Future of Product Testing on THP

[tomahawk18]

TH,
I think what TC was stating is that in his opinion, it only seems fair that a person give back to the site that just gave them an opportunity to test equipment. I dont want to speak for him, but that is what I got out of it.

I agree with the premise of donating, don't get me wrong, and I will be donating soon. But to say that a donating members review has more merit than a non donator is questionable to me at best.

 

[tomahawk18]

I am going to disagree with you here. I do think this should be said out in the open that is what this thread is for. And to be honest I wish more people would voice their feelings on the quality of a review in the review thread. Let the person know that you would like to hear more from them about abc regarding xyz product. I would actually love to see more of that.

Totally agree!!

 

[CharlieMoy]

I will say this:

Donor Tag or no Donor Tag, I dont care who gets picked. But after getting picked, I wouldnt mind seeing a Donor tag above their avy sometime relatively soon.

 

[Bridges]

I am going to disagree with you here. I do think this should be said out in the open that is what this thread is for. And to be honest I wish more people would voice their feelings on the quality of a review in the review thread. Let the person know that you would like to hear more from them about abc regarding xyz product. I would actually love to see more of that.

Why? Nobody was singled out. There is nearly 1000 posts in the thread, and JB and GG have been critical of the reviews in this thread in general as well. The point was to show that TC's statement that he disregards non donor reviews is a bit harsh, since there are questionable reviews by donors and non donors alike.

See i think only JB and GG should have the right to tell someone (through a pm) that they would like to see more information, better testing, etc.. Than having another forum member call them out that there testing is poor. I think it creates some anger from the tester to that person and being embarrassed in the middle of the thread, were as if it was JB or GG they would understand since its there site and not feel angry.


Edit: I dont have a problem with the "hey, you think you could try out this for me, or explain more about this?" No not that at all. Just the "I think your reviews are very poor, terrible, etc"

 

[Hole~Out~1983]

I am going to disagree with you here. I do think this should be said out in the open that is what this thread is for. And to be honest I wish more people would voice their feelings on the quality of a review in the review thread. Let the person know that you would like to hear more from them about abc regarding xyz product. I would actually love to see more of that.

My point exactly. We cant just sit by and let someone fail with their testing without saying a word because in that case we are letting down the forum as much as the tester.

 

[thedue]

I am going to disagree with you here. I do think this should be said out in the open that is what this thread is for. And to be honest I wish more people would voice their feelings on the quality of a review in the review thread. Let the person know that you would like to hear more from them about abc regarding xyz product. I would actually love to see more of that.

I agree with this GG, but often times if something big is going on they won't read a review. I went through that for the SF 2.0 review at first. Almost no response, so I texted TC because I knew he'd give me a straight thumb up or down on the quality. Not sure the answer hear other than we need to support each other and be honest.

 

[JB]

JB, I have a question for you.

I do not think that "forum testing" on THP is overly, improperly biased, but I do often wonder whether there is temptation/reverse incentive to say "nice" things about the equipment being tested because they think this will increase their chances of being selected for another testing opportunity. I do NOT think that THP operates in this fashion whatsoever. I am just curious as to whether you think this could be an unintended consequence of forum testing and if there are ways to combat that? Do you think this happens among forum testers? I haven't necessarily seen any examples of this on THP, just curious.

Anything is possible, however we do send over specific rules to those that get selected and they always start with 1. ALL WE WANT IS HONESTY. Outside of that, I am not sure what we can do.

I am going to disagree with you here. I do think this should be said out in the open that is what this thread is for. And to be honest I wish more people would voice their feelings on the quality of a review in the review thread. Let the person know that you would like to hear more from them about abc regarding xyz product. I would actually love to see more of that.

I echo your thoughts.

Why? Nobody was singled out. There is nearly 1000 posts in the thread, and JB and GG have been critical of the reviews in this thread in general as well. The point was to show that TC's statement that he disregards non donor reviews is a bit harsh, since there are questionable reviews by donors and non donors alike.

Again I think what TC is saying is that if someone receives a set of irons lets say from THP and does not hit the donate button to at least cover the shipping cost, it bugs him. Again, just my interpretation of his thoughts.

