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A_Blake Loyal user The Thoughtreader 216 Posts |
Jheff...
Your product reviews are very influential in the mentalism market... What is your approach to reviewing products?... how do you view, explore, test the products so that you can give a complete and thorough review?... On a side note - Has anyone ever gotten ticked off and threatened you because they didn't like a review you gave their product? |
Jheff V.I.P. 402 Posts |
Hey Tony!
Glad you're here. My approach to reviewing mentalism products, or any product for that matter, has changed since I first started Marketplace of the Mind. My main objective is to provide information about whether the ad blurb accurately reflects the product and delivers on its promises. As we all know, some ad blurbs are quite misleading or missing key information that, as a buyer, we’d like to know before you spend our money. After all, that “once you buy the secret, you can’t get a refund” usually applies, unless the item in question is defective. I still provide that in my comments, but some of my earlier reviews also included my opinion of the effect regardless of whether I liked it or not. A few years ago an effect came out that everyone was raving about on the forums and that I couldn’t understand what the fuss about. I even showed it to other mentalists, including some very familiar top names, and they shared my opinion. Still, the effect was getting raves and so I realized that I had to change the way I wrote my reviews. There’s that old saying that one’s man trash is another man’s treasure. It is very true that one effect may not work well in the hands of one performer, but another can make it a very powerful and signature effect. My current philosophy is that a product is considered good if it delivers what it promises in the ad blurb, in terms of description and quality of the product. It is up to the purchaser to decide whether he or she can use it. Items that I like will certainly get a more favorable review, but I will not dismiss a well-made item just because it doesn’t fit my performing style or tastes. Another objective is to try to ascertain whether the product contributes anything new to the mentalism fraternity. In other words, try to determine any originality. No one likes buying something that they already have, unless that is the purpose. I am not as encyclopedic as others are, so I do usually ask a few trusted sources if I’m not sure. If I can’t get an answer, then I try to remember to mention that I can’t verify it’s originality, especially if I have the hunch that it is isn’t. I just can’t make such a claim without the proof. Also, I try to be careful not to accuse anyone of stealing other’s ideas. That is quite serious and there must be obvious proof. More often, though, I simply note the similarities between products and routines and let the reader and creators sort it out and decide for themselves. I may use the phrase, “independent invention,” but the phrase “rip-off” does imply stealing so I have to be careful about using or implying that. Which brings me to the question of whether or not any creator has gotten angry at me because of what I’ve written about their product. The answer is yes, of course. I think it’s inevitable that will happen when reviewing products. I’ve had a couple of creators who threatened to sue me (or worse), so I simply removed all of their products from my website and will not be reviewing anything else from those individuals again. It would just be awkward if I do. There are two types of categories of products that I review. There are those that Murphy’s (the distributor I use the most) carries and which most dealers have access to getting. But some creators don’t want to use a distributor and so I’ll gladly review the product if I feel it’s worthy of inclusion on the website. Yes, I’ll catalog products that are not ones that I recommend, but I really feel it is like backstabbing a friend if someone generously sends me a product to review and I proceed to be publicly critical of it. Usually, in cases which I don’t think the product is not up to the standards I expect, I will contact the reviewer and let that person know my initial thoughts. I want to make sure that I didn’t miss anything and misreview it. That has happened a few times when I completely missed something, either because I didn’t quite understand something, because I was not sent some key components, or because something was left out that the creator had not realized, or things like that. And, of course, if I need to correct my review and revise my opinion, I am only too glad to do that. There was one very talented creator who sent me his manuscript and I totally misreviewed it because I wasn’t sure who he was marketing to and what his intentions were. And, even though I rewrote the review and was enthusiastic about it, this creator remained very upset with me because of my initial opinion and refused to forgive me for my initial conclusions. So that product was never included on the Marketplace, he’s not sent me any additional works to review, and he’s since openly not been so kind to me or my opinions on various forums. It’s a shame, really, as I like his material. As they say, you can’t please everyone. I just strive to be as honest and as fair as I can so that my friends and colleagues in the mentalism community can get the information they need to make an informed decision that won’t be regretted. Thanks for asking, Jheff
Marketplace of the Mind PARIMENTAL, a 200 page exploration of a classic Martin Gardner principle, is now available!!
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