I try to buy based on reviews. Not insta influence or amazon reviews. I like to hear real people’s opinions, and one that isn’t being paid for. And it needs to be something I can purchase local.
So I was thinking maybe we could pick some products maybe common stuff, hot items etc and maybe all chirp in.
It could be from reviewing tomato sauce from supermarket to supermarket, or let’s compare cardboard cutters.
Anyone fancy it?
Enough already. There is an industry of reviewers now.
I’m not sure you’d really get the scale here to get an overall picture of what something is like. For minor purchases like ketchup, you’d probably just take a punt and buy it and try it yourself.
For much larger purchases there might be a community around that specific product or category where you could get an opinion?
The I was thinking more of a here’s something I used this week. Here’s my review…rather than me wanting something in general. There seem to be good few of us shunning mainstream social media, there’s som much paid for influence about that can’t be trusted, and I don’t really fancy setting up and old school blog so I thought here could be a good spot.
Oh ok I get you.
There’s no harm in setting a community up and giving it a go? If people don’t like it they don’t have to subscribe to it.
Would it be UK centric (hence asking here) or for a more global audience?
Uk as it really should be stuff we have access too. It’s often a gripe of mine when I’m choosing what to buy. The internet herds me to something I can’t buy.
The initial idea has been swirling in my head for a whilst and I thought where can I turn to give but maybe also get some input back.
I’m keen to see how I can be more resourceful in my consuming but at the same time put less money into the pockets of big orgs.
The two examples I gave are because I have decided to try alternative tomato sauces this year. And I try to invest in small useful tools for the garden/kitchen etc
Thought it could be a place for sharing this little thoughts. I know it’s a tad twee but small communities are not a bad thing. Esp in amongst all the horrible news we get.
This always drives me crazy - reviews everywhere on the internet but all for brands that don’t exist or ship to the UK.
I’d like to see a community like this!
How do you prevent this idea from being corrupted?
You may have good intentions, or you may be a marketing department in disguise. Regardless, this sounds like allowing adverts into the Fediverse via the back door.
The majority of the internet is dedicated to buying and selling items, why not try enjoying this tiny space of the internet that is free from consumerism? Try making tomato sauce and sharing recipes instead of comparing bottles that are all likely made in the same factory anyway.
It’s a good point. What I want to do is the opposite of what you said. I just thought this place has a good few genuine people and wondered if it could be a nice place to share something that fights back against that stuff.
And I am not marketing. I am actually chasing under consuming by buying less. Therefore why real honest reviews benefit me. I understand cheap is not always good value.
Yeah, unfortunately on the internet there’s no way to truly know someone’s intentions. What you’ve written sounds legit and I’m generally of the view “trust first but rescind that trust immediately and totally if proven otherwise”. A quick browse of your profile and you seem human and genuine.
So with that said, I trust you have good honest intentions and I can see how something like this could be beneficial to people. The difficulty is that good intentions alone isn’t enough, there’s a huge potential for corruption of this idea and I’ve been around the internet long enough now to see how a small well intentioned initiative can quickly become a vast unwieldy monster. There’s a reason most instances have a near zero tolerance of adverts, because if you give an inch they’ll take a mile.
If it were contained to one thread or community (allowing for easy blocking/ignoring by those who don’t wish to see adverts, even if from real human experienced), with strict rules and moderation from the beginning, then perhaps it could be something of value to the community. However, I’m sceptical of its ability to be beneficial long term. It only takes 1 person with ill intent to find it, spread the word, and the manipulation and corruption begins.
I have no authority here, I’m just a user, that’s just my thoughts on the potential pros and cons of such an initiative. Personally, I don’t think it’s a good idea. If you go for it though, good luck, I hope it can be of benefit to the community and with vigilance the rot will be held off.
That’s the question really…does it have to be a benefit or is it it’s just me self indulging and boring others.
Sure, why not :)
Thanks. I think I may start a post and throw something out there. Some people might take a look and think hmm I fancy doing a write up on my experience of Jaffa cakes 🤣.
Totally, go for it!
