Spiderkid’s Annual Epinions Review
Sep 10 '04 (Updated Sep 17 '04)
The Bottom Line This is a wonderful places full of top people and great writing. Despite it's shortcomings I've enjoyed my past year here and wanted to let yas all know!
Well, all good traditions have to start somewhere, and I hope in years to come I’ll still be writing ‘annual reviews’ as I continue to post and enjoy this great site. (Ok, so I know I’ve been here for over a year now, but hey, who’s counting?)
‘An annual review… that’s a bit pretentious isn’t it?’
Perhaps. But I’ve always enjoyed having ideas above my station, and besides, I thought it’d be a good time to leave a little feedback and offer some humble reflections on the site, it’s multitude of members and what on earth I’m doing here!
A bit of background – why I post here
First off, simply and above all, I love writing (as those of you who’ve waded through my marathon review of Dylan’s Saved album will undoubtedly have already realized). And beyond that I love expressing my opinions in a creative and (occasionally) concise manor – in a way that communicates my thoughts clearly to other readers, watchers, listeners etc. There’s just no other feeling quite like battling through a tricky review, coming to the end, sitting back and thinking ‘Right.. that’s what I think about that then.’ And then being able to post and instantly share those thoughts with potentially hundreds of like-minded people is simply fantastic, as most of you know.
I also love films, books, music, art, gadgets etc and am naturally the sort of person who will ramble on endlessly about something that I’ve enjoyed, and even more endlessly (?!) about something I haven’t enjoyed to my oft despairing friends who just wanted to ‘watch a movie and chill out’ and didn’t really want to be drawn into a three hour debate on the role of the auteur in the modern cinematic experience. And that’s where this place comes in. I really enjoy the simplicity of the format, the relative ease with which you can post, and edit a review, the satisfaction when people have enjoyed reading it (and are hopefully able to make more informed choices as a result) and the sense of ‘peer review’ feedback which helps you know that you’re on the right track.
And of course, I love to read – especially other people’s opinions on things I’ve loved, or hated, or have never even heard of. And Epinions has a wealth and breadth of high quality, interesting, well informed, friendly, amusing and opinionated people which is, to my knowledge, unrivalled. I couldn’t even begin to list the number of things I’ve learned in all my reading over the last year, from people who, most importantly, write because they love to write, not for fame, recognition and certainly not for money!
I’ve been on many internet user/review sites in the past, but none have contained quite the right components of a review-centric community which exists here at Epinions, and although far from flawless I think there’s a great system in place here, and I hope to be part of it for a long time to come.
Primarily I’m here to write, and not to make friends (misanthropic thought that sounds – Ba Humbug!). I know only too well that the path of ‘internet friendship’ is a twisted tangled affair, and I’ve had my fair share in the past, so that’s partly why I don’t frequently enter the ‘get to know you’ Write Off’s that circulate so often – but, I accept and anticipate to build good friendships based on trust and respect within the confines and structure of the site, and already know the people who I’d like to spend much more time reading than I currently do.
Self expression, why I write so much!
There’s something wonderfully positive and almost therapeutic about writing. The benefit of organizing one’s thoughts in a coherent, collected and structured manor cannot be underestimated. And regular creative self expression has proven curative powers for the mind and body which many people here can no doubt attest to.
Writing opinions is not only a great way to collate and express your opinions on a topic, but I often find that it’s a very good way to actually work out what your opinions are on a topic. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s walked out of a film, or listened to an album and at the end thought ‘Hmmm, I’m not really sure what I think about that?’. And thousands of people will think the same thing, but only a few will be motivated enough to sit down and try to wrestle out a structured opinion… we are that few my friends!
And we all know the pleasure of reaching that point where we think, ”yes, I know exactly what I think about that now”. I’ve been amazed at how often strong opinions surface from deep within my subconscious after a fair amount of probing and prodding over topics which I originally assumed I had no particular preferences. Struggling to unearth those opinions can be a tiring process, but it always rewarding and somewhat addictive - as this site proves!