 

[TC]

I agree with the premise of donating, don't get me wrong, and I will be donating soon. But to say that a donating members review has more merit than a non donator is questionable to me at best.

I never said one had more merit over the other, but that i would put more of my "reading" efforts into the one from the tester who gives back. Sorry if you don't like that, but I don't like that people who test things don't give back to the site. I think that's fair enough. Why are you so defensive about this anyway?

 

[tomahawk18]

Saying the ball isnt for them and what they didnt like about the ball is called HONEST FEEDBACK, that is what THP IS ABOUT, no marketing, no sugar coating, what did you like? what did you not like? would you game this? That simple.

I disagree. I want details of why it wasn't for them. Not 60 words that say "I hit it, and didn't like it. Thanks for the opportunity"

 

[Dent]

While I encourage everyone to donate, I find it really unreasonable to force a donation upon people who are having tough financial troubles in their lives. None of us know what is going on in someone elses life right now. And JB and GG have said multiple times they do not expect anything from us and DO NOT force donations out of us.

I feel as though there is some hostility towards people who aren't donating to the site and that isn't fair to those people. I am contradicting my own point but right now I am a jobless university student who owes a lot of money to my country club and to my credit card, but still threw that extra $50 on my credit card to donate. Although I was happy to donate and didn't think twice about it, I did think about how broke I am at that point and I can vouch for everyone in that same position, I know what it is like and while there are other priorities in your life it IS tough to donate.

Getting mad at someone for luckily getting selected to review a club but not donating is really not needed. I think it should be required to pay your shipping costs, but to single out someone because they didn't donate is not fair.

But like I said, I hope you all who are financially stable and doing well will have the time to donate to this wonderful place.

 

[JB]

I will say this:

Donor Tag or no Donor Tag, I dont care who gets picked. But after getting picked, I wouldnt mind seeing a Donor tag above their avy sometime relatively soon.

I think that is what TC was trying to say. Poorly yes, but his thoughts.

See i think only JB and GG should have the right to tell someone (through a pm) that they would like to see more information, better testing, etc.. Than having another forum member call them out that there testing is poor. I think it creates some anger from the tester to that person and being embarrassed in the middle of the thread, were as if it was JB or GG they would understand since its there site and not feel angry.

I actually disagree. Forum testing is about the forum and as such, should be policed by the forum as well. At the same time, when forum members or myself or GG ask questions after a review is written, its not a knock, but can be a good thing to assist others in getting more information. Forum reviews are about helping everybody.

 

[Hole~Out~1983]

See i think only JB and GG should have the right to tell someone (through a pm) that they would like to see more information, better testing, etc.. Than having another forum member call them out that there testing is poor. I think it creates some anger from the tester to that person and being embarrassed in the middle of the thread, were as if it was JB or GG they would understand since its there site and not feel angry.


Edit: I dont have a problem with the "hey, you think you could try out this for me, or explain more about this?" No not that at all. Just the "I think your reviews are very poor, terrible, etc"

Well I think we just have to do it in a mature fashion. Dont call someone out and tell them they suck and should have never been selected. But we do need to let them know what we expect and would like to hear from them.

 

[JB]

I disagree. I want details of why it wasn't for them. Not 60 words that say "I hit it, and didn't like it. Thanks for the opportunity"

Agree 10000%

While I encourage everyone to donate, I find it really unreasonable to force a donation upon people who are having tough financial troubles in their lives. None of us know what is going on in someone elses life right now. And JB and GG have said multiple times they do not expect anything from us and DO NOT force donations out of us.

I feel as though there is some hostility towards people who aren't donating to the site and that isn't fair to those people. I am contradicting my own point but right now I am a jobless university student who owes a lot of money to my country club and to my credit card, but still threw that extra $50 on my credit card to donate. Although I was happy to donate and didn't think twice about it, I did think about how broke I am at that point and I can vouch for everyone in that same position, I know what it is like and while there are other priorities in your life it IS tough to donate.

This is a great post and that is why they are called donations. And maybe it can be fixed by saying people must be their own shipping. That way if they have hardships financially, they just dont have to enter.

