4 ms·

I think this is much more common than you might expect. I don't like the idea of asking for compensation for a favorable mention, however is it all that differ

by pplante 17y ago

I think this is much more common than you might expect. I don't like the idea of asking for compensation for a favorable mention, however is it all that different from when a company gives away their wares to someone unsolicited? I suspect that most people in that position will have their opinion slightly altered by the act of getting stuff for free. Many bloggers get stuff sent to them by various companies, some keep the items, others give it away to the readers. So is asking to keep the item, or asking for an item all that much different? I guess its more overt from the author that they are after something, but if the author still maintains an objective viewpoint what harm is really done? Can you really trust the product opinion of someone who hasn't put out their hard earned cash to acquire it? Amazon reviews in my eyes are much more powerful than something like Consumer Reports. What about you?

larsr 17y ago
Consumer Reports has no advertising and they buy everything they review. When possible, they test items in blind trials. The magazine is also published by a non-profit. On the other hand, Amazon reviews have been gamed by both consumers and companies (two examples: Spore, Belkin). You can't be sure the people writing reviews actually bought the products they are reviewing. In my eyes Amazon reviews are better than nothing, but they don't come close to the value of a review by an unbiased party like Consumer Reports.
- pplante 17y ago
  You have a good point regarding CR.
  - MotorMouths 17y ago
    Over the past year we've tracked more than 30,000 published car reviews, including reviews by Consumer Reports as well as 100 other major publications. There is absolutely a correlation between review scores given to vehicles by publications that accept advertising and junkets, and those that do not. Make of that what you will.
J3L2404 17y ago
"Example 7: A college student who has earned a reputation as a video game expert maintains a personal weblog or “blog” where he posts entries about his gaming experiences. Readers of his blog frequently seek his opinions about video game hardware and software. As it has done in the past, the manufacturer of a newly released video game system sends the student a free copy of the system and asks him to write about it on his blog. He tests the new gaming system and writes a favorable review. Because his review is disseminated via a form of consumer-generated media in which his relationship to the advertiser is not inherently obvious, readers are unlikely to know that he has received the video game system free of charge in exchange for his review of the product, and given the value of the video game system, this fact likely would materially affect the credibility they attach to his endorsement. Accordingly, the blogger should clearly and conspicuously disclose that he received the gaming system free of charge. The manufacturer should advise him at the time it provides the gaming system that this connection should be disclosed, and it should have procedures in place to try to monitor his postings for compliance. " From FTC Endorsement Guidelines http://www.ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf http://www.ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides...
- anamax 17y ago
  Meanwhile, reporters who sleep with the people who they cover are A-Okay. So are reporters who trade access for coverage. Govt - solving the wrong problem, and badly.
zephyrfalcon 17y ago
"Can you really trust the product opinion of someone who hasn't put out their hard earned cash to acquire it?" Hm, but in this case, I don't think the item he received as a bribe was the same as what was reviewed. (Otherwise it would be obvious which company it was, as he asked for a MacBook Air.)
- jacquesm 17y ago
  I guess we can count that as a real endorsement for Apple though.

by pplante 17y ago

larsr 17y ago

Consumer Reports has no advertising and they buy everything they review. When possible, they test items in blind trials. The magazine is also published by a non-profit. On the other hand, Amazon reviews have been gamed by both consumers and companies (two examples: Spore, Belkin). You can't be sure the people writing reviews actually bought the products they are reviewing. In my eyes Amazon reviews are better than nothing, but they don't come close to the value of a review by an unbiased party like Consumer Reports.

pplante 17y ago
You have a good point regarding CR.
- MotorMouths 17y ago
  Over the past year we've tracked more than 30,000 published car reviews, including reviews by Consumer Reports as well as 100 other major publications. There is absolutely a correlation between review scores given to vehicles by publications that accept advertising and junkets, and those that do not. Make of that what you will.

J3L2404 17y ago

"Example 7: A college student who has earned a reputation as a video game expert maintains a personal weblog or “blog” where he posts entries about his gaming experiences. Readers of his blog frequently seek his opinions about video game hardware and software. As it has done in the past, the manufacturer of a newly released video game system sends the student a free copy of the system and asks him to write about it on his blog. He tests the new gaming system and writes a favorable review. Because his review is disseminated via a form of consumer-generated media in which his relationship to the advertiser is not inherently obvious, readers are unlikely to know that he has received the video game system free of charge in exchange for his review of the product, and given the value of the video game system, this fact likely would materially affect the credibility they attach to his endorsement. Accordingly, the blogger should clearly and conspicuously disclose that he received the gaming system free of charge. The manufacturer should advise him at the time it provides the gaming system that this connection should be disclosed, and it should have procedures in place to try to monitor his postings for compliance. " From FTC Endorsement Guidelines http://www.ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf http://www.ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides...

anamax 17y ago
Meanwhile, reporters who sleep with the people who they cover are A-Okay. So are reporters who trade access for coverage. Govt - solving the wrong problem, and badly.

zephyrfalcon 17y ago

"Can you really trust the product opinion of someone who hasn't put out their hard earned cash to acquire it?" Hm, but in this case, I don't think the item he received as a bribe was the same as what was reviewed. (Otherwise it would be obvious which company it was, as he asked for a MacBook Air.)

jacquesm 17y ago
I guess we can count that as a real endorsement for Apple though.