sitelights
06-29-2002, 06:33 PM
I have posted some comparative product reviews and intend to post more in the future.
In the interests of full disclosure and to acknowledge the holders of service marks, trade marks and copyrights I wish to make the following statements:
If I am reviewing products that I purchased I will state how I made the purchase i.e. off-the-shelf, special order from manufacturer's rep/distributor or ordered directly from the manufacturer.
If I am reviewing products that I did not purchase I will state whether the product was a free unsolicited sample, a requested sample provided without charge or a sample loaned to me for evaluation along with the product's source.
I do not inform anyone of my intention to use their product as a basis for a product review since I routinely purchase or request items for evaluation as possible additions to our list of standard equipment for our landscape lighting installations.
When possible I alert the CEO or owner of a company that manufactured the product under review after the post has been made.
I do not intend to write comparison reviews of all the products that pass through my hands. If I am a regular user of a product that will be made clear in the review; if I am not a regular user of the product my review will make that clear. Bench testing and field testing produce different results. I can only examine a product for specifications, functionality and aesthetic appearance on the bench. Products used in the field are held to more stringent requirements.
If I am favorably impressed by a product, that in itself is a kind of endorsement since I am stating that it is better than a competing product. This tacit endorsement is made without any solicitation, incentive or reward from the product's source.
My reviews are candid but with an easily detected bias toward the designer/installer. Equipment manufacturers, their designers, their engineers and their marketing staffs are, in my experience, more inclined to ignore, refute and/or challenge criticism than they are to agree much less reward such attention even when it is meant constructively. These reviews are meant to benefit the user not to flatter the maker.
The orthography available to the composer of posts on lowvolt.org does not lend itself to adding SM, TM, (R) or (C) to the names of the various products and manufacturers so let it be understood that these marks are acknowledged (by capitalizing the first letter) even if they do not appear.
I am ready to defend my opinions but I am also ready to amend them if better information is brought to my attention. Any errors will be quickly rectified but I'll need some proof.
Note that when I write "I" or "my" that this is my personal opinion based on my own experience; when I write "we" or "our" the statements are in some part based on the observations and experiences of others who have shared their knowledge with me.
No one person speaks for lowvolt.org The content of the site other than permanent explanatory text is the responsibility of the individuals making posts and is not to be construed as an endorsement by the other members.
In the interests of full disclosure and to acknowledge the holders of service marks, trade marks and copyrights I wish to make the following statements:
If I am reviewing products that I purchased I will state how I made the purchase i.e. off-the-shelf, special order from manufacturer's rep/distributor or ordered directly from the manufacturer.
If I am reviewing products that I did not purchase I will state whether the product was a free unsolicited sample, a requested sample provided without charge or a sample loaned to me for evaluation along with the product's source.
I do not inform anyone of my intention to use their product as a basis for a product review since I routinely purchase or request items for evaluation as possible additions to our list of standard equipment for our landscape lighting installations.
When possible I alert the CEO or owner of a company that manufactured the product under review after the post has been made.
I do not intend to write comparison reviews of all the products that pass through my hands. If I am a regular user of a product that will be made clear in the review; if I am not a regular user of the product my review will make that clear. Bench testing and field testing produce different results. I can only examine a product for specifications, functionality and aesthetic appearance on the bench. Products used in the field are held to more stringent requirements.
If I am favorably impressed by a product, that in itself is a kind of endorsement since I am stating that it is better than a competing product. This tacit endorsement is made without any solicitation, incentive or reward from the product's source.
My reviews are candid but with an easily detected bias toward the designer/installer. Equipment manufacturers, their designers, their engineers and their marketing staffs are, in my experience, more inclined to ignore, refute and/or challenge criticism than they are to agree much less reward such attention even when it is meant constructively. These reviews are meant to benefit the user not to flatter the maker.
The orthography available to the composer of posts on lowvolt.org does not lend itself to adding SM, TM, (R) or (C) to the names of the various products and manufacturers so let it be understood that these marks are acknowledged (by capitalizing the first letter) even if they do not appear.
I am ready to defend my opinions but I am also ready to amend them if better information is brought to my attention. Any errors will be quickly rectified but I'll need some proof.
Note that when I write "I" or "my" that this is my personal opinion based on my own experience; when I write "we" or "our" the statements are in some part based on the observations and experiences of others who have shared their knowledge with me.
No one person speaks for lowvolt.org The content of the site other than permanent explanatory text is the responsibility of the individuals making posts and is not to be construed as an endorsement by the other members.