Professionalism Versus Product-Why Constructive Criticism Is Important for a Review Blog

I am writing this after a particularly shocking bit of blogger/PR relations over a very expensive buggy being, well, a bit shite.

I have reviewed for a number of years now, through times when I had to turn down products down to the sheer weight, to the leaner times, and back around again. One thing that I feel has always kept me in good stats is my honesty.

Whether I have bought something, or been lucky enough to be sent it, I do always do my best to really give a 360 viewpoint of a product, however expensive it is. Otherwise, how will your readers know what they are getting?

My tagline has always been "testing the good, bad and overpriced so you don't have to", and I stick by it to this day.

Sadly, I have come in for some criticism from my fellow bloggers and reviewers, and have, on occasion, had a curt response from brands and their reps too. To my mind, I don't let it fuss me, as the good brands, those who actually want their business to survive, will welcome constructive reviews and will use them to their advantage.

I don't believe I've ever done a bitchy or unprofessional post as I've always tried to weigh up the good and bad points of a product or service, however bad it may have been. If something is utterly great, I will still mention the price or availability or boredom factor.

Unfortunately, not all reviewers are the same as me. Some will put the chance of what many mistakenly call a freebie over being honest. All I feel this is achieving is setting an unwelcome precedent for the honest amongst us, to be glowing about everything we ever review. It also means some-not all- brands and their PR folk tend to expect that, if you are sent something, you will be so overwhelmed with their generosity to pick you and yours that you can only bow and scrape and give it top marks no matter what.

The reason I say "mistakenly" call something a freebie, is because when you think of it, when the majority of us actually take time to put a review together, testing items, researching prices, and links, as well as taking pictures or filming vlogs (I do all of this on Family Panel), it all takes time. That time equates to the cost of the item sent, so great if an item is over £40, not great if you've been sent a game worth a fiver. Not only that, even if a product may retail for £500 (as is the case with Buggy Gate), yet their actual cost to produce is a lot less.

Other traditional media outlets, such as Which? do all the above, with a team of staff, all getting paid rather well. They have professional photographers, they have heavy hitting sites and tweet feeds, all run by different people, and they have very fancy tools to put these articles together.

We do it alone- or with their help of our kids!

I do think some-again not all but some- forget this.

Transparency should always win out over the mighty idea of products and parties, but sadly, with bloggers who are honest being called unprofessional and PRs demanding products back (even ones reviewed prior to a negative review of a separate product), what hope is there for actual professionalism and constructive reviews?

It seems some brands believe the might of owning a product and being sent it for "free" means they want a good review no matter what. And if that's really all they do want, why send a product at all, when you can canvass as many bloggers as you like for £50 each to write or post a pre-written sponsored post?

Let's hope this doesn't set us on a dodgy road to blogs filled with mindless fluff and little intelligent feedback.

#PRRequest, @BuyItYourself and Round 257 in PRs Shooting Themselves in the Foot with Bloggers

Its that time of the year again when a PR thinks they are oh so smart and writes an insightful post to their company blog about how awful bloggers are who review and how we always misuse the #PRRequest Hashtag.

So far, so standard.

However, and although it can't be proved but probably will come out as these things tend to  suddenly a twitter feed (mentioned in aforementioned blog post, funny that) has popped up asking PRs and other (wankier) bloggers to send in tweets and names of bloggers who they then affectively "name and shame" on this feed. It also, curiously, does lots to promote the post about how evil bloggers are who review. That makes up most of its feed actually. As I say, curiously so.

See, this could have worked OK. I'm no great fan of the blatant misuse of the #PRRequest hashtag myself. When it was first used it was a great way for emerging bloggers  to set out that we were here and if you want to get in touch, then do so. It was a waving flag of "PR Friendly" to the brands hungry to snap us and our expertise (and cheap advertising) up.

However, to me, this is cyber bullying hidden behind a right on satire and statement on us much maligned bloggers.

What really grates with me is that they happily name and shame the blogger (or blagger apparently) involved, yet they don't have the balls at their disposal to use their actual name. Hence, to me, this is the PR firms way of slagging us off without shooting itself in the foot and losing our precious free advertising.

