Lean-n-mean VI || Here we go again..!!
Oct 31 '07 (Updated Nov 29 '07)
The Bottom Line It is time . . .are you ready..?? Are you up to it..??
In the dead of night, furtively moving from shadow to shadow like wind-blown leaves skittering across the graveyard at midnight, comes ' Lean-n-mean VI ', accompanied only by a lonely primeval howl carried from far away by the gusting wind.
For five years the writers of Epinions, my fellow members, have helped nourish the beast that is 'Lean-n-mean'. Writers have nourished it by eagerly participating in the yearly write-off event. Users have nourished it by embracing the idea that more can be said with less. Readers and raters have nourished the idea of 'Lean-n-mean' with thoughtful rates based on more than simple length.
Even the corporate side has helped breathe life into 'Lean-n-mean' by choosing to use the name and format as the theme for one of this year's regular monthly review sweepstakes. (Though they were a bit 'meaner' than I am, with their limit of 500 words. Not to worry, still 666 words here..!)
The fact that the idea has endured for so long is a testament to the willingness of my Epi-friends and fellow members to test their communication skills when measured against a fixed target number of words.
To summarize, the concept of 'lean-n-mean' is to write an overall-rated 'Helpful' or 'Very Helpful' review using 666 or fewer words. While overall-rated 'Somewhat Helpful' reviews are now 'visible' to non-members, I still would ask that you strive to write 'H' or 'VH'.
That is it in a capsule . . .now get to work..!!
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OK, OK. A few ground rules/suggestions; essentially copied from previous years:
-- Basic ground rules --
• Submission dates: November 1 through November 30 (But hopefully, 'lean-n-mean' might continue to be something you consider year-round when writing.)
• Target length this year is again 666 words. But we are not going to niggle over a _few_ extra words.
• 'Regular reviews' only. Sorry, 'lean-n-mean' is moot for an 'express review'.
• Overall 'Helpful' or 'Very Helpful' only, please.
• Product reviews only, as is the custom! No 'delete and republish' reviews please!
• Do not include 'Lean-n-mean' in your review title. Lets do it 'semi-stealth' again, OK..? Restrict any mention of 'Lean-n-mean VI' to the bottom of your product review. Lets make this about great reviews first and 'lean-n-mean' second. (But do challenge your reader to join in..!)
• Please do include a link back to this essay at the bottom of your review. I will place one below that can be copied-n-pasted for the HTML-challenged.
• Leave a comment here indicating you are participating and in which category your review is published. Specific URLS may be left in your comment if you care to do so. Your call.
• You may participate anonymously if you like. Simply e-mail me your name and category privately. If you want your name left off the list(s) I can do that also. Again, your call.
• Read and rate any 'lean-n-mean' reviews that you encounter across the site as you normally would. ( Do note that I routinely do not attempt to 'read-n-rate' every entry to this write-off. While that might be considered good manners for a write-off host, I prefer to leave it to normal readers of a section, category, or even individual reader to rate the reviews. Do know, regardless of read, rate, or comment ...I am indebted to all my participants for each and every review. )
• Remember: every section, every member, is welcome to participate!
• Your participation is on your own shoulders. I am not going to count words or check reviews. Maybe other members might though . . .so do not stretch the limit too far, OK..??
• While reviews will not be directly linked, you certainly are free to peruse the comment section to check out the reviews of others. Again, do what you are comfortable doing.
There will still be recognition, there will still be room for competition among the various categories. I think both are worthy goals of 'Lean-n-mean VI' or any write-off.
Every writer that contributes a 'Lean-n-mean VI' review will have their user-page linked from this essay (see note below). You will be identified as a participant from the category in which you write the review. Each user will be listed only once in each category. No need to write ten, twenty, thirty 'lean-n-mean' reviews just so your category can kick the another category's arse.
The only way to 'kick the widgets category's booty' this time is to _recruit_more_writers_ from your favorite category. More writers = more category bragging rights for 'Lean-n-mean VI'.
The Bottom Line
November 1 through November 30.
666 words or less.
Product reviews only, 'regular reviews' only.
Overall-rated 'Helpful' and 'Very Helpful' reviews only.
No 'lean-n-mean' titles.
Recruit your fellow members.
Invite strangers on the street.
Involve your favorite (and perhaps not-so-favorite!) fellow writers.
Write as many as you want.
Write in as many categories as you want.
Have fun.
Your participation and support with just one review is as important to you and to me as would be ten or a hundred reviews.
As always, any questions: leave a comment or drop me an e-mail.
...tom...
