Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
Eclectic, Ultra - cool . Poor contributions tend to get voted down very fast |
| Disadvantages: |
Can be elitist, can be hard to make progress |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
Everything2, or E2 is like almost no other community on the web. First thing, a bit like Ciao! your contribution, or credibility within the site, is based on the cumulative assessment of your contributions by your fellow community members.
Unlike Ciao, however, you move through levels, from initiate (level 1) through various higher levels, ending up with names like acolyte, seer and, ultimately, a god. (note the lower-case g there).
Progress is defined by the number of contributions you make and the number of points you earn. Points are awarded by your fellow members based on whatever those other people like. As you move up the levels, you get more voting power.
The environment has some of its own jargon. Members are called noders, and contributions are called write-ups, and each write-up sits within a node. You get your own home-node (a bit like a personal web page), which summarises your total contributions and allows you to put pretty well anything you like on there.
It covers everything, Creative writing, factual data, personal revelations, TV programs, Movies, cars, beer, sex, and everything that appeals to a bunch of very cool people.
Altogether, there are some 12000 active members, of whome some 600 are at level 4 or above, so the vast majority are at the lower levels (1 and 2.
Although many members are US-based college students, and 20-something computer workers, there are many international members from the UK, Europe, Asia/Pacific region. Among the more senior members, the age profile is a bit higher, but still, it tends to be 30-something people, rather than much older.
It's a strange community, but ultimately very rewwarding