Its worth noting that the post's author is actually someone who has approached me (along with other colleagues) to write for them and to review Easter products with The Brats. Its also widely seen as double standards that the Boss of this PR firm is constantly seen using the hashtag to plead for Bloggers to write for free.

If they are so keen to make the world of blogging a better place, why hide behind an alias? You all know what I feel about anonymous people slagging others off.

Its already upset one lovely blogger and that one is quite enough.

What annoys me the most is on the day this all kicks off, and gives bullying bloggers and others the chance to throw cyber barbs on this site without being exposed for it (and thus letting the wimpish trolls that they are who are too weak to actually do it directly have the perfect outlet), we have several bloggers being driven slowly mental by an SEO who has sent bundles of emails over and over, driving bloggers potty over the last week.

Have these bloggers set up an anonymous Twitter feed and named and shamed this SEO? No.

When we get treated as little more than free advertising, do we go to twitter and anonymously slate them? No.

I for one hope this dies on its yawnsome arse soon. And if it is the same PR firm responsible, then there are frankly better ways to promote yourself than biting the hand that graciously drops the washing, the ironing, the cooking and everything else to write you a post.

And apologies all round we hope.

New Review at http://20somethingmumreviews

For those of you not connected to my Reviews page, here's the latest review-Leap Frog My Pal Scout.

http://20somethingmumreviews.blogspot.com/2009/11/leapfrog-my-pal-scout.html

Review of Kidsrooms.co.uk at my new site!

Just to let you know I have a post up at my new dedicated review site- http://20somethingmumreviews.blogspot.com   so feel free to click on over!

IN REVIEW-Simple Human Shampoo Dispenser-UPDATED!!

Just to let you know, this will be the last review I shall be doing via this blog page,  I now have a separate page at http://20somethingmumreviews.blogspot.com for reviews. Look out for that!

For now, I was asked by Rose to check out one of Simple Humans Stainless Steel soap dispensers.

Now, can I just start off by saying that this may be the most pointless gadget in the existence of the universe! It does look funky and attractive, but sort of put me in mind of the sort of thing you find in a nicer restaurants loo!

It can be screwed into the wall, or glued using the gel and sticky pads provided. It is also as you'd expect for something that will spend the majority of its time getting soaking wet, stainless and rust proof. It can hold a large bottle of shampoo too, and it comes with a handy hook to hang...well its quite a small hook so probably a flannel is about all.

I decided to glue mine to the wall, as you who regularly read my blogs know, I move house at a rate of once a year so didn't want to have to replace the (albeit awful) expensive tiles my landlady put up. I also wanted to briing my funky gadget thing with no real purpose in life with me when I move again.

Or I did.

I wouldn't recommend gluing it. Ever.

I filled the dispenser with a brand spankers new bottle of Pantene, costing me  3.69. Its my one luxury that I buy a decent brand of shampoo instead of shops own pants, as my hair is a pain in the bum and it only likes Pantene.

I then got up the next morning to find the dispenser in the bath, minus lid, and all the shampoo down the plughole. Not good at all.

So if I were the marketing people I would consider chucking the idea of the glue and sticky pads and tell the consumer to screw the thing to the wall.

I do see it as something that could have a longer term use If our latest media obsession with packaging continues, it would be easy to give the consumer the opportunity to buy a recyclable small packet of shampoo to refill the dispenser with. It's kind of like the coffee company that has asked customers to but a small packet and refill the glass jar from their old purchase.

However, as I say, it would need to sort out the falling off the wall with the use of glue issue first.

********

Update!

The lovely Rose has contacted me after seeing the post originally, and so concerned are the company re the glue not working issue I had, they are looking into it. I would like to point out that noone else has experienced the same thing, so maybe its my dodgy shiny tiles!

They were also nice enough to offer a replacement bottle of shampoo, and anything else that may have been broken when it fell, as they were so disappointed in what happened!

 Now theres customer service for you, so 10/10 to Rose and Simple Human for after care services.