Epinions has turned into a popularity contest, and that is a shame. I hand out VERY few NHs. I tend to save them for abuse and off topic reviews. Most writers at Epinions know to stay on topic. A few newbies make mistakes, and a gentle comment usually sets them straight.
Content filters are an amazing thing.
If I hand out 5 NHs in a month anymore, that is high for me. I guess that is a testament to how well the system really does work. Newbies who are writing reviews with the intent of being helpful quickly learn the ropes. Penny grubbers who insist on using Epinions as their own personal creative writing site get filtered out. For me, it all works out in the end.