then they will not be trolls to you, but human beings with feelings. In any case, I am surprised that one with rose-colored glasses would let such people ruin his day.
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