I get review requests often. You don’t see them here for a few reasons:
1 – The products are sub-standard. (That’s a nice way of saying they suck and frankly I don’t want to waste my time with it.)
2 – Companies requesting a review don’t abide by the terms I have set forth.
3 – The emails from the company pretty much ask if they can buy a review. I shit you not.
Below is and email I received a few weeks ago (name redacted):
– – –
Hello,
My name is *****. I am doing online marketing for different brands.
I was wondering if you accept guest/sponsored articles or if you do paid reviews on your website – tweakhound.com.
Could you please give me your general rates?
Thank you for your time!
Sincerely,
*****
– – –
4 – I have issues with myself over this and I would really like to get some feedback. Many of these companies are located in countries that are…
how can I delicately phrase this?
… If not openly hostile to the U.S. then that countries government has been blamed for hacks/cyber attacks against both government and private entities in the U.S.
I just don’t feel I should be playing nice with them. I know some these folks are probably just regular slobs like myself trying get ahead. In many cases I know these products have few U.S. based rivals (That means the HQ is here, not somewhere else with a small office or PO box here).
Am I wrong? Am I being “protectionist”? “Jingoistic”?
Maybe doing some product reviews would make you more relevant to the IT community, it might buy your site more attention from the web, though at the cost of possibly neglecting what your current viewers are interested in. It all depends on what you want the site to be.
On the other hand, I definitely agree with you on paid reviews. One thing the IT community doesn’t need is another Tom’s hardware(everything is the best! right?).
I’ve been at this a while. I did some reviews on here back in the day. I even worked at a now defunct hardware site. While it was not common it was not unheard of for manufacturers reps to hint at or come right out and state that they wanted a positive or great review. More common was the fact that many sites would always do positive or at least not negative reviews because they were afraid of not getting any more review material or as I remember one guy putting it, “free shit”.
Honestly, this is one of the the very few tech sites I read regularly anymore. And it is because I know I really don’t get any B.S. (advertising, swayed or company biased articles, etc, etc, etc), but a good solid read. I’ll browse a few other sites for say, a certain topic, but that is about it. Your site is what it is because it is YOU. And I like it!
I think everyone here understands that this is also your business and you have to do what needs to be done to keep things up and running. I also think everyone here understands that you are not going to just “sell out” for a bunch of advertising and products to review if you choose to do more reviews. So if you want to review products, then review products. If the products sucks, then i guess it will be a two sentence review! LOL!
As for number 4, personally, I agree with your current stance. Others may not. But you do what YOU feel is right. If you want to review one of their products that is being sold on U.S. soil, then do it. If you don’t because of the reason stated above, then don’t.
But whichever you choose, feel good about your decision!
Please, please keep the site ‘as is” mainly, because I enjoy it!
I agree with Ray as he says, “this is one of the very few tech sites I read regularly anymore”. Doing reviews are fine, if they help pay the bills, but I don’t come here for that. When I visit your site, I’m interested in unbiased information, be it on buying new phones for you and your wife, privacy concerns with Windows 10, tips, etc. The different types of things that you comment on are (for the most part) the same things that concern me. We all buy new phones, most of us deal with Windows 10, and the many issues of concern with living in a connected world. Unbiased information is always worth reading. As long as that doesn’t change, review away!
To me, is it revenue you need to keep going? This is where I fail to see the big picture.
1) Are they paying to post their articles?
2) Or are you paying for the content?
My thoughts are…I’m good either way you choose.
Thanks for they replies. They mean a lot to me.