Hello there, and welcome to our very first month long Reviewers Spotlight! How this is going to work is that you have all month long to ask our wonderful reviewers questions. They'll answer when they can, and you can keep asking until the end of the month!
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DeliciousSurprise is a lady that you might recognize if you've been around a while. She hasn't been as active in recent months but I assure you, she's definitely still around. In addition to becoming an awesome mentor, she's also given us a bunch of pretty sweet video reviews as well."I've been reviewing at Eden for what feels like forever--though it's only been two years. Even so--two years?
I first found out about Eden from a girl (that's how all of my problems start, I think) in one of my classes in college. I had a huge crush on her, and one day a friend and I were teasing her about a box she'd picked up from the mail room that she was guarding. We asked her what was in it, and she told us that it was a product for review, and gave us each her affiliate flyer. The rest, as they say, is history. She doesn't review on here, now, but she got me hooked in.
My advice for people first starting out: join the mentor program. My first few reviews were seriously awful because I didn't know what was important to put in there, and with the mentor program you get someone kind of guiding you through the, "You might want to put this in," stages.
I like long walks by the beach and piña coladas. I hate getting caught in the rain because I don't like wet trousers. In my off-time, I'm a published photographer moonlighting as a customer service person: that's right, be nice to your customer service reps because you might be screaming at ME when you call up."
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Valentinka hasn't been here as long as some reviewers, and she doesn't have as many reviews as some other reviewers, but all of her reviews are worth reading all the same. She's dedicated to making sure that she writes the best reviews she can, and doesn't let being in a different country get in her way!"Eden Fantasys community is already quite diverse and scattered all over the world map. But I’m probably one of those people being slightly further away than the majority. Writing my reviews from the distant Siberia, I try to keep up being a living proof that no matter where we are and who we are, when it comes to love, our body, our worries and feelings, we are not so different after all.
At the beginning of 2011, I was introduced to Eden Fantasys by one of my friends. She presented it to me as a reliable US sex-shop with reasonably priced items and, what’s more important, the one that would actually ship to Russia. She then offered me to order something for myself and share the shipping cost. I agreed.
At that point I wasn’t thinking about joining the review program. I was simply excited by a chance to improve my sex life and try something new. But my first toy happened to be a disappointment and, as a student, I was a bit short on cash and couldn’t afford too much experimenting. I didn’t want to give up, though, and suddenly Review Program and EdenPoints Program seemed like a great chance to continue getting new toys. Soon I discovered how great EF really is and how amazing is the community. Spending time on Eden Fantasys became not only sort of a “beneficial cooperation”, but a hobby and even more.
When I just started, it wasn’t easy for me to write. My English has always been quite good, but writing is a challenge by itself and not being a native speaker doesn’t help. I also had that fear of being misunderstood or saying something that would turn out to be offensive in another culture. But as I wrote more I gained more confidence.
The most difficult thing was to figure out my writing style and what I should actually include in my reviews. My first review wasn’t very detailed – I realized that after getting some feedback and reading more of other contributors’ reviews. So my main advice to those just starting would be this: read as many extremely useful and useful reviews as you can! Analyze them; think about things you would change, how you would arrange information, what techniques you’d like to adopt, etc.
Also, it might be a really good idea to join Mentor Program. My mentor, Tori Rebel, taught me to write long and very detailed reviews. She always said that you should describe a product the way that allows “seeing” and “feeling” it without any actual contact. I have followed her advice ever since.
I can’t boast of having written hundreds of reviews: my number is rather modest. But I’m always trying to do my best at describing products and my experience with them. It is still quite challenging sometimes, especially when it comes to a type of product I’ve never reviewed before. For instance, in my mind, I have a template for describing lingerie and condoms; I pretty much know what to say about vibes. But reviewing body products is a whole different story and still something to work on.
What’s more, for me, reviewing is always about learning new things, sharing opinions, finding new ways to describe items, reaching over boundaries, helping others. And I would recommend those new reviewers to get involved in the community and ask questions. Don’t be afraid, there are lots of great people here who are always willing to help – probably, the most amazing thing about the whole Program."
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Make sure that you take this opportunity to ask both Valentinka and DeliciousSurprise any of those burning questions you've been wanting to ask, but haven't had a chance to ask them yet! You've only got until the end of March, so get to it!
