The Mandarin, being the benevolent overlord to billions of people on this planet and a couple of others that we can’t mention here, discovered this news story about a new web based service that is bound to be the next “killer” application.

This new web site is GetUnvarnished.com and according to its creators, “it is a site that encourages candid and nuanced information about prospective hires, bosses and business partners.” Apparently they are looking to compete with sites such as LinkedIn.com to give users the opportunity to build networks and find out what other people think about them.

Well your Mandarin has a couple of opinions on this…

1. With the recent spate of news stories detailing cyber-bullying that has led to the suicides of the targets of the bullying, it may not be in the best interest of those with a fragile ego to sign up for this service.

2. The ability to leave opinions about someone anonymously is just taking the level of incivility that has developed in this day and age to a new level. It is bad enough when you see some of the comments that people leave regarding news stories or blog postings, at least these people are responding to something tangible. With this site, people with an ax to grind, or those that just want to be malicious can post anything they want about you.

3. What employer in his or her right mind is going to take the word of some poster to a web site regarding whether or not a candidate for a position is qualified or may have buggered a goat?

4. If you are really in such desperate need for a place where you can go to find self-affirmation and the praise and adulation of others, GetUnvarinished.com probably isn’t for you. In reality, The Gormogons’ web site is the place for you. You don’t even need to sign up to have your Mandarin tell you that you’re a tool and a loser if you derive your self-worth from what is written about you on the Internet.

So aside from visiting our site as often as is humanly possible – and we are working feverishly in the lab as your Mandarin writes this to increase that ability – you should not be using the web as a resource to find out what others think about you. You should be using the web to download images of kittens singing Nancy Sinatra songs, recipes for making homemade gin, and the occasional purchase of a new ShamWow.

The Mandarin

The Mandarin, whose real name is 吏恆, joined the order in 1309, and introduced the Gormogons into England during the 18th Century.

The Mandarin enjoys spending time with his pet manticore, Βάρἰκος, or Barry (who can be found in the Bestiary). When not in the Castle…well, frankly, nobody is quite sure where he goes.

The Mandarin popularized the fine art of “gut booting,” by which he delivers a powerful kick to the stomach of anyone that annoys him. Although nearly universal today, the act of gut booting or threatening someone or something with a gut boot is solely due to him.