I came to E2 by way of Slashdot. I know this isn't new nor rare, but it shaped the way I saw E2 at the beginning.
I clicked through softlinks for awhile and decided I want to contribute. I want what I know to be spread. I saw E2 as merely a storage for information, a way for information to be cross-linked, easily found and connected.
I read the Everything FAQ and skimmed Everything University. I got an account. I started noding.
I noded like crazy. I know foosball, so I started noding about foosball. But, I noded poorly. I made separate nodes about everything in foosball. I figured, "If someone was searching for a specific thing about foosball, they want to find my node about bar players and 3 man rod right?." The logic worked for me. Luckily, someone caught me before I got out of hand. (I wish I could remember who did it, but I can't.) They told me to make one large node, containing all the information I had made into many seperate nodes. Taking his/her advice, I did. He/she then C! that writeup. However thankful I am for that C! I think it was a bad idea.
It was my first wiff of success. I started going crazy. I wrote a node on black metal, then on false metal, and then onto play on 10. Then I stopped. Thankfully.
I watched my nodes get downvoted, I watched what I had written get soflinked to some horrible stuff. At first, I was angry. I was pissed. How dare someone trash this out of hand. They didn't even think before they voted. Those BASTARDS! I stopped looking at E2.

I calmed down and I came back. I read more on E2. I slowly understood that's not just about information, but creativity, writing, and community. I read about XP pack rape, E2 is Unfriendly to New Noders, I actually wandered around for awhile. I read some amazing personal accounts and stories, some damn good jokes, and stuff I didn't know.
I went to user's homenodes. I read what a person had actually written. A REAL PERSON. I wasn't looking at just some page, but a piece of someone. A piece they had taken the time to give to a community, and had the guts to put out something that might be smackdown or praised.
Seeing what other people had written actually made me feel guilty about the nodes I had written before. I never wanted to be a troll, but what I had written was bad. I only have 7 writeups, but I can truthfully say I only like 2 of them.
Before I had seen E2 as cruel and conceited. I think I understand now what exactly it's about. At least, I understand what I truly like about it.
I know this type of node has been written before. But maybe a personal account is better. I don't know. Maybe i'd be better suited as an observer than a contributer.
Update: cordelia pointed out that fruan was the one that C!'d my foosball writeup. Thanks to both of 'em.