So then, why do I write so much? Well, in my defense I have written opinions for an official review website in the past, and so have had to learn the art of the ‘concise review’ – but it was always an uphill struggle. And I’m well aware that the hallmark of a top quality reviewer is to be able to say just as much, using only half the words, but to be honest I love the ‘freedom’ that Epinions affords it’s reviewers to ‘run away’ with themselves when writing. Ok, so not everyone does. That’s fine, I don’t expect everyone to read my reviews. But I love being able to write everything I think, without constantly stressing about ‘word limits’ and trying to decide which point to sacrifice over another. So at times, my opinions have the feel of an extended essay, and that’s fine by me. If someone is able to get through it, and still find it helpful, all the better!
Perhaps that’s a selfish outlook, but I’m not being paid to write here, and I figure that the most helpful reviews are written by people who are enjoying what they’re writing, and not writing out of a sense of duty or ‘keeping up appearances’. And yes, it has to be said that longer reviews do tend to get better ratings (much to the more concise people’s annoyance) – but in fairness, the longer a review the more information and opinions it’s likely to contain… although there are exceptions, namely reviews which simply outline the entire plot of a film, or contain long lists of features and functions on a product which reads like an instruction manual not a review.
My challenge to myself and other reviewers is this, if you tend to write long reviews, challenge yourself with something shorter (if you can get a ‘VH’ for a 500 word or less review then you’re doing well) – and if you tend to write short reviews, challenge yourself with something longer. If you can sustain a readers interest for a few thousand words, you’re also doing well. (If you're up for this challenge check out sleeper54's "Lean-n-mean Write Off" and for the ultra-concise out there have a crack at 100 words). Overall though there’s no hard and fast rule for length of reviews, as long as it contains the relevant info and you enjoy writing it, I think you’re on track. (Currently my shortest review has just 371 words and my longest review contains no less than 4,311 words… both are rated ‘Very Helpful’.. go figure…)
Quirks and quibbles
As we all, know, nobody’s perfick. And Epinion’s is no exception. And as I think I’ve aptly outlined it’s many advantages, I’d like to point out a few little concerns I have, which undoubtedly many people have done before and will continue to do so, but this is my soapbox!
Star ratings: - An excellent, necessary, invaluable system that we couldn’t do without…. But… often the descriptions are much too vague or don’t seem to fit the product and therefore serve the purpose of giving a guide to it’s quality, value, entertainment.. whatever. For example (and see more on this in the forum) in films (my favorite abode) stars 2, 3 and 4 are described as ‘Below Average, Average and Above Average’ respectively. What on earth is an ‘average’ film? In my mind it would be better to simply label the lowest rating ‘Avoid it’ and the highest rating ‘Excellent’ and leave the middle ratings as relative degrees between these points. Also, while we’re on the subject, I’d love to be able to use half stars. Often 5 just aint enough choice, especially when you spend a lot of time carefully detailing the pros and cons of an item – and it bugs me that the Epinions ‘Overall rating’ uses half stars, but we can’t! Power to the people!
Site searching: - Why oh why is the ‘search’ function on Epinions so woefully inept? For a site with such a vast array of diverse content it constantly bugs me that the search function will only recognize exact matches, and even then won’t always bring up a relevant item. Powers that be, please take note – it’s an embarrassment to us all when Google proves more effective at search the site than our own search system. (Useful note to newbies.. can’t find the product or review you’re looking for? Google it.)
Fastidious detail: - I’m sure I’m not the only one who finds the constant appeal for mindless levels of information from people downrating reviews as a little off putting. In some circumstances it is valid, ie a film review which tells you absolutely nothing about the plot, or a product review which doesn’t even describe the product at all. But so often requests are made for either a full blown plot summary or the entire contents of an instruction manual with electrical products and the like. I don’t believe that these details constitute a ‘good review’. It’s opinions that count here – anyone can read a synopsis or download product specifications if they find a review interesting enough to want to find out more. Let’s not be guilty of suffocating creative expression in the pursuit of formulaic structures which penalize those who place the value of their opinion over the minute details of the product. If you want to know how many sheets of bubble wrap were included in the packaging, ring the manufacture, if you want to know who was ‘Second Grip’ on the film, go to www.imdb.com!