Extras
HTML code for link back to this essay:
<a href="http://www.epinions.com/content_5124300932">Lean-n-mean VI</a>
...will produce this active link: Lean-n-mean VI
Word-count page, courtesy of Pavel21:
http://javascriptkit.com/script/script2/countwords.shtml
P.S. This 'lean-n-mean' effort will fit in nicely with Kathy's EpiWriMo write-off. This is her effort to encourage others to write daily, reviews and/or essays, for the month of November. It seems a perfect match for the idea of 'lean-n-mean'. As I teased kath in a comment at her invitation essay, it almost seems like we planned to do these together.
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Participants, 'Lean-n-mean VI' | 2007
New item: I have prepared a spreadsheet of writers and categories published so far. It is available here:
http://www.angelfire.com/jazz/sleeper54/leanmean/2007/Contributors_11272007.xls
Check the title there for when it was last updated.
. . .last update: Thursday evening, 1840 PM, CDT, November 29, 2007
• Food and Wine • • 30 writers
popsrocks | gamblin_man | ladyconsumer | trailhound | ifif1938
cmaw63 | donnamr | northeastgal | artemis8 | mmcphee
wychic | bkalafut | pestyside | kamel622 | phungus
carstairs38 | a_southern_mom | susiewho | dianapinions | kld718
lilsquibb | rudixeno | dandj | pilarzmom | dolphinboy
dlstewart | elvisdo | bilbopooh | scmrak | sleeper54..
• Books • • 27 writers
scmrak | gamblin_man | donnamr | artemis8 | phungus
sunpot71 | sj1and0 | pestyside | kamel622 | ladyconsumer
trailhound | jankp | sleeper54 | carstairs38 | ssjakira1
befus | msmorvay | teamfreak16 | popsrocks | cmaw63
njchicaa | dramastef | dolphinboy | bilbopooh | dandj
lammet | dlstewart..
• Wellness & Beauty • • 20 writers
chelledun | mmcphee | teamfreak16 | njchicaa | pestyside
artemis8 | trailhound | ladyconsumer | summer16 | cr01
popsrocks | pilarzmom | dramastef | northeastgal | scmrak
befus | dlstewart | jankp | dolphinboy | DavidK93..
• Movies • • 19 writers
bilbopooh | befus | wychic | carstairs38 | phungus
ladyconsumer | dbcint | popsrocks | captaind | pmills1210
kamel622 | jankp | dlstewart | millinocket | artemis8
pestyside | elvisdo | Stephen_Murray | roheblius..
• Kids & Family • • 14 writers
susieq112 | mmcphee | artemis8 | Dionne25 | summer16
kamel622 | elvisdo | lilsquibb | popsrocks | carstairs38
pestyside | wychic | scmrak | pmills1210..
• Pets • • 11 writers
dlstewart | scmrak | njchicaa | trailhound | pestyside
popsrocks | susiewho | ifif1938 | cmaw63 | a_southern_mom
donnamr..
• Home and Garden • • 11 writers
gamblin_man | njchicaa | scmrak | Dionne25 | trailhound
a_southern_mom | cmaw63 | popsrocks | dlstewart | remnjava
pestyside..
• Music • • 7 writers
roheblius | carstairs38 | jankp | teamfreak16 | popsrocks
donnamr | pestyside..
• Sports & Outdoors • • 7 writers
teamfreak16 | scmrak | bkalafut | popsrocks | cmwa63
mcmaster | pestyside..
• Business & Technology • • 6 writers
gamblin_man | mmcphee | dlstewart | popsrocks | scmrak
pestyside..
• Electronics • • 4 writer
gamblin_man | wychic | kamel622 | popsrocks | ..
• Online Stores & Services • • 4 writers
dlstewart | popsrocks | pestyside | artemis8..
• Hotels & Travel • • 4 writers
scmrak | popsrocks | cr01 | ifif1938..
• Restaurants & Gourmet • • 3 writers
popsrocks | mongkut | kamel622..
• Magazine Subscriptions • • 3 writers
dlstewart | popsrocks | pestyside..
• Education • • 3 writers
scmrak | popsrocks | artemis8..
• Musical Instruments • 2 writers
scmrak | popsrocks..
• Personal Finance • • 2 writers
scmrak | popsrocks
• Computers, etc. • • 1 writer
pestyside
• Cars & Motorsports • • 1 writer
scmrak
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Epinions.com ID:
sleeper54
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Member: ...tom...
Location: "Is this Heaven?"......"No. It's Iowa."
Reviews written: 507
Trusted by: 556 members
About Me:Looking for Most Helpfuls..?? Start here: Last update: ..Feb.03.10
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