Welcome to the first Epinions Community Commentsment* Write-Off
Writers with experience on Epinions.com -- a Web site on which people post reviews about everything from books to beer, movies to modems, cars to cosmetics -- are taking time around Aug. 11, 2001 to read works by new writers and to encourage their participation on the site by leaving constructive comments on the newcomers' writing. Most of the writers taking part were fortunate to have someone leave encouragement and advice on our early reviews, and this is one way for us to try to repay those kindnesses.
Links to reviews by new writers and to the Epinions profile pages of the veteran writers are provided below and on a second page. This page has links to reviews by writers who wrote about everything except books and movies.
Links to writers who reviewed books and movies are here.
NEW Epinions writer doctors3, in a review that can only be read by Epinions members, does not recommend the Atkins Diet Advantage Bar: "I wish I could tell you the flavor, I think it was chocolate almond, but it tasted like almond-flavored sawdust. It was so dry, it required a drink of water after each bite. And I think I paid over $2 for it."
VETERAN Epinions writer jo.com commends doctors3's review and offers detailed suggestions for improving it: "It is a great idea to compare products with other products but you only want to do that after the one you are reviewing is fully reviewed."
NEW Epinions writer dtoombs enthusiastically recommends the D-Link Systems DI 714 computer router: "This is what sold me. If your cable/DSL provider goes down from time or if you have satellite-based broadband and it goes out when you have a storm, then this is the best device you can have. If this device detects that your broadband connection is unresponsive, it will dial into another ISP connection through an external modem."
VETERAN Epinions writer wanbli_gleska welcomes dtoombs to Epinions: "You have done an excellent job on this review. Your review is very detailed and informative. Great Job!! I am looking forward to reading more of your reviews."
NEW Epinions writer gclanyc does not recommend Carmine's, a restaurant on Manhattan's Upper West Side. gclanyc warns, "Don't believe the hype." About the price: "Depends on what you base it on. Inexpensive based on the portions, robbery if you base it on quality."
VETERAN Epinions writer pambo notes, "It's not easy to write a critical review of a popular restaurant. You've done a good job here of describing what was wrong with the food and general service and made clear just what you thought worked and what didn't."
gkeenan joined Epinions on Dec. 30, 2000, but took a break until Aug. 10, 2001.
NEW Epinions writer gkeenan offers advice about the D-Link DSL-504 ADKI Router: "Overall we think this unit is superb and the technical support from the D-Link staff proved once again to be great in getting our questions answered and problems sorted. The speed of the routers network connection is also very good, copying a 795MB image file in 2 Minutes 12 seconds, so if you have a 10/100 hub or a 10MB system, try copying that size of data over and see how long this takes on your own system."
VETERAN Epinions writer theeye is impressed, and curious: "Wow! What a wonderfully thorough and well-written piece: all the technical details you could ask for with some nice personal touches to boot.
"A techno-geek (and I mean that in the nicest possible way, as one geek to another!) who can also write well. Will wonders never cease! :-)
"My only question is: how do we make sure that you don't wait another 8 months before writing again?"
NEW Epinions writer jarhead_0311 enthusiastically recommends the Audiovox CDM9100 cell phone: "First thing to mention about CDM9100 is that all the accessories for it are totally different than CDM 9000, which means that if you are planning to upgrade, you will need new car adapter(if you use it), and you won't be able to reuse the battery from CDM9000, the new battery is completely different. The only accessory that I was able to reuse was the headset (still the 2.5mm jack)"
VETERAN Epinions writer Wanbli_Gleska is impressed by jarhead_0311's guidance: "Your first review was very informative and quite good. Did I say good? I meant great. I will admit that I know nothing of cell phones but your review makes me want to go out and at least check more into it if not actually purchase one."
NEW Epinions writer jeremy1456 enthusiastically recommends Perfect Dark, a James Bond video game for the N64 system. He warns that his review may give away some of the game's storyline: "Your mission should you choose to accept it is to assasinate the king of the skedar aliens. Sounds kinda strange, huh? Well that's not all, you have to rescue the president, kill the president's clone yada yada yada."