 

[emanthei]

Like most have said already, this is a very tough place to be in and there is no clean cut solution that will ever make all the members(current and future) happy. I was lead to this site a while back based on forum member reviews and was completely blown away by the unbiased "joe schmoe" reviewing the product. It took me a while to even want to sign up. Reading the reviews was good enough for me. But the community and the respect everyone seems to show for each other is what wanted me to come on as a member. This aspect of THP keeps me coming back to read the next one. And on top of that I come back just to read posts that are completely random and off topic. I am one of those people who will read review after review about a product before I purchase it. Especially if it is one that I cannot test on my own. The one thing I hate more than anything is like when I was shopping for my new irons...every website I went to had a review from a "hired gun". They all said the exact same thing, there was no change in the review. Now I know with some products this may hold true, but I have witnessed in the time at this site that there are so many benefits to the unbiased "true fan" reviewing the product. Heck, I would love to review something here and I have signed up to review some things. But honestly, if I don't think I could give a good review I will not waste anyone's time trying to review it. And on that note it makes me want to learn more about the sport of golf and the ins and outs of all the products available so I am more knowledgeable if I was ever given the opportunity to actually test something.

I have been in communities before with product testing and "VIP" areas that had special products for the donors. This also created a biased review from the testers. As said before. There will come a time even with a "VIP. Donor" testing group, they will start to feel like they deserve something to test all the time and then they will get upset because they are paying to have the privilege of testing. Now I know that not everyone would, but you will still see the same sort of backlash as you do now.

I feel the only true way to stop the crying and moaning about not being picked to test something is to not do ANY testing. But I am sure you can find a way to put up with some cry babies rather than stop so forum tests. The fact that THP is so gracious as to let their forum members test products for FREE!! is in fact what attracts a lot of people here. But more than anything I think it is the great people who continue to contribute to the community is what makes this a place people want to keep coming back to. So maybe the true investment here is in fact the forum members themselves.

My 2 cents. thanks for letting a new guy have a moment.

 

[interlooper]

Anything is possible, however we do send over specific rules to those that get selected and they always start with 1. ALL WE WANT IS HONESTY. Outside of that, I am not sure what we can do.

And that is the best rule of them all. Thanks for answering.

*** On a side note, thank you for being open, forthright and candid!

 

[TC]

Call it whatever you want to, but those who receive should give back in some form or another (donation, buying something out of the store, paying for shipping). I'm pretty firm on that stance, but mostly b/c I'm privy to how much THP spends on shipping every month. I won't say another word about it, it's not well received. I'll move on.

 

[Bridges]

I actually disagree. Forum testing is about the forum and as such, should be policed by the forum as well. At the same time, when forum members or myself or GG ask questions after a review is written, its not a knock, but can be a good thing to assist others in getting more information. Forum reviews are about helping everybody.

I dont think you saw my edit part. Was a little late getting in. I dont have a problem with asking questions about the product, hey can we get some more info about this, how did it work for you in this situatuion, etc etc. But more-so the "I think your review was terrible" or something along those lines.

 

[the boss]

Call it whatever you want to, but those who receive should give back in some form or another (donation, buying something out of the store, paying for shipping). I'm pretty firm on that stance, but mostly b/c I'm privy to how much THP spends on shipping every month. I won't say another word about it, it's not well received. I'll move on.

i agree whole heartedly with your sentiments TC

 

[Bomb_n_Gouge]

Guys, I am not attacking either of you. I have been here for a while. I have seen people piss and moan about poker chips selling out, so THP orders more, then it takes forever for them to sale them. I have seen people ask for hats, THP gets hats, they still have them. I have seen people get upset b/c the outing fills up, THP calls PGA NAtional, requests more slots, guess what, they don't fill up quickly. DO they go eventually? Yes, but that's money out of THP's pocket. All I'm saying is, if you want to throw your name in the hat to test something and you are selected, please give back to the site. It costs them to ship the items. By donating or supporting the store, you are saying thank you for the opportunity, you are supporting the place that is putting goods in your hands.

