EpinionsBlowsDog (W/O)
by ed_grover on Oct. 27, 2001

Pros: About the SmartHead technology of the bicycle pump. It's appropriate to the W/O.

Cons: We want the Edit and Delete features back pronto!

The Bottom Line: When Epinions gives us back control over our own writing by restoring what they foolishly took away, maybe we can get back to work and start healing.

Recommended: No

I don’t own one of these air pumps, I go the gas station and use theirs. It’s just that I found this wonderful name while I was browsing in the database looking for something amusing that I could use that was totally off topic for Sordid-1's write-off.

Let me preface this by saying I would never have known about any of these changes at Epinions if I hadn’t read one of the first protest pieces in the Just In section two days ago.

I immediately went to the Community Center and saw the postings about eliminating our base Eroyalties (our one cent a hit pay), eliminating the CPP (I don’t have one, so that doesn't affect me), and eliminating edit/delete functionality (which does) they stole our work.

When Sordid-1 sent me an e-mail asking me to join what has already become a grassroots movement, I said yes, knowing I couldn’t be half as clever or witty as the majority of the people who have already written. I’ve read some damned good stuff, even if it was off topic and full of errors we can never fix because the Edit feature is gone.

But it’s the removal of the delete feature I cannot tolerate, I feel violated and betrayed by this lockout to my personal property. Now, Epinions.com has literally stolen my writing . . . and, everyone else’s; we can’t even get into our reviews to update a piece or tweak a paragraph to make it read better. We can’t delete something that maybe got few to no hits or was just feel was badly written and an embarrassment.

I was well satisfied that all my pieces where they were for as long as I was alive and had control over them. Now it seems I have lost that control and so has everyone else. My immediate thought was to cash out, delete everything and go elsewhere, but I couldn’t even get all my money; I had to leave a few cents in the account. I see it’s still growing, but I know that after 10/31, that will stop and I will have to depend solely on Income Share.

I’ve written over 225 reviews on LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) books and a few other general topics that I felt I could write about. When I started writing I got very few hits, but as time went on I developed a following and I trusted and have been trusted by many people. I developed friendships I would never have had if it weren’t for this site . . . and I made a few enemies among the folks who didn’t understand or approve of my chosen niche in the Book Section. I’ve run a few write-offs and had a great time doing it. Thanks to everyone who had read and encouraged me.

If Epinions restores the edit and delete functions I will continue to be part of this wonderful on-line community and contribute. If not, I’m outa here! I’ll leave my page up and read and rate occasionally, but there will be no more writing. I know I’m not alone in saying that. If there is any Income share I will redeem it at $10 (unless they change that, too) and maybe have a cuppa coffee.

Although I make little to nothing on IS, I felt I could live with the first two changes because it has been a joy for me to write at this site for (almost) two years. With the third change, that joy has ceased.

I just had the un-pleasure of reading the transcript of the 10/26 chat in which nirav gave a full line of bull. Don't believe a word of it.

IF we get edit and delete back I will gladly erase this piece from memory, if not let it stay here and haunt Nirav.

Happy Halloween, you jerk!

Amount Paid (US$): 00.00

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For a time in October 2001, you could have read this review on http://www.epinions.com . It has been deleted from that site, but other writing by the author is still available there at http://www.epinions.com/user-ed_grover .