Why Epinions is doomed to fail, part II
Nov 24 '99
Here I will tell you the absolute secret to receiving many more page views (and thus money) on Epinions than any other writer on the site. In a minute. But first,
Judging by the amount of private email sent to me in support of my previous opinion on Epinions, the site is in more trouble than I had previously thought.
Before I describe some of what I've heard from folks since I wrote my little note of encouragement to the web team at the present web site, let me say that I do not consider myself a subversive, nor do I have anything "out for" Epinions. On the contrary: I've been excited about the idea of the site since the first day I've heard about it and would probably go work for them in a New York minute if I had a chance (risk taker that I am).
By way of background, I heard from about a dozen people in response to my Epinion. Is that a usual practice? I don't know -- nobody's ever written me privately before about anything I've posted to the site. What I was surprised at is how many big name (popular writers, "expert" epinionaters) were among those who wrote to express their support of my review.
That said, here is why I believe more firmly than ever that Epinions is doomed to fail.
They're not moving in Internet Time
What's happening on the site? What's new? Aside from a few small interface tweaks and some new categories, what's going on on the site? It's seeming to me that the design, interface and engineering folks are focusing on breadth of content rather than quality of the existing service. That sounds eerily Microsoftian to me and I wish they'd cut it out. The search engine still stinks and it's impossible to find anything where you'd expect it on the site. It's been months since the site has been out. What's their priority? For their own good, they'd better focus on making it easier to find things, making it simpler to express your opinion, and paying their writers for their work. In Internet Time.
Too much technology, not enough intelligence
There's a nifty new example of gift ideas right on the homepage. Click on the New Parents link and the first suggestion you see is for Pampers Baby Wipes. Now what kind of cheapskate is going to give brand new parents a package of baby wipes? Why do we have to go to the web to research a gift idea like this? Why not ask the baby gift consulting experts at 7-11? By the way, the pampers opinion was written by a very talented and dedicated reviewer, forkids, who has written a much better review of a gift at http://www.epinions.com/kifm-review-40C5-10767489-3834D9F2-bd4
I also received this interesting note from the friendly Epinions robot last week:
"Hi,
I am writing to let you know that your suggestion from last week for a
new album to add to Epinions.com was not properly received.
Unfortunately, there was a problem at our end that caused a bug in the
submission form.
If you are still interested in adding the album to our site, you can
use our new media search tool, which can be found at ...." blah blah blah
If they knew I made a suggestion last week, if they knew it was an album I suggested, then how come then they couldn't walk the extra mile and figure out which album I suggested? It's so nice of them to tell me about their bugs. Remind me to call Epinions next time my back hurts...
A rather weird and vague bill of rights
I support the concept behind the Bill of Rights Epinions posts on their Help page. Obviously, someone thought that selling users out to commercial interests was a BAD concept. I agree. But I need a few things explained to me:
Right #2. The right to unbiased information. We do not sell products. Manufacturers and retailers contribute product descriptions, but have no editorial influence.
I'm a few years out of college, so maybe the concepts are new here. I thought a product description WAS editorial content. I dare you to find a marketing person who says otherwise. Also, they should probably tell us what they DO sell, if not product.
Right #4. The right to clean content. We reject or remove material containing offensive content or language. Please let us know if something offends you.
Oy. I hope the folks at Epinions like fishing, because they're opening a huge can of worms here. Could someone please come up with a mutually agreeable definition of offensive content? Especially on the Internet?
5. The right to benefit from your work. You will receive rewards and recognition based on the quantity and quality of your reviews.
This is already increasingly NOT the case. Folks are receiving "rewards" and recognition based upon two things at present: frequency and provacativeness. If you are smart (and here I'm giving away a strategy which is much in use already on the site) and cagey, the technique to follow is this:
What you've been waiting for:
1. Post a provacative headline. That's the first thing people will see when glancing through the list of opinions. Here's a good one: Why you will DIE if you use this product. Here's another: How I met my supermodel wife/husband through the use of this web site
2. Make sure your first 40-50 words of your web site are as sensational as possible, promising knowledge beyond the reader's wildest dreams if they simply click on the link.
3. Make sure your pros and cons are catchy, cute and funny since they get displayed at more heavily viewed pages
Enough advice. If you've read this far, congratulations.
One more reason why Epinions is doomed to fail
The Curse of the High Expectations
The only thing missing from the hype queue for this company is a Super Bowl spot. Nobody expected Yahoo or Amazon or EBay to be the "next" anything. Once a company breaks out from its secretative, hype-ridden laboratories (see www.google.com, www.bigstep.com), the bright glare of heightened expectations begins to shine down on all the employees of the startup. Add to that a total catatonia in the hiring market in Silicon Valley and you've got a red hot idea followed by lousy execution. And I believe that's what we're seeing now.
Of course, I could be wrong. If you have the answers, write me back at sgersh@yahoo.com
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Epinions.com ID:
sgersh
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Location: Bay Area, California
Reviews written: 120
Trusted by: 66 members
About Me:
Up until now, I did stuff, some of which I talk about on here.
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