Writer's Block or Avoidance?
Nov 09 '00
Someone call a doctor cause I've got a bad case of writer's block and I've got to get rid of it! In eight months, I've managed to pound out just one lousy epinion (#50). I still visit the site regularly to read reviews and to see what new categories are up, but I just haven't been able to get myself to write something. I rate reviews but I haven't even been writing comments to the reviews I read. What happened?
Why am I stuck? There are endless product categories and topics that I'm capable of writing about, but yet, I can't find the inspiration. Has something similar happened to any of you?? How did you cure yourself? What's keeping me from writing?
Looking back at my reviews, it appears that writer's block set in soon after "The Commercial". I'm referring to my illustrious role as the real-life reviewer featured in the Epinions TV ad called "Ski Resort" (AKA "Screw Alta" or http://www.epinions.com/tvad-Alta) Ever since that commercial hit the airwaves in March 2000, my ability to write has gone into hibernation. Somebody help me wake it up!!
Even this "review" -- my attempt at breaking out of the rut -- is not flowing smoothly. I thought writing about writer's block might be therapuetic, but it's not going well. I feel all over the map, unorganized, and unsure what to write next.
I'm trying to figure out how The Commercial could have caused this problem. I guess it may have spoiled me. I made alot of money from The Commercial as well as the subsequent hits on my reviews. I reached bonafide celebrity status among my friends and family in the Bay Area (one of the markets where the commercial aired). I was given all sorts of great swag from Epinions for being an expert/advisor. Life was great.
That's IT!! I think I figured it out. "Life was great." I peaked back in March. The whole process of being selected for the commercial and filming the commercial was exciting, as was the aftermath -- reading what the Epinions community had to say about the commercial, but the excitement has long ended. The site doesn't excite me anymore and I don't think it will ever be as exciting and interesting to me as it was in the early days.
From the day I first read about Epinions (pre-launch), it sounded like a very cool concept. It was certainly thrilling to get involved from day one of their soft launch. During those first few months, this place was certainly different than it is today.
When Epinions launched, I banged out a handful of reviews and somehow became a fairly popular reviewer. My mug got rotation on the home page, driving more traffic to my reviews and I was on my way. Oh the glory days.
Now there are literally thousands upon thousands or people contributing to the site, there are dozens of Epinions clubs, there are write-offs, show-offs, attitudes and unofficial etiquette police. The most popular topic in Epinions is Epinions! I'm sure there's even a marriage or two that's come from this community. And what a community this has become.
This place is so huge now, which isn't a bad thing, but it has lost a little something. There's too much to read! I remember when a new review would stay on "This Just In" for hours... now it's minutes. Epinions has also gained alot. There are some incredible writers out there, some of which should be writing for magazines and other places where they can be rewarded for their work.
There are also individuals that have written hundreds of reviews! How is that possible? I suppose that means, for them, the site has transcended its purpose and simply become an obsessive hobby. 80% of all the content on the site comes from just 20% of the member base (that's a tried and true business fact). My unscientific research shows that each member writes, on average, just 4.5 reviews! Just search the member section for a common name like "John" and you'll see that a majority of members never write a thing. But there are those of you that write 200-300+ reviews, which offsets the average.
Well here I am, just babbling on and on, working through this writer's block. Maybe I'm cured... maybe I'm not.
In conclusion, I think ultimately, my resistance to writing for the past 8 months comes from a few factors (as described above), but mostly it comes from intimidation. This has become a pretty intimidating group to present reviews too. As someone who believes he is a decent writer, it's obvious to me that there are fantastic writers out there that have, in many cases, already written top notch reviews about something I was considering reviewing. This simple fact has made me question what I or any reader has to gain by me writing yet another homogeneous review... one that may not measure up to the quality of others posted on the subject matter.
Does all this mean I'm cooked? Should a fork be stuck in me? I dunno. After posting this, I'll see if the urge to write again comes back.
I welcome any comments, suggestions or links to reviews that deal with this subject.
Thanks,
Jeffb
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
JeffB
|
|
Location: Sierra foothills, California
Reviews written: 52
Trusted by: 144 members
About Me:
I've earned about $6,000 from Epinions :-)
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.