Times Certainly Have Changed-But Is It For The Better?

A lot has changed since I first started writing reviews over 30 years ago.

I began writing just comic book reviews and soon expanded into writing reviews about pop culture items and then added consumer products.

Long ago the majority of contacts I had with publishers and manufacturers were by mail and some e-mail.

The internet was just coming into use and most companies did not have a website.

Although my review readership was less than 10,000, I mailed a physical newsletter out to the companies and distributed the newsletters to shops and businesses.

Review items arrived almost on a daily basis and I was very busy writing reviews.

As the internet began to take hold and social media became common place the amount of review items dwindled considerably.

Companies began to cut back on samples and many sent only PDF's or photos, along with press releases expecting me to review their products.

Honestly, how could I possibly be expected to review products from photos?

When YouTube arrived more and more people began to post video reviews of products.  The majority of the reviews were amateur at best and failed to go into any amount of detail about said products other than the usual fanboy gushing over a toy, comic book, etc.

More and more sites turned to collecting and how much objects were worth.

I do not consider myself a video reviewer.  I find most video reviews lacking in any kind of solid, nuts and bolts, tire-kicking kind of content.  Most are superficial.

Unfortunately many publishers and manufacturers are content to have their products showcased on YouTube never realizing that few people make the decision to buy a product simply from watching a video.

Most consumers want to dig into the guts of a product, examining its quality, how much bang for a buck they get and product specs.

It's a sad state of affairs when a legitimate review blog, such as mine, that has been around for decades and offers more than the 'fad of the week' review, is pushed aside and grouped with 'smaller' review sites.

A word of wisdom to publishers and manufacturers.  Just because a site boasts huge audience numbers does not make it so.  There are many ways to fabricate numbers making it appear a site is getting more views than it actually is.

I love writing reviews.  I wish I had more support from publishers and manufacturers.  My reviews offer good solid examinations of products-regardless of what they are.

I hope things turn around. 

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." — Colossians 3:23-24