I have every right to take from a review what I choose to. I know who's here for the right reasons and who's not (again, this is not directed at either of you). Just as you are disappointed in my post, I'm just as disappointed that you haven't supported THP. Are we both entitled to these disappointments? I believe so.

Sorry if I let you down, not my intention.

TC aren't the reviews themselves giving back to the site. Without them the forum members and their opinions then we are just reading the reviews of one person and the manufacturers and marketing companies that supply these products are just getting the review from the people that run the site. Like I said before, I didn't pay any attention to the donor tag, but yes I will be donating because I have received free advice from the site on my swing several times and I have learned a lot from people on these forums. But I don't think that I should be alienated in reviews or looked down upon by the staff for not donating, if that is the case then why not start soliciting donations by telling people there opinion doesn't matter unless they give money. I would have no problem paying for shipping on anything THP sent me, but I have never been selected, so how would I know if they didn't already do that?

 

[interlooper]

I want details of why it wasn't for them. Not 60 words that say "I hit it, and didn't like it. Thanks for the opportunity"

Me too. And I don't think that anyone on a forum should be prohibited from asking another forum member to provide a little more detail on why they didn't like something.

 

[GolferGal]

See i think only JB and GG should have the right to tell someone (through a pm) that they would like to see more information, better testing, etc.. Than having another forum member call them out that there testing is poor. I think it creates some anger from the tester to that person and being embarrassed in the middle of the thread, were as if it was JB or GG they would understand since its there site and not feel angry.


Edit: I dont have a problem with the "hey, you think you could try out this for me, or explain more about this?" No not that at all. Just the "I think your reviews are very poor, terrible, etc"

Again, I disagree. I do not think that people need to come on and tell someone their review is terrible but I do think they could use some words of encouragement and say "Hey man, I am glad you like xyz or I interested in why you disliked xyz can you elaborate some more on that?" I want there to be more discussion and I want to have the readers express to the testers what they want to read. No one can improve on their reviewing skills if they don't know what people are looking for. I would strongly encourage people to comment on reviews and let the reviewer know what they liked and disliked. Of course always doing it in a civil way.

My point exactly. We cant just sit by and let someone fail with their testing without saying a word because in that case we are letting down the forum as much as the tester.

Exactly and maybe that tester doesn't know that they aren't providing the type of information that the readers are looking for. We should be helping everyone to give the best feedback possible. It's not about criticizing it's about encouraging.

 

[Hole~Out~1983]

Call it whatever you want to, but those who receive should give back in some form or another (donation, buying something out of the store, paying for shipping). I'm pretty firm on that stance, but mostly b/c I'm privy to how much THP spends on shipping every month. I won't say another word about it, it's not well received. I'll move on.

Dont worry about it brother, if its what you feel in your heart let it be known.

 

[Bridges]

Well I think we just have to do it in a mature fashion. Dont call someone out and tell them they suck and should have never been selected. But we do need to let them know what we expect and would like to hear from them.

Yes, exactly. I think we are trying to say the same things, its just coming out different. Im all for the asking questions to get more info, just the part about what TomaHawk said in his first post about calling reviews terrible is the part I dont agree with. I think JB and GG should be the only ones to be allowed to say that.

 

[thepete]

That is why I asked to elaborate some more. Why do they work less or not at all in your opinion?

Do we just add more people to our staff and send to them only for testing?
What I think appeals to everyone and makes people want to be a part of this site is that they make the site. It's their contributions, their experiences, their testing etc. Then you become like Golf.com with a forum, that surely would be dying fairly quickly. I'm pretty sure the idea or feeling of being one of the first, even counting the pros, to hit a certain club or try a certain product is what appeals to a lot of people.

Do we start a VIP program and only members of that program are eligible?
I think the "equal shot" at testing is what appeals to a lot of people.

Do we just scrap it completely and not do forum testing anymore and just do contests?
I get an image of THP as a lottery site and that's not really a pretty one to me.

 

[ddec]

Last year I reviewed a few things for THP but didn't have a donor tag. However I did purchase a shirt, 3 hats, a head cover and 2 towels. I have donated this year and have purchased at least 1 of everything from the THP Store. I think it's great to see a lot of donor tags on the forum, I also think its great to hear that items in the store have been sold out.