VETERAN Epinions writer TheUnknown285 hopes jeremy1456 will "Keep up the good work." The Unknown285 says this is a "Good, informative review. I want to play this game now."
NEW Epinions writer nursingmom does not recommend Medela Hobbit Breast Shells: "To add insult to injury, they make your breasts look creepy. They make Madonna's funky bras look tame!" nursingmom's review is titled, "Breast Bomb-shells."
Epinions VETERAN theeye writes, "Very nice eye-catching title. It's always a pleasure to find someone who can not only clearly present their experiences with a product, but can also offer a chuckle or two."
But nursingmom does recommend the Graco Chauffeur Travel System baby stroller: "What attracted me to the stroller in the first place was the Olive and Gold plaid color scheme which Graco calls "Sawgrass". It hides spit-up well, and it's different from all the tired navy polka dot strollers out there. There's also something nostalgic about having a classic "Baby Buggy", which is also convenient if your child wants to nap. The fully adjustable canopies on the seat and stroller are awesome, because no matter where the sun is, you can shield your child."
VETERAN Epinions writer marytara shares theeye's appreciation of nursingmom's work: "Well, I admit it... The opening line 'They say there's a sucker born every minute, and if that's the case, call me a Blo-pop!' drew me right in and put a smile on my face.
"I really appreciate a product review that calls it like it is, is critical and humorous at the same time. And, to top it off... from another SAHM (and a nursingmom too!). I'm enjoying reading your reviews, and look forward to sharing advice in the future."
NEW Epinions writer patman38 does not recommend the Wet & Wild Las Vegas theme park: "By this time, we saw they had opened up all the rides in the park. We walked to the other side of the park to try out some of the more exciting rides. However, right as we got to the first one, a staff member sat down in a chair and blocked the entrance. We asked why they had closed the ride, and got a grunted 'maintenance' in return. We shrugged and went to the next ride, where exactly the same thing happened. The situation was becoming a little irritating. My wife asked the staff member if we could expect some refund of our admission price, since 3 of the rides were out of service. 'No...you should be grateful you're here today, because yesterday none of them were working'."
VETERAN Epinions writer theeye observes, "Too often reviews of theme parks follow two models: (1) 'Wow! Way cool! That was fun!' or (2) 'Bummer! This park sucked!'. The common factor is the lack of reasons for the conclusion.
"You, on the other hand, provided us with a lot of details backing up your recommendation to skip this park, so we can make an informed judgement. That's the sort of review we need on Epinions. I hope you'll stick around and write some more on other topics."
NEW Epinions writer shadow_dream recommends Damn That DJ Made My Day by Richard "Humpty" Vission: "I'm not a big fan of funk, but this CD has got me feeling and almost tasting it."
VETERAN Epinions writer repulsemonkey is a fan of shadow_dream's writing: "I've been reading your stuff and I like it a lot. Even more impressive is the improvement in your writing even over the past couple of days. I really hope you stick with it, 'cause I'll be reading."
NEW Epinions writer smile2k1 enthusiastically recommends Born to Do It by R&B singer Craig David: "So what was Craig born to do? From looking at his song lyrics I could make an educated guess. Dancing, romancing, lots of partying and erm … bedroom activities. He’s a bit of a ladies’ man. However, above all, he was born to sing. His voice is suave and sleek and incredibly versatile. It ranges from the high, melancholy notes of ‘Walking Away’ to the fast, rhythmic rap of ‘Last Night’. If he wanted to, Craig could make foot fungus sound dreamy and romantic. And he could win over any girl by serenading her with songs of toe cheese. Luckily, he has better things on his mind...."
VETERAN Epinions writer kuuleimomi says, "Wow!" Also: "Then, By the way, if you haven’t heard his name much, you will have done by the end of the album. Be warned, almost every song opens and closes with a name-check! You’ll end up wondering which is bigger – his talent or his ego. Tricky one… So true! And there is also bunch of other points I loved, so, amazing job, wonderful article and a great style. I'll keep an eye on you [and curen too, mwa-haha].
