Reviewers Spotlight – March 3rd @ 6 pm: Tori Rebel & Champagne and Benzedrine

Forgive my n00bness since this is my first discussion on here and I don't know the format yet, but I have a question for the reviewers.

What do you do if you absolutely do not like a product? Do you give it another try? Do you give up on it? How do you go about writing your review in a non-biased way (not everyone likes the same things--you might not like a product but someone else might love it)?

Thanks so much! less

Forgive my n00bness since this is my first discussion on here and I don't know the format yet, but I have a question for the reviewers.

What do you do if you absolutely do not like a product? Do you give it another try? Do you give up on it? How do you go about writing your review in a non-biased way (not everyone likes the same things--you might not like a product but someone else might love it)?

Thanks so much! less

Forgive my n00bness since this is my first discussion on here and I don't know the format yet, but I have a question for the reviewers.

What do you do if you absolutely do not like a product? Do you give it another try? Do you give up on it? How do you go about writing your review in a non-biased way (not everyone likes the same things--you might not like a product but someone else might love it)?

Thanks so much! less

Especially in the beginning, I would get 'called' in the comments section on a lot of things (like my silicon/silicone confusion) and you have the choice of being offended by it, or accepting the criticism of a more knowledgeable reviewer and becoming better as a result. Sometimes I was wise enough to take the second option! less

SO many reasons. Like the event where we met face to face, at the Sex Museum in Manhattan. The 'old' Eden, I can't imagine, would ever be involved in something like that. I think you've given the management scope and vision and definitely gone beyond 'just' being an online retailer. less

Especially in the beginning, I would get 'called' in the comments section on a lot of things (like my silicon/silicone confusion) and you have the choice of being offended by it, or accepting the criticism of a more knowledgeable reviewer and becoming better as a result. Sometimes I was wise enough to take the second option! less

I do think I remember reading that debate on one of your reviews. I give you props for how you handled it.

I've unfortunately seen a few reviews (not in a very long time thought) where the comments are just a free for all with people attacking each other. It's always nice to see when a reviewer doesn't jump right on the offensive back and tries to take criticism constructively. less

SO many reasons. Like the event where we met face to face, at the Sex Museum in Manhattan. The 'old' Eden, I can't imagine, would ever be involved in something like that. I think you've given the management scope and vision and definitely gone beyond 'just' being an online retailer. less

SO many reasons. Like the event where we met face to face, at the Sex Museum in Manhattan. The 'old' Eden, I can't imagine, would ever be involved in something like that. I think you've given the management scope and vision and definitely gone beyond 'just' being an online retailer. less

Well, I haven't ALWAYS been like that.

In real life I'm a complete pussycat, but online I have a tendency to be very argumentative just for the sake of it. Fortunately, at least after a cooling off period, I can generally admit when I'm wrong. Which is a lot. less

That's a really good question!

Writing reviews trashing a product is REALLY fun both to write and to read - I know, I did it a lot before I came to EF! That attitude changed when I joined EF because I saw somebody trash the OhMiBod and I'd just finished an interview (for another magazine) with the maker of the OhMiBod, Suki. I knew how much time she'd put into it and felt that the person who'd written the bad review hadn't given the product the consideration it deserved and just wrote a shitty review because they were lazy and enjoyed slagging things off (don't we all.)

Since then, I've tried to find a fair angle for all my reviews - which isn't always easy. The Shakers Vol.3 I mentioned above was a tough one, because it was clearly a cheaply made product that didn't do the job it was designed for adequately - but I thought about it for a while and realized that I was holding it up against, say, a Fleshlight and it was a 'one shot' product that was never designed to perform like a product five times its price.

I think reviewers have to be careful not to compare EVERYTHING against the cream of the crop - I break favorite products into price brackets and then compare them against those ones. less

I can't think of specific advice I've been given by another reviewer but I do know I've gained an incredible amount of knowledge and constructive criticism from the comments on my reviews from the community as a whole. In the beginning when I got more questions, I used them to help me write more thorough, well-rounded reviews. On several occasions, I've had people compare the toy I'm reviewing against another toy in the comments, and I keep those things in mind when I sit down to write again. The way the community works with each other is really the greatest help I've had here. less

Ahem. One of the reasons I don't hang out on the forums much is because I once got into a MAJOR catfight with another reviewer over the subject of circumcision (which I feel very strongly about.) I got pulled aside and politely warned to act like a grown up, but the temptation to leap into the fray is VERY strong.

I know there's been a bit of controversy over a couple of forum members who've gone the way of the Dodo, but they got the same warning I did and just chose to ignore it. This is an online community and like any community, you've got to have a certain amount of decorum to be part of it. It's REALLY frustrating when people don't see your point of view, but ultimately not everybody's going to agree with you.

Even though I'm right! ;-) less

That's a good point and something I struggle with from time to time. Especially when I am coming off the newness of an awesome product. But I try to be objective about why it didn't work for me and try to give an idea as to who it might work for.

What has been your most memorable experience being a part of EF? less

Especially in the beginning, I would get 'called' in the comments section on a lot of things (like my silicon/silicone confusion) and you have the choice of being offended by it, or accepting the criticism of a more knowledgeable reviewer and becoming better as a result. Sometimes I was wise enough to take the second option! less

That's a good point and something I struggle with from time to time. Especially when I am coming off the newness of an awesome product. But I try to be objective about why it didn't work for me and try to give an idea as to who it might work for.

What has been your most memorable experience being a part of EF? less