A serious question on Soap/Cream Reviews

Well said SCShaver! I agree completely.

And onethinline makes some good points on the value of user feedback.

Bah. You two can have a dihydromyrcenol-haters party together... Then I shall crash it while wearing 50 sprays of Green Irish Tweed!!! Mwa hwa hwa .

AWAY YE OVERPRICED, MADE-UP HERITAGED, HIGHLY BATCH-INCONSISTENT, SCREECHY DEMON BEAST.

But Will, I love my batch inconsistencies. It makes me that much sexier .

Very few people begin trying a new product with the expressed intent of reviewing it whether it is good or bad. I suspect that if we followed that guideline, almost nobody would write negative reviews lol.

The fact that this political correctness thing was mentioned on the most recent Sharpologist Podcast jogged this subject into my brain as he talked about the attacks on the reviewers,

Maybe I haven't articulated the issue correctly. In no way am I advocating that anyone intentionally go out of their way to try a product with the express intent of writing anything negative. That would serve no purpose. Rather, what I am saying is this.

I've tried a TON of stuff. And in a month of so I might summarize it. And to be honest, some stuff was pretty bad. Maybe it stunk to ME. Maybe it dried on my face. Maybe I had a bad morning. And some stuff was wonderful. And some stuff was average. Thats how life works. Not everything is "wonderful". Not everything is "poor". And a whole lot of stuff is just "average" (lets take price out of the equation as I am not discussing "value").

I RARELY see any review (except for one blog) say something like "hey, this stuff just dried up on my face, had zero residual slickness, and I cut myself three times and I am not an idiot" or something to that effect. You know what I mean. Or ... "OMG, this stuff just stinks!"

Now I am guessing, but I suspect now two things:

1.) People know what to avoid (somehow) and buy stuff that they know, at a minimum, falls into the "average" category; or
2.) They have issue and just keep quiet.

The podcast seems to suggest the answer is (2), they just keep quiet.

Very true grim. In my first impressions of Mystic Water, I said exactly that - in my very hard water conditions, it dried up on my face, dissipated before finishing a pass, and didn't work well during the shave (but now with a water softener it's one of my favorite artisan soaps). Instead of defaming or verbally bashing me (as some people did over my comments on CRSW), Michelle took the comments well and set out to improve the way that her product performs in hard water. I agree that there is intrinsic value in negative reviews, but people don't always react this way. Some brands in particular are immune to criticism largely because the powers that be on particular forums simply do not tolerate criticism. Because of this, I suspect that people do indeed keep quiet in order to avoid negative consequences.

I haven't listened to that Sharpologist podcast but it's clear that he's on to something.

There are tons of negative reviews. I'm not sure how you guys could have missed it. It's called the BST

Some brands in particular are immune to criticism largely because the powers that be on particular forums simply do not tolerate criticism. Because of this, I suspect that people do indeed keep quiet in order to avoid negative consequences.

I haven't listened to that Sharpologist podcast but it's clear that he's on to something.

Well, the second issue you mention, "Some brands in particular are immune to criticism largely because the powers that be on particular forums simply do not tolerate criticism." were addressed in another Podcast At the end here, https://brushnsoapnblade.wordpress.com/2...-and-more/ this podcaster discussing the bottom line - money. (it's a great shaving podcast). After all, if a vendor is paying the bills, you can follow the money.

However, to "improve", you would think the would want ALL feedback, just as Michelle learned. You'd think.

Thanks for the link! Yes, I'm sure the issue is money. But consumers are smart and have the Internet. Buoying a reputation on AstroTurf reviews and silencing critics will not work in the long run, and only demonstrates a lack of confidence in the product.

In all honesty, I do not enjoy writing negative reviews. I have definitely written negative things here and there, but I usually feel guilty afterwards. In many cases, these are small family businesses, and I do not want to contribute to damaging someone's livelihood. It's just not that important to me to spread the word on stuff that did not work for me. I vote with my dollars.

If I see a question asking how people like a product, I'll let them know. Be it "yeah it's good" or "save your money, it sucks". They are free to use my input or not.

I'm trying to avoid threads that are simply "I love product XYZ" unless I actually love that product.

You won't see many Bloggers, TY or guys who have a vested interest in shave promotion, doing negative reviews. They get free product and are less likely to get more if they are bashing products.

That's how I see it.