(This isn’t aimed at anyone in particular, and I haven’t been a victim of it, I’ve just seen it happen to other people and think it’s worth noting).
Bogus ‘reviews’: - Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed the occasional ‘first review’ of a product which is normally extremely positive and very detailed… almost as if someone was encouraging you to buy it as a form of… (dare I say it?)… advertising…
Ameri-centericity: - Nice word. As one of the few, yet hardy, non-American reviewers on the site I do find myself constantly frustrated by the lack of representation of non American products (especially music). I have further expressed my opinions on this matter in my last ‘Great British Write Off’ so won’t go into detail here. I’d just like to see a bit more accountability to our ‘overseas cousins’ and perhaps some form of official representation – or an appeals procedure for non-USA products?
Epi-Earnings: - Or lack thereof. At the moment my ‘earnings’ are a little number which I use primarily to remind myself not to take life too seriously. Eventually one day, I’ll have enough to redeem them – by which point money will probably be obsolete and we’ll all be on a wireless ‘Brain-band’ network which we access through our thoughts.. but at least it’ll be a good story for the Grandkids…
And finally folks….
WOT’s it all about?
Yes it’s our old friend the Web Of Trust. Daunting to newbies, reassuring to some, and no doubt a source of endless pleasure for people who’s List of Trusters represents a small army capable of carrying out a military style coup d'état on your average South American island.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good idea – and clearly it’s popular and serves a useful purpose in the ongoing life of the site and it’s members. However, my problem lies less in the system as in the wording.
Trust. It’s a highly evocative, emotive and subjective word. By it’s nature trust is an extremely personal thing which, when it comes to matters of opinion, is often driven by personal taste. What I mean is, to ‘trust’ someone, to me, means that not only do I respect them as a reviewer, but also that I agree with most of what they say. So if someone said to me ‘do you trust that persons opinion’ I can only really say yes, if I agree with their opinion, however good a writer they may be. So if someone slates a film which I love, or vice versa, should I trust their opinion, clearly not? And yet, if they write clearly, lucidly and in an interesting and engaging manor they will invariably end up on my Trust List – why, because that’s the only way to acknowledge my respect for their writing and their opinions (apart from consistently rating them well of course). And if someone has argued a case well and knowledgably I believe that review will be beneficial to other people, even if the conclusions are contrary to my own, which is why I’d add them to my Trust List.
And I’m well aware that this is old ground for many seasoned Epinioners, but my suggestion is to change it to a ‘Web of Respect’ (or even ‘Circle of Respect’) or whatever. Indicating that although I may not agree with a certain persons views, and may not actually trust their opinions (based on my own tastes and prejudices) – I respect their writing and their ability to communicate their opinions well – and would recommend others to read their work. If the Web Of Trust really was what it says it is, it’d end up being an elaborate series of exclusive cliques in which members are included on the basis of shared preferences and tastes, rather than a fair system of recognition of respect for other reviewers.
Other people have suggested an automated system which measures ‘Loyalty’ by counting the number of times a member returns to read another members reviews. This sounds like an excellent idea (in theory) which would enable both newbies and regular members to instantly see how often people are returning to their comments, and would be an unbiased way to distribute recognition where it’s due.
(Obviously I’m saying all this when I’ve got a relatively small List of Trusters, and thereby little to loose by a modification of the current system. I doubt you’d hear me crying out for change in a few years when I have a couple of hundred names on my List of Trusters.. hell no.. principles be damned . .I’ll be clinging to them for dear life! =-p Ah the fickleness of fame…)
And while we’re on the subject – a quick note on why, how and who I add to my Trust List.
The ‘official Epinions guidelines’ on how to trust other members states:
• Read all or most of their reviews.
• Check out their profile pages.
