ok well I respect the intention to keep independent. Im not sure what to make of your strong emotional reaction. I have not set out to offend you but have been direct with what I think about this topic. Ive tried to be fair and balanced in mentioning the videos are useful - and that Im not saying anyone expects you to slate everything for the sake of it. I flagged up the relationship you claimed to have with UVI and Im just discussing the point that in my view -that if you get stuff free and have a relationship with someone - its likely to produce some bias in the review - its not totally independent.Failed Muso wrote: I'm sorry, but I refute that allegation 100%. If I wish to retain my credibility, I cannot, and therefore don't, show bias. Just because I really like their stuff, and therefore give them a positive review, does not mean it is demonstrating bias. What am I supposed to do? Say it's shit when it isn't, just to gain some credibility with you? I am absolutely not afraid of giving a bad review when something warrants it, and have done so. And if they decided to stop sending me stuff, then fine. That is not the reason I do any of this. I do it because I love the subject, I love writing, I love to inform and educate (it is what I do for a living) and the perks are just that. Perks. And trust me, if I gave someone a bad review, and then they blatantly stopped asking me to review their stuff, I'd be damn sure to let people know that. I hope, and am pretty certain, that the companies I deal with would not do that. They are taking a risk and expect a certain number of bad reviews in amongst the good ones.
Please don't talk to me in such a condescending manner and tell me what I should or shouldn't accept. You'd be surprised as to what my audience are in to. I don't need anyone to send me stuff for review. I was happy reviewing stuff that I had owned or used long before companies started sending me things, and still do (most recently a £100 Peter Gabriel box set that I bought myself, for example). If I was charging you to read my content, I'd accept a challenge to my credibility, but you don't have to read or view it and quite frankly, if I wanted to brown nose companies, I could easily do so. But my blog would not be respected and it wouldn't get the consistently improving hit rate it does if people believed what I wrote to be completely biased. I get plenty of feedback that agrees and disagrees with what I say or the opinions I have. But I get a solid visitor rate so I must be doing something right.
And let me once again clarify, because it clearly didn't register the last time, there is NO financial exchange. And before you say something along the lines of "you get £200 libraries for free, that's a financial exchange", what I get are review copies, whose licence I have to agree to as such. It also means I can't sell them on or offer them as gifts. And such licences can be withdrawn at anytime.
Once again, another KvR thread derails in spectacular fashion and ends in a load of bollox. I withdraw from this trainwreck
If you consider the cost of UVI libraries - being one of their biggest stumbling blocks - the fact that you get them free is fairly likely in my book to influence and soften your perception of this drawback - and the UVI products relative value compared to the rest of the market.
The videos are useful as I mentioned because there often isnt much info out there on these libraries - but I have to admit it was quite obvious to me from the outset that these reviews and the airuser ones were getting them free. The doesnt mean they are not helpful to people - it just means as Ive mentioned - there might be a bit of bias. Thats just my opinion.
