July 3, 2007
The Chronic Consumer
Some of y’all know that I started several new blogs a few months ago, but have never put them out there for y’all to visit. That’s because they’re not very good yet. 
I’m working on them, and one of the things I’m doing is visiting other blogs to learn what works and what doesn’t. My poor little shopping blog needs a lot of tweaking before it’s ready fro the public, but I’m learning a lot about how it’s done from my visits to The Chronic Consumer. I have a hard time writing balanced reviews when I have something negative to say. My friend J.E. doesn’t have that problem. She’s able to share an honest look at the good, the bad and the ugly for each product, service and site she reviews (whereas I come across like a vindictive harpy if I have anything bad to say, lol!)
I wish I’d read J.E.’s product review of her recently purchased walking/running shoes before I purchased mine. She and I are not athletes, we’re casual exercisers. I relied on some reviews by serious runners and spent too much money for more features than I really needed. I also ended up with shoes that are so heavy I know I’ll never use them as intended. The key to getting the most out of online reviews is to find those written from a perspective similar to your own. The Chronic Consumer is aimed at the typical shopper approaching a purchase without a specialized background - real world reviews for the kind of things we buy every day. Her store review warning about possible deceptive advertising practices warned me away from Best Buy a few weeks ago when I was shopping for a new portable CD player. I thought the old bait-and-switch routine had died out years ago, but J.E. let us know that it’s still going on, even within well-respected national chains.
The Chronic Consumer reviews products, stores, sites and services, and also lets us know when there are great sales or coupon deals to be found. Whether you’re trying to learn how to build a great shopping blog or looking for ways to get the best bang for your shopping bucks, bookmark The Chronic Consumer and visit often. You won’t regret it!
[tags]blog reviews, blogs, consumer reviews, product reviews, reviews, shopping reviews[/tags]
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July 3rd, 2007 at 11:32 am, Denise Says:
I think BlogHer Con is doing a session on writing good product reviews. If they are, they will probably have a podcast or videocast of the event - or I’ll just go in and live blog it for you.
July 3rd, 2007 at 12:37 pm, skeet Says:
Figured out already that I’ll be missing Blogher Con again this year, didja, Denise? I’ll be watiing breathlessly for your reports!
July 3rd, 2007 at 3:22 pm, The Chronic Consumer Says:
skeet, thanks for the great write-up! I’ve gotten numerous hits from your site already
July 5th, 2007 at 6:21 am, Emily Says:
Being objective can be tough. If you have a hard time not sounding too mad when you have to say something negative, try the sandwich technique - you know, put the negative comment in between two positives. Hope that helps!