• Evaluate their Webs of Trust. (By this they mean 'evaluate their Trust List and List of Trusters')
Now, that’s all well and good – however, there are members on this site who have over 600 reviews to their name and similarly gargantuan numbers on their Trust lists. So, let’s say that at a conservative estimate an average review is say 300 words. And lets say that ‘most’ reviews constitutes at least 80%. So, that means reading 480 reviews, and a total of 144, 000 words… just to add ONE person to your Trust List!?! That, my good friends, is the equivalent of reading one quarter of ‘War and Peace’! Even if someone only has a few hundred reviews we’re still talking several hours of solid reading, often on subjects you have no interest in.
I imagine that these archaic guidelines were set in place in the early days of Epinions history when the idea of having several hundred reviews to ones name was but a distant dream. Well that dream is now a very present reality and I think that these guidelines should be updated so that people don’t suffer guilt pangs when they add people to their Trust List without reading all or most of their reviews, or simply only add people with a small enough back catalogue of reviews to read.
Ok, so here’s my confession.. my dark secret… unveiled for all to marvel at in abstract horror..
I read (and rate) no less (but sometimes no more) than ten reviews before I decide to add someone to my Trust List or not. Du du duuuuuuuuh! Gasp! =-0 ‘Kick him out, expel him, chastise him, flog him’…. But before you do, consider my proposal. Any intelligent reviewer should have a good enough degree of insight and judgment to determine whether another reviewer is trustworthy on the basis of 10 reviews. If you can’t convince me that I should trust you on the basis of your last ten reviews, then I’m not going to waste my time reading any more. And if you can convince me that I should add you on the basis of your last ten reviews, then fair play. I’ll read more as, when and if I get the time. Simple. I wouldn’t expect people to read my entire (yet still extremely modest) back catalogue before they decided to trust me. I love Epinions, but it’s not a full time occupation for me, and so I can only give it as much time as I have – if this makes my Trust List invalid, then sue me. =-p
I also make sure that I read and rate everyone on my Trust List and everyone on my List of Trusters at least once a month. Although I’m sure that will get harder as the lists increase I’ll stick to that goal for as long as I can. There are plenty of people out there who’s writing I respect but I simply don’t read often because they write about topics I have no interest in (such as baby products or beauty products). If however in years to come when I have children of my own I’ll be back to read, rate and trust (with large amounts of gratitude) those people who write excellent commentaries on the pros and cons of one diaper over another. (And if I go the other way and get that op done, you’ll be seeing a lot more of me in ‘Health and Beauty’!)
If I’ve not got round to trusting you yet, leave a nice comment and I’ll see what I can do, I’m very accommodating you know.. (I also take Visa, Delta and American Express).
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WOT Update
Evidently you can teach an old dog new tricks..
My thanks to MobiProf for taking the time to highlight my misconceved ideas about the WOT (a common problem amongst flighty rookies like myself, apparently). I now understand that there is a difference between the 'Trust List' (Ie, the list of people I trust), the List of Trusters' (Ie. the list of people who trust me) and the general 'Web of Trust' which describes the sum total of all trust lists throughout the site. What I hadn't realised was that my trust list has an effect on the order in which I see reviews on a certain topic. Ie, if I trust someone I'm more likely to see their reviews on a topic (if they've posted any). This is different to the overall Web of Trust which effects the order in which reviews are displayed to visitors (who obviously don't have their own trust lists).
According to Mobiprof (and who am I to argue?) The Web of Trust is the collection of all the trust relationships on the site, and therefore refering to ones own 'WOT' is ambiguous. Quote: "You don’t have a WOT, you are part of the WOT." So there! That told me!
This explanation did actually clear up a lot of my confusion, and I do agree that Epinions is not very clear on the matter, shrouding and already ambiguous concept in layers of mystery which can be quite daunting to newbies and oldies alike. (Although my original point about the 'wording' in relation to prefences still stands..)
For a full explanation of this, and just about every other question you're likely to ask about the site, check out Mobiprof's mindbogglingly thorough 'Unofficial Epinions.com Dictionary' and learn how to go from 'Epi-ignorance' to becoming an 'Epi-expert' overnight.
