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Sage
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 726
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Warning: The following is my opinion and does not in any way shape or form reflect the opinion of Jason Dunn, PPCThoughts Site Admins or Moderators. It is the experienced-based opinion of Christopher Spera, based on nearly 7 years of Professional, Paid, Writing Experiences.
I disagree (well someone had to start the great debate... :lol: ).
I write for 4 internet sites, including this one. (You'll see some of my work hit the site next month.) I've been freelancing for almost 7 years now; and while I agree, somewhat, in principle to the comment regarding bias or group-think, I have also attended the Shareware Industry Conference and spoken one-on-one with a great many shareware developers, from across many platforms.
They (Shareware Developers) are hungry for professional, published reviews. In fact, they'd almost kill for them. Professional Reviews used to be all over the Internet. Now, they are nearly impossible to find. According to many, the revenues gained by hosting professional reviews (whether compensated or non-compensated) don't warrant their hosting. They are generally too expensive to host because any advertising that may be placed on them doesn't get viewed. Professional reviews are, according to many of my collegues, too expensive too host.
User reviews on the other hand, are easy to host, don't take a lot of space, don't require the hosting of any graphics or screen shots; and most everyone will unfortunately read them.
User reviews tend to be hot and cold, black and white; and don't, in my humble opinion, offer much value. From my experience as a freelancer and from what I learned at last year's SIC, Developers want professional reviews. They want indepth analysis and comparisons. They want concrete, specific suggestions regarding implemented features. They want professional reviewers to tell them where there applications succeed as well as fail. They want their documentation read, if possible; or at the very least skimmed and constructive comments offered on the entire package. User reviews rarely, if EVER offer this kind of indepth analysis or information, and for the most part contain 3-5 sentences. (and many times, the word "SUCKS" comes to play in there somewhere...)
They can however, have a HUGE negative impact on sales, and that worries me. Many of the problems encountered by individuals that post negative reviews can be traced to, in my experience, user error. End users tend to just pop the top on an application without reading any of the installation instructions, Read Me's or other important documentation. They download and install in many casees, all in one step; and can in the blink of an eye screw up their computer, their Pocket PC, or both. They then blame the developer for their own ignorance. For example, a backup or Restore Point (if they run XP or Windows ME) doesn't exist or didn't get made before they installed the app in question...and that's the developer's fault (according to the end user).
As Sr. Content Editor for WUGNET.com, I can't tell you how many times I've been asked to help users unscrew their computers because they either installed an app that modified core OS DLL's or applied updates to apps that access core DLL's. Once they bump into these problems, they tend to blame the last app they installed and not themselves for failing to read the documentation the author provided.
Personally, I think PPC Thoughts has the best implementation of the correct solution; though many other sites have a similar model. Let the Review Team review the app and then let the world BLOG themselves silly commenting on it. Anyone and everyone can either support or refute the findings of the professional styled review, and readers still get the same effect as the User Review scenario; but with some substance and legitimate analysis provided by an individual whom Jason has cleared as a qualified member of the PPCThoughts Review Team.
This is the great debate, guys. Sites don't (necessarily) want to host professional reviews due to bandwidth, cost and overhead associated with them. Developers want professional, well-written reviews because they offer constructive criticism that positively effect sales. One, unfortunately cancels out the other...
Again, this is just my opinion, based upon many years of professional writing experience; and is not a rant or flame in any sense of the word.
To Jason, I would most respectfully and humbly recommend that we continue with the current model that the site has: The one that has made it the success it is today.
However, I welcome the debate that will undoubtedly come after I click the Submit Button...
Kind Regards,
Christopher Spera[/b]
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Kind Regards,
Christopher Spera
Gear Diary Review Team
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