4 ms·

So they’re sacrificing why they exist and the reason they have anyone visit their website. To become a PR company that is based on the memory of a community/pu

by lithos 6y ago

So they’re sacrificing why they exist and the reason they have anyone visit their website. To become a PR company that is based on the memory of a community/purpose.

sippingjippers 6y ago
Classic bait-and-switch. This essentially happens with every review site after they build up enough brand awareness to pull it off. I guess it happens because from the perspective of the company it makes total sense to try. Why earn pennies on the dollar from e.g. ad clicks when you can get huge lumpy (and possibly regular) payouts for much less work in much less time
- MaxBarraclough 6y ago
  > Why earn pennies on the dollar from e.g. ad clicks when you can get huge lumpy (and possibly regular) payouts for much less work in much less time When things are working well, the answer is because honesty is a better policy in the long run. Impartiality, and a reputation for impartiality, is why Which? still exists, at the age of 63. [0][1] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Which%3F https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Which%3F [1] https://www.which.co.uk/about-which/who-we-are https://www.which.co.uk/about-which/who-we-are
  - Tomte 6y ago
    Comparably, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stiftung_Warentest https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stiftung_Warentest has extremely high trust among the German public. Yes, every tech nerd is mocking their PC tests, because they are just like a vaccuum cleaner test: unbox, set-up, do mainstream stuff, like writing mails and Word documents. No discussion of GDDR5 vs. GDDR4 or such nonsense. It's a fantastic resource when you don't know what to look for (until today you never had any use for the tool you now consider buying) and it's not tech (then I tend to look to Wirecutter, for all its faults and controversies).
    - MaxBarraclough 6y ago
      > every tech nerd is mocking their PC tests, because they are just like a vaccuum cleaner test: unbox, set-up, do mainstream stuff, like writing mails and Word documents That still sounds like a useful test, if only to punish bundling of useless bloatware.
  - reaperducer 6y ago
    because honesty is a better policy in the long run SV doesn't optimize for the long run. It only cares about the next quarter, or until the buyout comes. Everyone knows the phrase "exit strategy," but nobody knows the phrase "quality and service." In my experience, 1%† of the people in the SV bubble are doing it to make a quality product. They're just there to make a quick buck. († Less than 1% in the Seattle bubble)
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
j4nt4b 6y ago
> To become a PR company that is based on the memory of a community/purpose. This sounds like the angst-beat poetry of our current future.
stefanmichael 6y ago
It seems like a desperation move, potentially a last resort? The premise of "let's get rid of the only reason anyone would ever visit our site for short term revenue" is just not where you would expect a company to do in normal circumstances. I know that Glassdoor recently laid off 300 employees[0]. So my read is that this is a dying breath of sorts. [0]: https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/glassdoor-lays-off-300-employees-amid-coronavirus-crisis/2293088/ https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/glassdoor-lays-off-300...

by lithos 6y ago

So they’re sacrificing why they exist and the reason they have anyone visit their website. To become a PR company that is based on the memory of a community/purpose.

sippingjippers 6y ago

Classic bait-and-switch. This essentially happens with every review site after they build up enough brand awareness to pull it off. I guess it happens because from the perspective of the company it makes total sense to try. Why earn pennies on the dollar from e.g. ad clicks when you can get huge lumpy (and possibly regular) payouts for much less work in much less time

MaxBarraclough 6y ago
> Why earn pennies on the dollar from e.g. ad clicks when you can get huge lumpy (and possibly regular) payouts for much less work in much less time When things are working well, the answer is because honesty is a better policy in the long run. Impartiality, and a reputation for impartiality, is why Which? still exists, at the age of 63. [0][1] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Which%3F https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Which%3F [1] https://www.which.co.uk/about-which/who-we-are https://www.which.co.uk/about-which/who-we-are
- Tomte 6y ago
  Comparably, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stiftung_Warentest https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stiftung_Warentest has extremely high trust among the German public. Yes, every tech nerd is mocking their PC tests, because they are just like a vaccuum cleaner test: unbox, set-up, do mainstream stuff, like writing mails and Word documents. No discussion of GDDR5 vs. GDDR4 or such nonsense. It's a fantastic resource when you don't know what to look for (until today you never had any use for the tool you now consider buying) and it's not tech (then I tend to look to Wirecutter, for all its faults and controversies).
  - MaxBarraclough 6y ago
    > every tech nerd is mocking their PC tests, because they are just like a vaccuum cleaner test: unbox, set-up, do mainstream stuff, like writing mails and Word documents That still sounds like a useful test, if only to punish bundling of useless bloatware.
- reaperducer 6y ago
  because honesty is a better policy in the long run SV doesn't optimize for the long run. It only cares about the next quarter, or until the buyout comes. Everyone knows the phrase "exit strategy," but nobody knows the phrase "quality and service." In my experience, 1%† of the people in the SV bubble are doing it to make a quality product. They're just there to make a quick buck. († Less than 1% in the Seattle bubble)
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]

j4nt4b 6y ago

> To become a PR company that is based on the memory of a community/purpose. This sounds like the angst-beat poetry of our current future.

stefanmichael 6y ago

It seems like a desperation move, potentially a last resort? The premise of "let's get rid of the only reason anyone would ever visit our site for short term revenue" is just not where you would expect a company to do in normal circumstances. I know that Glassdoor recently laid off 300 employees[0]. So my read is that this is a dying breath of sorts. [0]: https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/glassdoor-lays-off-300-employees-amid-coronavirus-crisis/2293088/ https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/glassdoor-lays-off-300...