peterme.com

its a great example of how few of the current ideas are really new. Its also a great example of how much implementation counts. That great idea is irrelevant if it doesn't become utilized.

All the hype around Friendster really comes from one fact, they actually created a socially successful implementation of all these networking ideas floating around. To focus on all the features it lacks misses the point. No has gotten people to connect on the Friendster scale before and all those sites with better features aren't going to go far without any users. Metcalfe's "law" is in play here, the networks utility increase dramatically with the number of users.

Quite honestly I can't remember any of the features you mentioned on Epinions. I remember it having good reviews, and then very rapidly going to crap when someone decided to list tons of products that had yet to be reviewed. Went from 'wow I can find all about this product' to 'wow I can't find a product with an actual review'...

Peter-

I haven't used epinions very extensively so I can't comment on it specifically. I have used many of the social networking tools- friendster, ryze, linkedin, myspace, etc. The concept intrigues me but I agree with your overall assessment that nobody has the correct implementation yet.

The social networking sites seem to be broken down into the networking model and the dating model. Both are useful goals but I don't see anyone succeeding on either front. I've been a member of Ryze for quite a long time, I even attended a few of their mixers when I was living in the Bay Area, but I never realized what the real benefit was.

Friendster is positioned as a dating tool, but I really haven't met any new people using it. I do think it's cool as a "yearbook for grownups" and I have enjoyed it immensely in keeping track of long-lost friends or casual friends that I don't interact with in real life, IM, or e-mail very often. It's comforting and convenient to think, "Oh, I can go to Friendster and click on Person X's page and see what they're up to and drop them a line, even if I don't have their current e-mail info" Obviously I could use a tool like Plaxo to keep track of their current contact information, but that's missing the point that just going to a Friendster profile is a lot less invasive and casual.

In any case, I suppose my point is that I agree with your central thesis that these are promising tools and technologies but the implementation just isn't there yet.

-m

I'll join you in a little bit of that satisfaction, Peter. For my money, Epi was way ahead of the game at the outset, and still leads the industry for balancing filtering, content, and commerce. We've also developed a world of knowledge about managing online communities. I've met folks who are struggling with problems like how to set up a customer support forum where no one threatens to kill anyone else over simple disagreements. How to keep problems like abuse, fraud, and glut from overwhelming a site are almost as difficult, process-wise, as the entire engineering effort from square one on. Someone should write a book.

Two notes:

1) My first contact with Epinions concerned a possible alternate application of their publish/meet/rate/filter platform. I was working at Global Business Network at the time, a membership organization / think tank, and it seemed to me the perfect platform for interest-based, taxonomized, filtered, peer-reviewed self publishing. I really wish we could take the Epi platorm in a million different directions, or open-source it, or something. At any rate, I think you're right to call it out as a gold standard, and some of the CMS systems out there are beginning to get close. Give it 5 years.

Second, I also miss the earlier, more people-centric iterations of the site. But now that we are running several sites, including Shopping.com, we have the potential to customize each to its core purpose. All the same ROI caveats still apply to making the Epinions.com site more like its former self, but with our overall success come options.

I just rated my first book. I think its simplicity makes it a great system (from what little I have seen).

"Andy" is an epinions.com employee abusing this comment section to shamelessly promote the company.

Andy: "Epi was way ahead of the game at the outset, and still leads the industry for balancing filtering, content, and commerce."
Truth: Epinions.com is extremely buggy and crappy. the filters do not work.the stupid staff keeps messing content up.

Andy: "We've also developed a world of knowledge about managing online communities."
Truth: Epinions.com has set a world-record alienating the community. Someone should write a book. 7They must now buying "loyalty" by paying suck-ups.

Andy: "How to keep problems like abuse, fraud, and glut from overwhelming a site..."
Truth: epinions.com has appointed its major abusers as the site's "category leaders". It's a sad joke.

Andy: "I think you're right to call it out as a gold standard"
Truth: Andy is trying to put words in peterme's mouth. Peterme didn't say that. This is typical behavior for Andyman.

Andy: "and some of the CMS systems out there are beginning to get close. Give it 5 years."
Truth: Epinions.com has lots to learn from CRM systems. Give it an eon...

EPINIONS.COM SUCKS!!
ANDY IS AN ASSHOLE!!

I was wondering if anyone could tell me of a company that gives unbiased ratings of products like Epinions is supposes to do.

Thank you.

Wendy

2dognice@cox.net

I was wondering if anyone could tell me of a company that gives unbiased ratings of products like Epinions is supposes to do.

Thank you.

Wendy

2dognice@cox.net

Peter hi,
When you worked in Epinion.com, the vision was to create a "product buying guide".
Prior to the merge with DealTime, did they also supply price comparison or any pricing information? Or was it just consumer reviews platform along with the products' details?

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