Why is Epinions.com Going Down the Tubes?
HMS Epinions is Sinking Fast
Since 2004, epinions' search ranking has fallen substantially. Its reach (the percentage of internet users) reached a peak of .25% in late 2003, and has slid to an all-time low of .04% in January, 2008.
So why is the epinions.com ship sinking? Check out associatedcontent's chart. Associatedcontent.com is going through the roof!
Obviously, associatedcontent.com is doing something right. In fact, associatedcontent.com is doing several things right, while epinions.com is doing several things wrong.
Associatedcontent runs its website like a business. It has a profit motive, and, as a result, it does all it can to attract as many members as possible. More members mean more content and advertising revenue. The emphasis is on as much freedom of expression and diversity as possible.
By contrast, epinions.com runs its website more like an exclusive social club. Not as much diversity and freedom of expression is allowed. Epinions allows the members to police its site against anyone they may deem undesirable.
This would not be a bad strategy if the epinions members (who wear the armbands and behave like the KGB) were in touch with what the general public wants or needs in a products review site. But the evidence clearly shows they are out of touch.
Why? It comes back to the profit motive, or, the profit motive verses personal motives. Epinions members are not business people, and are not primarily there to make a profit. Thus, their reasons for excluding new members are largely personal ones.
Associatedcontent, by contrast, has its employees decide who gets accepted, who gets rejected, what gets published, etc. If they screw up, they don't get paid. Thus, they have a strong incentive not to let their personal issues interfere with their decisions.
The result is you are mostly treated with courtesy and respect at associatedcontent.com--at least that has been my experience as a member. At epinions.com, I had to constantly watch my back. That made me less productive.
Since the time I quit epinions.com and joined AC, I have been much more productive. I am writing more songs, articles, essays, reviews and poetry! It is a fantastic feeling!
Because AC pays better than epinions.com, and has a better atmosphere overall, it attracts better writers and artists...surprise! surprise!
Also, the rules of advancement and pay are very clear-cut at AC, whereas epinions' rules of advancement and pay are vague, uncertain and unpredictable. It is very discouraging if you don't know what you have to do to succeed. Epinions.com never seemed to recognize or appreciate my work. AC, on the other hand, has featured my work on its front page on several occasions. Gee, which website should I write for? LOL!
So...if you are at the race track, always bet on the winner--associatedcontent.com, and wave goodbye to epinions.com as it sinks into the abyss.
Published by GMJ
Top selling author at amazon.com. View profile
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74 Comments
Post a CommentI'm with you brother. Epinions is going down the tubes. They refused to pay me my Is, but finally have now. I don't think they pay ayone unless they think they're leaving. The staff over there is a bunch of liars and cheats.
Nafeesah, you are spot on! No wonder epinions was not a good fit for you.
EPinions is full of grown adults with serious personality defects because they're like a bunch of high schoolers acting as if what they're doing is perfectly acceptable and OK to trash people's reviews and engaging other members in trashing reviews and also keeping members from speaking on message boards. Most people have left for sites like Viewpoints and Yelp.com at least you get respected there for your opinions.
Ethan, you're going to like it here. They pay you actual greenage, and not copper plated pennied. : )
I plan on doing just that -- sticking around here and seeing how it goes. Got a couple of things I'm waiting to see published, in fact. I do like what I've read around here so far, and that site you pointed out is revealing -- Associated Content does seem to be outpacing Epinions considerably. And, yes, I've been looking for something other than Epinions for some time, so this may well be it.
Ethan, spend some time here at AC, then tell me how you feel about epinyawns. Everything is relative. If you live in a third-world country or a third-rate website, and you never tried anywhere else, how can you really know what you are talking about? The opinions I trust come from savy, cynical sorts who shop for the best deal for themselves. I have no trust in people who settle for mediocrity or poor quality.
Thanks for your comment, Ethan. I think the question you should ask yourself is how does epinyawns stack up against other sites. What does it have that this site doesn't have? You pointed out that it has some control-freak members who bunch together and make peoples' lives miserable. You mentioned that there are numerous bugs and glitches. Other than those you mentioned, what other advantages does epinyawns have? How about the low pay and antiquated technology, i.e., no photo upload feature? Or the lack of ability to add stuff you want to write about to the database without sucking up to a Category Lead who is drunk or on meds and probably doesn't like you because you have an ounce of talent and you think outside the box? I could go on and on, but I will concede that some people I met there are pretty cool and are still my friends. However, what makes them cool is their intelligence and willingness to explore new opportunities and not get stuck in the epi-rut.
Come on, now. Tell us how you really feel ;)
Honestly, I'm still active at Epinions (HawgWyld over there) and still enjoy my time at the site. Still, there are a host of problems that aren't being addressed.
The bulk of the advisors and category leads are decent enough folks, put some of them are vindictive little souls who take themselves are too seriously. Those folks are in the minority, but they do tend to bunch together and make the lives of a few members downright miserable. Some of the venom spewed at new members and folks outside of those little circles is nasty, indeed. Regardless, I quit picking fights over there years ago, so I really don't give a damn.
Odd being in the middle on this issue, but I still do enjoy Epinions. Still, I'm not blind to the site's faults.
Melissa, I hammered the epi-trolls here pretty good. They are gun shy now, so they've stayed clear of Viewpoints. There's a new sheriff in town and his name is William Pinn. Yeeeeehaaaaw!
sorry, did I say round 2? I meant 6,666,666..... cultish right?