DocAndersen
I can honestly say, over the years that I have moved further and further away from sharing my political opinions very often. In part, because there are groups of people both liberal and conservative that the simple act of sharing an opinion causes them to feel less of you as a person. It is one of the rules I made for myself when I started blogging in earnest now more than ten years ago. My rules are simple, try, whenever possible not to mention names. When do I mention names? The first example of when I would mention a name is when there is good or bad customer service. The other time I would mention a name of production is I am reviewing a product or idea. I do try for the most part not to mention names based on that first set of rules. It isn’t fair to have a one-way conversation with a person, such as a blog, and then also call them out by name.
Some of my other rules are what I would or wouldn’t review. I know that I get frequent suggestions for technologies to review. I do try to review products that people ask me to review. I have one critical rule when it comes to technology reviews. I have to use the service. As a long time, yelp reviewer organizations and businesses in my area are something I review. My rule is I have to use the service, have eaten at the restaurant and so on. It means I have reviewed 4 or 5 different Starbucks because honestly I often meet people at Starbucks. I have the same rule for technology reviews. Originally it was that I had to personally own the item, now I have added I do not know review technologies I don’t use.
Reviews have to be useful and credible. There are technology and restaurant reviewers I trust and respect. If I intend to do a review of a technology (or a restaurant) I don’t read the reviews. I do, check the overall ratings (on Yelp you give stars). But I don’t read reviews until after I posted my review. The reason for that is the fruit of the poisoned well as lawyers sometimes say (or is it the fruit of the poised true I can never remember). I want to make sure my reviews represent my use, feelings or experience of that organization. I do find after the fact that for the most part, I agree with the reviews I read after the fact. Things that are difficult and frustrating are often universal in the sense that they impact everyone!
All this said, more technology reviews are coming!
Having read your articles, I already consider you a responsible reviewer. The fact that you’re publishing your methodologies simply reinforces that opinion…
Thank you so much, Alex. I try! It isn’t always easy!
The most important thing is that you make the effort, the most impressive thing is how well you’ve succeeded. Nobody said it would be easy (or if they did, they had no clue what they were talking about)
I thank you for your kind words. It is always nice when someone takes the time to remind you of why you do things!
I figure if you’ve taken the time to do a good job, I can spare the time to acknowledge it…
I try to follow the same philosophy. Sometimes, time catches me unprepared and I don’t get to everything I wanted to do, but I do try!
You can’t do a little if you can’t do enough
Good for you. You seem to know when and where to use tact, comes with the job and a good personality trait of Doc’s.
Yeah, I wish I could say I was successful at that. Sometimes I fail miserably. Sometimes I just lose my temper.
We all do from time to time.
We do. The measure of a person is not their need or lack of desire to apologize. It is the sincerity by which they strive to never do again the things they say they will never do again!