NEW Epinions writer sschlundt enthusiastically recommends the Graco Cirrus Travel System baby stroller: "If I was FORCED to say one con about this travel system, I would have to say it is a bit heavy. I can live with it, though. We looked at some of the lighter models, and they just didn't have the same feel as the Cirrus. I think the heaviness of our stroller is a good thing - it means it's sturdy and will last. This is no wimpy stroller. Our stroller will be around to use for our future kids."
VETERAN Epinions writer marytara responded personally to sschlundt's guidance: "Hi, My name is MaryTara & I'm a stroller-a-holic. I commented earlier about the terrific job you did on just your 6th review. A stroller is one of the more important purchases that parents will make, and is also a difficult decision. Your thorough and informative review of this product will be very helpful to a prospective buyer."
NEW Epinions writer suspecterrain enthusiastically recommends the MSR XGX Expedition camping stove: "... the XGK is like my wife’s pet ferret, Ruby, in that it’s either operating at full-bore, or not at all...."
VETERAN Epinions writer pageclot calls suspecterrain's review "informative and hilarious."
NEW Epinions writer toby_baldwin recommends Gift Horse, an album by the fringe Christian band The Lost Dogs: "Most of their albums have been kind of like Traveling Wilburys affairs - they would come together for a weekend, do a few of each other's songs and some traditional ones - and the results have been incredible (particularly 1993's 'Little Red Riding Hood'), with much more of a folk and country tinge than the individuals' regular bands or solo efforts. This time is no exception in terms of style, but this one is different in that all the songs are written by Terry Taylor, who has been known to put out three albums in the same year under the different names by which his bands are known, and still yield a lyrical and musical quality unparalleled in Christian music."
VETERAN Epinions writer tjolims sings toby_baldwin's praises: "It's great to see reviews on little-known bands, especially when they happen to be among the select few who go beyond the mainstream 'Christian music' thing to produce true musical art.
"But I'm not biased, just really impressed by this review. Thanks! Great first music review."
NEW Epinions writer valuemom, offers advice about How to Prepare Your Child for Mountain Biking Camp: "Your child should try out all your equipment with some warm up rides. Make sure everything is in working order and build up some riding muscles at the same time. If your local bike shop offers classes in bike maintenance and simple repairs, you might want to consider enrolling your child. Talk to your child about what to do in emergencies, wilderness survival, and about using good judgement while riding. It is more important to come home in one piece that to be the first one down the trail!"
VETERAN Epinions writer dequebec writes: "This epinion was formatted very well. Topics are broken down into easy-to-read paragraphs with appropriate mark up codes. A list at the end nicely summerizes important thoughts.
"Best of all, this epinion was based on considerable personal experience.
"This was a great epinion and I look forward to reading more of your material in the future!"
NEW Epinions writer violet18 offers advice on What Should I Bring to School? Among her suggestions: "EasyMac. It's God's gift to college students. You won't need a stove, and the single serving packets let you keep your yummy smelling food to yourself and out of the hands of your also hungry but not smart enough to buy EasyMac roommate."
And: "Clear packaging tape is a lifesaver! You can use it to hold stuff together, hang things up on your walls, and take lint off your clothes. (Unless you like the "I just rolled out of the dryer" look.)"
VETERAN Epinions writer Sloucho calls violet18's essay "extremely witty." He adds, "I very much enjoyed this helpful and humorous piece. You've sprinkled lots of genuinely thoughtful tips with plenty of deft comic touches. This is absolutely the kind of review that will increase traffic to the site and impress surfers with the kind of advice they can get at epinions."
* COMMENTSMENT, suggested by Sloucho, provides a model by which we can do this again if this first one succeeds. This one can be for the summer session and then we can do ones for the fall (Dec. 15) and spring (April 13, 2002) semesters.
Please contact: pww5@columbia.edu if you would like to be notified about possible upcoming Epinions Community Commentsments. Participants in the first Commentsment will be notified automatically of any others, although participation in the first does not, of course, presume participation in subsequent ones.
Another forum in which writing by newcomers to Epinions can be promoted is the "New and Noteworthy" section of Epinion Addicts, a free discussion board open to writers on Epinions.
