Fellow Townsfolk, Put Down Thy Pitchforks and Torches...Else I Shall Get Midevil on Thee!
Jun 24 '01
The Bottom Line Please, people, lighten up. Epinions is not life. At least, it shouldn't be.
It is one of the oldest questions in the universe, one which has haunted mankind for centuries...er, years...well, okay, months. It appears that a group of scientists have solved this mystery once and for all.
"Our findings conclusively show that life will indeed continue to survive on Earth, even in the event of Epinions suffering an untimely death," said respected Middle-Eastern field-scientist An al Rhetentiv in a press conference earlier today. Rhetentiv led a cadre of the brightest minds in the scientific field in a year-long study of the possible global fallout of a potential Epinions shutdown. The scientists analyzed numerous factors, including worldwide emotional depression, anger, and the real threat of not being able to tell the world about that useless powerdrill you bought earlier this year, before compiling the data and announcing their groundbreaking findings.
"This study will no doubt bring peace of mind to thousands of people around the world who have been anxiously asking this question for ages." Rhetentiv went on to say. "Now, our fellow human beings can go about their daily lives with the security of knowing that, even if the worst should happen, even if their deepest, darkest fears were confirmed, we would continue to exist and thrive on Planet Earth."
Obviously, Epinions has been undergoing many changes over the past couple months. Whether these changes have been for the better is a question that I will leave up to you. I, however, am here today to bring another issue before the PCUO (People's Court of Unpaid Opinion):
It seems to me that far too many people on this site have no life.
This is becoming problematic.
Why? Because these same people who should be concerned with slightly more important matters, (such as learning how to interact in a positive manner with other human beings,) are instead devoting hours of their time every day to help mold Epinions into the site that they think it should be. And it's getting old. Very old.
There has been widespread dispute over how users should rate reviews. (After all, what is Very Helpful?) There have been arguments about whether humor or satire have any place on Epinions. There is dissention on the exact definition of "Off-Topic".
There has been rampant griping about the Advisors and their heavy-handed oppression. There has been callousness and abuse of power by the Advisors. There have been complaints of flame-mail, accusations of abuse and multiple accounts, and tearing down of reputations.
Rodney King should have known the answer to his unwittingly-rhetorical question: "People, can't we all just...get along?" Well, uh, no. Obviously not.
Quite frankly, I have become extremely disenchanted with the Epinions community over the past few weeks. It seems as though it becomes more and more dysfunctional with each passing day.
For example, I am a member of one of the largest Epinions clubs, and it has become a sad task to read the posts over the past month. Other members know exactly what I mean. It has become overrun by a few extreme environmentalists who repeatedly spam the group, demanding that we boycott Wendy's, McDonald's, ABC, NBC, CBS, George W. Bush, the state of North Carolina, and anything else having to do with life in general. Then, when the spammers step back to catch their breath, there have been accusations of abuse and multiple accounts flying back and forth.
In a smaller, more private group which I also belong to, several members have quit or stepped away from Epinions in the last couple weeks. Who can blame them? The fact is, Epinions is becoming an increasingly nasty place to be.
When Epinions decided to effectively let users police themselves, they probably never dreamed that it would get so out-of-control. It seems as though many members feel that it is their civil duty to ruthlessly hunt down, report, smear, and trample on any citizen who has the least subtle hint of abuse about him. This wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that users are being publicly attacked, often wrongfully. Everyone is guilty until proven innocent, and no one is safe.
Why all this madness? Well, if you ask, you'll usually get a knee-jerk response, such as, "Well, if we don't report these abusers, their cheating and bad content and will eventually drive Epinions into the ground!" Maybe. But this begs another question, one which is the real thesis of this convoluted article:
For Heaven's sakes, when did the survival of Epinions become such a life-and-death struggle?
Granted, if Epinions went belly-up, it would be sad. It would be disappointing. In fact, it would suck. However, as unbelievable as it may seem, life would probably go on. Al Roker has confirmed that the sun would, in fact, rise the next day.
For my part, I haven't done much on Epinions recently. I still enjoy the site, I value the people I have met, and I plan to continue to write here. But there are other, much more important things in my life. There are more pressing problems in my day-to-day existence than a few abusers and overly-zealous advisors.
So please, people, if you come across a legitimate abuser, NH his review, put him on your block list, report him to Abuse if necessary, and move on. If somebody sends you flame mail, deal with it privately. There's no need to trumpet your find from the cyber-mountaintop and create a virtual witch-hunt. The Epinions system is designed to let the cream rise to the top, and subsequently, to let the dregs fall to the bottom. Whether you let us all know about him or not, the abuser will eventually be blocked and NH'd by enough people to the point where none of his stuff will be read. He'll give up and quit. It's pretty inevitable. And even if he survives, fools everyone else, and becomes popular, what is it to you? Does it really effect your life? I doubt it. At most, he'll make a few bucks. No, it's not fair, but life seldom is.
To the spammers who are abusing Epinions clubs: you're not convincing anyone. In fact, you're only hurting your cause. Please feel free to express your opinions in a more appropriate forum. And consider using a bit more tact and finesse.
Finally, to all Epinions users: let's get a grip. This is supposed to be a helpful, cooperative community. I'm tired of the nastiness. I'm tired of the ego-trips. This is supposed to be fun. Let's all take a step back, take a deep breath of the air that we are blessed to be able to breath, and remember that the fate of the free world does not rest on Epinions' survival. I think.
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Epinions.com ID:
shockwave180
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Member: Donny Baarns
Location: Sylmar, CA
Reviews written: 40
Trusted by: 28 members
About Me:
They may destroy our buildings, but they will never destroy our soul. God Bless America.
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