#!markdown
#1 - Saying you don't lie isn't much of reassurance because if you do lie
that's what you'd say as well. 😉
#2 - this isn't much of an article at all - particularly on a topic that
deserves some in depth discussion if you are going to bother going down that
road at all.
Sorry not to give you a fanboi slap on the back, but this post doesn't deserve
it.
Having said that I think the whole NSMB site is excellent. The reviews and
stoke pieces are solid in comparison to other MTB media options.
I always assume there is some advertising bias in your content. That's nothing
to get mad at. People pay you to sell their products. You are on friendly
terms with some of them. You need to eat. All of that is normal.
It's also normal for readers to be sceptical about reviews.
That's a healthy relationship.
Anyone buying an expensive product like a bike would be foolish to do so on
the basis of 1 review or a couple reviews from the same type of source.
Gathering info from a bunch of different sources and throwing a leg over a
demo bike gives you the full picture. It's not always possible to do that, but
it is always possible to get a few different perspectives some of whom are not
being paid by the folks selling the products.
A couple funny "incidents" that I have noticed recently in the MTB media:
- Bike Mag replaced a review with a "new" version - it's pretty clear Trek made some calls and BIke Mag folded. They criticized other bikes for the same reasons in their reviews [ie. Devinci Troy], but Trek has a big enough ad budget that you can't piss them off. It's pretty shocking how uncomfortable the BIke Mag guys look in the MK2 review. Like there is a Trek marketing guy juts off screen with a tazer ready to punish a mis-step.
- On MTBR they posted an article outlining parts that had failed and really disappointed one writer. One the hit list where a couple Crank Bros parts and something from Shimano. That article didn't last 3hrs before it was pulled and never seen again. At the time when I read I thought….wow this guy is really being honest and not pulling any punches.
There are lots more if you pay attention to who advertises on site XX and the
reviews/content that gets posted.
Anyways….my advice is just do your thing. No point is saying "we don't lie".
Folks will make up their own minds…just like in other areas of life where
credibility is evaluated. NSMB is a great site.
May 7, 2014, 9 a.m. - Vik Approved
#!markdown #1 - Saying you don't lie isn't much of reassurance because if you do lie that's what you'd say as well. 😉 #2 - this isn't much of an article at all - particularly on a topic that deserves some in depth discussion if you are going to bother going down that road at all. Sorry not to give you a fanboi slap on the back, but this post doesn't deserve it. Having said that I think the whole NSMB site is excellent. The reviews and stoke pieces are solid in comparison to other MTB media options. I always assume there is some advertising bias in your content. That's nothing to get mad at. People pay you to sell their products. You are on friendly terms with some of them. You need to eat. All of that is normal. It's also normal for readers to be sceptical about reviews. That's a healthy relationship. Anyone buying an expensive product like a bike would be foolish to do so on the basis of 1 review or a couple reviews from the same type of source. Gathering info from a bunch of different sources and throwing a leg over a demo bike gives you the full picture. It's not always possible to do that, but it is always possible to get a few different perspectives some of whom are not being paid by the folks selling the products. A couple funny "incidents" that I have noticed recently in the MTB media: - Bike Mag replaced a review with a "new" version - it's pretty clear Trek made some calls and BIke Mag folded. They criticized other bikes for the same reasons in their reviews [ie. Devinci Troy], but Trek has a big enough ad budget that you can't piss them off. It's pretty shocking how uncomfortable the BIke Mag guys look in the MK2 review. Like there is a Trek marketing guy juts off screen with a tazer ready to punish a mis-step. - On MTBR they posted an article outlining parts that had failed and really disappointed one writer. One the hit list where a couple Crank Bros parts and something from Shimano. That article didn't last 3hrs before it was pulled and never seen again. At the time when I read I thought….wow this guy is really being honest and not pulling any punches. There are lots more if you pay attention to who advertises on site XX and the reviews/content that gets posted. Anyways….my advice is just do your thing. No point is saying "we don't lie". Folks will make up their own minds…just like in other areas of life where credibility is evaluated. NSMB is a great site.