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A quick ‘big up’ to a few peeps
It’s traditional to make some sort of apology or disclaimer when attributing praise to any individual member in a site like this so as not to offend the masses who you’ve clearly (by default) neglected to mention. I’d like not to, but I’m afraid it’s far too hard. I am after all beset by Britishness and therefore obliged to absolve myself of any personal offence caused to my fellow man (or woman) resulting from any action, inaction, thought or word for which I am responsible, either consciously or not. If I don’t mention you.. sorry. There, said it! (It’s not like I’m some big shot here so I really wouldn’t be worried if I didn’t mention you!)
Ok, firstly the people who were nice to me when I first arrived…
Cntaur5, flamepillar, mothra3, iBen and jay1051971 all left helpful, encouraging comments on my first few reviews, and I can’t tell you how heartening it was. As a result I always try to leave comments on newcomers reviews.
Mike.Holmes, Nollequen and Grouch were the first people to put their necks on the line and trust me, and should be credited for having such good judgment so early on ;-)
Captaind was also extremely helpful in the early days and I enjoyed the familiar (if slightly off beam) British sense of humour which made me feel right at home.
Writing-wise, Slarter and Metalluk are currently my favorite reads (although Metalluk is so damn prolific that I’ve conceded that I’ll have to wait until retirement to catch up on all his reviews… ‘Professor of Biomedical Sciences’ my @ss! ;-p Actually considering that he’s only been here for a mere 9 months I’m am most pleased to see that he’s been credited with both Advisor and Top Reviewer status, and it gives me great confidence that the system actually foes work and rewards people based on merit – well done Epinions!)
And on my ‘up and coming – ones to watch’ I’d like to add Yippeskipee and mimax for their excellent and entertaining maverick reviews…
Now of course there are lots of people who I respect and admire, and you can find (nearly all of) them on my WOT… but additional shout out’s to Becktyc, Cntaur5, jnbmoore, skbreeze, Tigerlily137, drdevience, tbthorn, Don_Krider, sleeper54, Stephen_Murray, Lemon_lime, treeseed, Bryan_Carey, Lambchops, George_Chabot and many others who regularly read, rate and leave helpful comments on my reviews. Thanks guys, it really does mean a lot. *sniff…
Damn I promised myself I wouldn’t cry..
And last, but the antithesis of least, I’d like to thank my beautiful fiancée for reading what I write and encouraging me in my passions – despite not (yet) being a member herself. I keep trying to persuade her to join as she is intelligent, insightful and wise on so many things, and has a lovely, unassuming yet incisive way of expressing herself, which is one of the things that first drew me to her. (No pressure love… ;-p) I respect her opinions more than she knows despite so often trampling them with my clumsy, ‘speak-before-you-think’ ramblings.
We’re currently in the throws of preparing for our wedding (just 10 weeks now!) and decorating our new house so it can be hard to find the time or the energy to express my feelings when so much of what we’re doing together is ‘job orientated right now’ (I’m supposed to be sorting out wedding invitations instead of writing this!) – so I need to take any opportunity I can… so here goes..
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She’s my still calm pool of serenity flowing softly beneath everything I do – my quiet reassurance in the dark stillness of my being – the healing balm that enwraps my furrowed thoughts - the superglue that binds my fraying edges - the smile that lights a thousand tiny hopes and dreams – and the eyes in which I find myself.
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Well, ehem… not quite sure what to say now…
(I bet I get in trouble now, but it's all true!)
Ha! I actually got her to sign up as a member because otherwise she couldn't read this review (apparently this section is 'members only'). Go me! =-p
Anyways folks, thanks for reading (and leaving comments!) - I’m looking forward to a great year and hope to spin off some creative stuff sometime in the near future.
Keep up the good work folks.
Over and out
Tom (Spiderkid).
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Epinions.com ID:
spiderkid
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Member: Tom
Location: Liverpool, UK
Reviews written: 33
Trusted by: 23 members
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