johnwdefeo

10 ms·

1. 31.▲
   by johnwdefeo 5y ago

   Thanks for this. I stumbled across the 2015 study and I wasn't aware of the controversy surrounding its recent dissemination. Additionally, here is a recent article published by the author of the study: https://theconversati
2. 32.▲
   Imperfect Vaccination Can Enhance Transmission (2015)(ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

   17 points by johnwdefeo 5y ago|7 comments
3. 33.▲
   Show HN: Above-average products selling for below-average prices(old.reddit.com)

   1 points by johnwdefeo 5y ago|0 comments
4. 34.▲
   X Factor Investing(johnwdefeo.com)

   12 points by johnwdefeo 5y ago|2 comments
5. 35.▲
   Is Google completely down for anyone else?(twitter.com)

   2 points by johnwdefeo 5y ago|0 comments
6. 36.▲
   Wet Plate Photography Makes Tattoos Disappear(petapixel.com)

   1 points by johnwdefeo 6y ago|0 comments
7. 37.▲
   Life Without the Tech Giants (2019)(gizmodo.com)

   1 points by johnwdefeo 6y ago|0 comments
8. 38.▲
   Building a search engine to rival Google(abc.net.au)

   22 points by johnwdefeo 6y ago|11 comments
9. 39.▲
   Revisiting the Chrysler Turbine Car (1989)(caranddriver.com)

   2 points by johnwdefeo 6y ago|0 comments
10. 40.▲
    by johnwdefeo 6y ago

    Thanks, likewise!
11. 41.▲
    by johnwdefeo 6y ago

    Thanks for the response. I created best bourbons page for fun after my traffic had collapsed, so that can't be the culprit. I redirected the cloth mask page to the CDC's website. It was something that I created at the behest of
12. 42.▲
    by johnwdefeo 6y ago

    Sorry to hear that. I've heard a saying that "rejection is protection," and the way that you rationalized your experience lends credence to that.
13. 43.▲
    by johnwdefeo 6y ago

    Thanks for this. Good suggestions here.
14. 44.▲
    by johnwdefeo 6y ago

    Thanks, I appreciate the support. I haven't mirrored the content, but I did republish/redirect a few pieces elsewhere and they fared much better. The issue is tied to the domain.
15. 45.▲
    by johnwdefeo 6y ago

    Even with brand recognition, it's hard to build a product review business that doesn't rely on Google. Until 2018, I was the head of insights at one of the largest online publishers in the U.S. 90% of the company's revenue wa
16. 46.▲
    by johnwdefeo 6y ago

    I'm fortunate enough to have a kind and supportive professional network.
17. 47.▲
    by johnwdefeo 6y ago

    Good suggestions, thank you.
18. 48.▲
    by johnwdefeo 6y ago

    I agree with this sentiment: https://www.johnwdefeo.com/articles/google-is-ruining-the-in... That 7% conversion rate is legit (and was equally surprising to me). On top of that, my return rate is lower than typical. I
19. 49.▲
    by johnwdefeo 6y ago

    The website is another run of the mill affiliate website built with the sole purpose of making the owner some money. This is the exact opposite of every principle that I believe in. If that were true, at minimum I would have: -Placed ads
20. 50.▲
    by johnwdefeo 6y ago

    I've spent most of my career working for "real review" sites and that was part of my motivation for creating Good, Cheap and Fast: Good, Cheap and Fast isn't meant to be a substitute for lab-tested product reviews, but
21. 51.▲
    by johnwdefeo 6y ago

    You've stoked my curiosity. Which sub-$200 144Hz monitors are your favorites?
22. 52.▲
    by johnwdefeo 6y ago

    I'm surprised to hear this, not because I think my recommendations are infallible, but because the user return rate is lower than average. Are there any specific products that you think are junk?
23. 53.▲
    by johnwdefeo 6y ago

    That perception is an understandable one, yet a bitter pill all the same.
24. 54.▲
    by johnwdefeo 6y ago

    Changing algorithms also favor a small set of incumbents. The stock of my former employer is up more than 2,000% in the last 5 years. That's amazing growth for any publisher and it's largely based on SEO.
25. 55.▲
    by johnwdefeo 6y ago

    I agree with this in concept, but it has been a bitter pill to see my site overtaken by scraper/outsourced content that I consider to be pure spam. Google doesn't always get it right (regardless of my own situation).
26. 56.▲
    by johnwdefeo 6y ago

    I spent my first year scrubbing the seed corpus to minimize the GiGo effect: https://www.johnwdefeo.com/articles/amazon-review-analysis - I also review all the pricing data manually to flag and discard outliers. Not su
27. 57.▲
    by johnwdefeo 6y ago

    Yes! It would be easier to write 500 word blurbs than a meaningful 50 words. I despise recipe sites for this reason. So much "content" gets in the way of the actual content. The recipes in my favorite cookbook are around 100 words
28. 58.▲
    by johnwdefeo 6y ago

    That's exactly right.
29. 59.▲
    by johnwdefeo 6y ago

    The manual vetting that I do revolves around discarding real-yet-unhelpful reviews (which aren't easy to spot algorithmically). E.g. Off-Label Usage - Customers rate a portable jump starter 5-stars, even though they have only used the
30. 60.▲
    by johnwdefeo 6y ago

    I've never claimed to test products, but I do consider my selections to be highly-vetted: https://www.goodcheapandfast.com/about - There is around 2,000 hours of research behind them. The trick (from a UX standpoint) i