Special Personalities "Grace" the Page
Nov 03 '00
I’m a “wavering” soul. I find that my life has very little black and white to it. I have, however, found many lovely shades of gray. So to tackle the decision of who my favorite Epinion’s reviewer was, caused me a lot of anxiety. So I played the old psychological game of saying and word and then responding with the first word (in this case name) that came into my head. Surprisingly enough to me, a name did pop into my mind (at least I now know for sure that I have one) and the lovely shades of gray did not intrude until a second later. (Maybe it was a half-second later.)
The lovely shades of gray included names of wonderful reviewers that I love to read. Some are funny, some are excellent descriptive writers, they were from many different subject specialties, and they all had one thing in common. I read and learn from and enjoy their reviews. Their writing excites me, the reader, in some way. They have distinct personalities that shine through their work. Here is a brief list (this choice was agonizing too) of some that many of you might enjoy: Redlass, jenninca, kurt messick, WorkingMomof2, Dr.Steph, Ipmiller, Lark729 89, conradd, toolshed1, amyhkhar, Ynmaeven, KristenNC, junebug 531, Lisa_J, drmomentum, pluckyduck, linda1527, MADYL, netKat, setsail, jo.com, taurusmoon, largemarge, frazzledspice, tipu, urwiller, slick4591, erik kosberg, mrish, saperswife, badbonz0007, fiatgirl, hyptenuse, SirenSix, Wolfhound, Trawma, wolfman309,kifwebe, argonut, gungian, thinkerlady and of course all of the others that I have chosen for my WOT (check them out too.)
Still, since I started with one name and then ended up with a collage, I decided to go with the first name that popped.
I think that the reason that this particular reviewer stands out in my mind is that she is quite like me in many ways, and quite unlike me in others. Someone that is reading this review to find out “How To Develop An Epinions Personality” need only to read a selection of this reviewer’s reviews and peruse her profile page to see how a personality is developed. No, “developed” is actually an inaccurate assessment of how "one" gets appreciated over "others". In fact, it is the opposite of what “personality” should be. To develop something means that you are consciously selecting traits that you want others to see. That is artificial personality or role-playing. You will witness none of that with this person. Whether you are reading a review written by her; a comment that she has made on a review; or getting to know her on an Epinion’s board, she is consistently the same person. Whether she is reviewing a product on site or discussing her daughter on a board, she retains all of the qualities that she displays and she remains true to her convictions. People that like the lovely shades of gray,(like me) admire those able to see absolutes like white and black, and who not only see them but are able to live with the convictions that are necessary to view life equally and fairly. Those readers who see black when white is the accepted color of the day, or who love to live white when black is the flavor of the month, may have trouble appreciating this personality type, but I respect that ability to remain constant to your beliefs without fear of becoming swayed from them.
If you appreciate true integrity, (doing the right thing even when no one is watching) then you too will enjoy reading the work of, and getting to know the person of, gracef.
I found gracef’s reviews the way many of us find new reviewers. I had read a review and followed one of the interesting comments left on the review to the profile page of the commenter, in this case gracef. From there, I read a children’s book review that she had written. Both Grace and I appreciate children's books, she as a mother and book lover, me as a teacher, mother, and book lover. You may wonder how someone can write about a children’s book and make it fun and exciting to read, but that is just what she did. I even ran out and read the book she'd reviewed. I had discovered a fellow book lover who wrote excellent reviews that included plot details and who also included an analysis of the book’s parts and characters. And always, near the end of the review, she gave a forthright opinion of how she perceived it. It was there that her integrity was seen. Honest opinions of the strengths and weaknesses of a product or book are hard for many to achieve. But gracef’s ability to see both sides and make valid connections connects her to the reader in a personal way.
Gracef says on her profile page, “My approach to rating Epinions is the same as my approach to life. I expect the same things out of other people that I expect of myself. I can be a really tough reviewer.” She should have added, “Tough but fair,” because she always is just that. When she reads one of my reviews and gives me an HR, I know that I’ve produced a good review. I did it the old fashioned way, I earned it. And, because of that, I value her assessment. I also value it because although she says she is a tough reviewer, she is not a tough person and she agonizes each time she has to give a low one. She cares about the writer she’s assessing and she cares that the standards for Epinions remain high. She is helpful to newbies and often shares her experience on Epinions and her writing skills with them in email format and on the public boards. She moderates forums on the EpinionAddicts board and always seems to enjoy responding to the posts, which help others, the most. Her sense of values is shared with a sense of humor that is evident but understated. To me, that makes her sense of humor even funnier most times.
The above is her “professional” Epinions self. Her personal self mirrors her professional self in that she continually looks for the best in people. She is a loving wife and mother. Her days are busy and full of taking care of her home and job and providing her daughter with a stable environment. She remains loving while instilling and modeling the values that she hopes for her to attain. Whenever she includes information about her family in her reviews or on the boards, her love and caring shines through every word.
So, you want an Epinions personality? Then don’t make one up but merely be yourself, like Grace is always herself. Be consistent with your personal beliefs and stand up for your values. Follow your own drummer no matter what band he/she plays for. As long as it is the band that plays the music of “your” heart, then people will appreciate you for the real you. That’s “real” Epinions personality!
This review is a part of a write off organized by cmuir for Epinion’s reviewers that wanted to write about their favorite Epinions personality and to acknowledge her two hundreth personal review milestone. Others that are sharing their favorite writers (now here’s a great place to find new and great writers to read!) are:
1truluv, aaronreview, acdc711, AinsleyJo, alex39, AlwaysStubborn, AmyLEnsor, Arazim, Barbarajo, beerfly, bgoodday, blackelve, bluehawq, bonniesayers, boykev, Bruguru, Bryan_Carey, caroleg, ChrisJarmick, cmeinoz, cmuir, coolest-thng, danak6jq, Debbietipton, Dinday, diverpam, DnDn4kidz, Dr_Steph, ElaineP8, Elerad, eric_james, fiatgirl, forkids, foxfroggy, francesca57, frazzledspice, fresca, FSUTrill, Furie, GretaGH, gungian, Horswispr, janesbit1, JdinPA, kcfoxy, kristinafh, kurt_kurosawa, kurt_messick, ladycynic, Lajeaca, Leah, lecomte1, levda, meredi11, Mhawkins, mshawpyle, mtomm, murph2bmd, pogomom, porphyria, Prepoia, prfstars, QuietI, ramsfan, Redlass, Remind, roadiem, Saxguy, sleestakk, SLOW, SMITHSWOODSIDE, Sordid-1, sparkospunky, sunnydayM, SurgRN911, sweetpaulie, teskue, tiffer0220, tjarnold, TMJTWILSON, vemartin, viper1963, wickedgood, wildvirgogirl, wolfman309
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Epinions.com ID:
Prepoia
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 in Magazine Subscriptions |
 - Top 500 |
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Location: Michigan
Reviews written: 307
Trusted by: 319 members
About Me:
I Love My Family, Teaching, Reading, the Internet, and Travel (and Epinions of Course)!
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