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Marketing Folks, Your Attention Please!

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  • Marketing Folks, Your Attention Please!

    Normally we would focus our efforts on writing articles, reviews and guides for the end-user, not the type of post we have prepared here. Without a doubt it’s sure to annoy a lot of people, but in this important one off case, as the writer of this piece I am fully prepared to accept any flames since it is damn well time companies knew what is going on.

    What am I talking about?

    I am talking about the state of newly formed hardware websites popping up all over the Internet on what seems almost like a daily basis. After speaking with marketing folks from several large Taiwanese computer companies, the clued-in ones agree with me when I say that people around the world have learnt that if they register a domain name, throw up a design with fancy logo and contact companies – They’ll get free hardware samples for review and in some cases, even advertising dollars!

    But hey, it’s great stuff… isn’t it? The newly formed website spends a few days and some dollars registering a domain name and a week later they’ve got brand spanking new modern hardware on their doorstep from companies which have fell into the trap like so many do. What could be better than that?

    Then a few weeks later the sender wonders why no review was ever posted or why the recipient cannot be contacted.

    It is important to remember I’m not here to intentionally have a go at newbie webmasters or marketing people for not realizing what is happening in this rat race which is the hardware website industry.

    It is certainly not all the newly formed websites which should be put in question – Several recently launched sites are putting a lot of time and effort into their sites and it shows but a far bigger percentage are infecting the industry for the rest of us – and not just site owners but readers which are subject to hopeless writing skills and a lack of technical knowledge. The time and effort consideration is something marketing folks can look out for in a genuine website – Lots of time and effort should be visually noticeable to the viewer by regular updates, or lack thereof.

    We urge companies to pay more attention before shipping out hardware to newly formed hardware sites. I’ve heard so many cases of hardware being sent out and never being reviewed when the reviewer never had any intention to from the outset. Not everyone can be trusted and I hope all you marketing folks will take notice. If anyone has any questions, please e-mail me.
    Cameron "Mr.Tweak" Wilmot
    Managing Director
    Tweak Town Pty Ltd

  • #2
    I agree totally....

    Mikhailtech had something to say about this recently too.. Here's a couple links:

    <a href="http://www.mikhailtech.com/articles/editorials/hardwaresites/" target="_blank">Article part 1</a>
    <a href="http://www.mikhailtech.com/articles/editorials/hardwaresites2/" target="_blank">Article part 2</a>
    <a href="http://forums.mikhailtech.com/showthread.php?threadid=814" target="_blank">Forum Discussion</a>

    It's all a very good read, though at times a bit long. But it's exactly what is happening today.

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    • #3
      They make it hard for those who do the right thing.

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      • #4
        I'm having a hard time getting a response from any company, let alone any products. I like buying computer parts, but gee whiz, the stuff is gonna cost ya just to do a decent amount of reviews.

        What really gets me is the sites that pop up and don't even write their own articles---they plagurize. Like HardWaves. They have ripped articles off Tom's Hardware Guide, T-break, and Planet Hardware. I would be mad as hell if someone did that to my stuff. That is a lot of work, and I'll be dammed if someone takes credit for what I did.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by Morgan_Lander
          What really gets me is the sites that pop up and don't even write their own articles---they plagurize.
          This is what really bugs me as well ML - too many "writers" seem to lack the language skills these days, and just copy (as we have seen by the blatant ripoffs of this site *cough* TweakStation *cough*

          Worse still, some copy and "mix" a few seperate reviews, to get their "own" work - this is just as bad, and unfortunately quite legal in several countries (you only have to change the content by 33% in Australia to claim it's your copyright). This needs to be stopped.



          [B]
          I would be mad as hell if someone did that to my stuff. That is a lot of work, and I'll be dammed if someone takes credit for what I did.
          Indeed - I found a site the other week that had posted verbatim one of Osiris' articles, I forwarded the address to Darthtanion. Even though I am not officially related with this site any more, I loathe plagurism with a venegance - plagurisers must be crushed! :hammer:
          What came first - Insanity or Society?

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          • #6
            Yep they're just as bad as the other.

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            • #7
              Hey all,

              I do understand where everyone's coming from, but I just think with what Mr Tweak had said, it sort of "destroys" all the efforts done by those small percentage of hard workers out there who are trying to put up a new "real" tech web site, which is already hard enough, not for the free hardware, but for the "love" of them.

              If today, some guy who knows a lot and love computer hardwares, tries to set up a new web site as a place for his own enjoyment and of course others, and finds himself in a situation where no manufacturers are willing to give, JUST BECAUSE IT'S A NEW WEB SITE. But I mean, how can he even start it if he's not going to get anything to review, test?

              To sum up, what I am saying is that manufacturers don't have to give, but if they are giving it to the big names, don't you think they should give the new comers a go as well, and if they aren't coming from the right intention, (bad reviews, couple of setences, just to get the hardware), then say no to them.

              Give them a go!

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              • #8
                Originally posted by SoniCruiser
                But I mean, how can he even start it if he's not going to get anything to review, test?
                he can do reviews of hardware in his own computer, or he can go out any buy a product to review, or he could write up some articles
                TweakTown SETI@home Team

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by SoniCruiser
                  what I am saying is that manufacturers don't have to give, but if they are giving it to the big names, don't you think they should give the new comers a go as well, and if they aren't coming from the right intention, (bad reviews, couple of setences, just to get the hardware), then say no to them.

                  Give them a go!
                  How do you know what the intention of the person is though? If someone is genuinely serious about making a site, then they will find ways, other than the companies, to get products to review.

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                  • #10
                    ok, so how many reviews do you think they should do before asking?

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                    • #11
                      10 at the very least
                      Cameron "Mr.Tweak" Wilmot
                      Managing Director
                      Tweak Town Pty Ltd

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                      • #12
                        i'd say at least 7... and they should be quality reviews too...

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                        • #13
                          well, fair enough!

                          good luck to the hard workers, and hope to see
                          some more of those quality sites!

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                          • #14
                            We urge companies to pay more attention before shipping out hardware to newly formed hardware sites.
                            ONCE AGAIN! GOOGLE TO THE RESCUE.

                            If the hardware manufacturer's go read up on how google pagerank works, and then install the google toolbar, There you have a 100% Accurate method of detecting the HISTORY and REPUTATION of the site.

                            http://www.google.com/technology/

                            edit: And then I suggest that the page have at least a 5 or a 6. Both fairly difficult ranks to earn.

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