I also don’t allow reviews of products my authors haven’t actually TOUCHED and TESTED. How else are you going to be able to say “Level 3 on this game is beyond the average 8 year old, in my opinion, but my 10 year old LOVED IT.”

Angela <

It’s great that you love Tide but I find it perfectly within the realm of reason for someone to say “Hey she got 12 boxes of Tide free so perhaps that is part and parcel of the reason she likes Tide.” Does it mean it’s the SOLE reason. Of course not, but there is a reason these companies are offering things out and it has to do with creating brand loyalty and a following for their products. Furthermore, how can you honestly say Tide is “the best” if you are not even willing to give Wisk a shot? Frankly, that argument diminishes the position that she would be the best person to advise me on what the BEST product is for my household.(If you aren’t willing to try something you can’t very well compare it).

Frankly, I don’t really know what all the hub bub is if companies want to ship women to their site to focus group them(which is basically what they are doing) and offer friendly little blurbs on how to “promote” their products more power to them. It’s advertising but whatever. It’s certainly more interactive then sitting in a house watching someone on TV. Furthermore, more power to the mothers for going. Women deserve to have a voice in the products we utilize and it is great that companies are finally realizing and understanding the purchasing power women have. I really don’t see why women aren’t applauding other women for taking the opportunity to impact brands and make a difference rather than bellyaching. Frankly, I’m proud that there are women who represent my life experiences going into the boardrooms of large companies and telling companies what kind of expectations they have when they look at a product, if they have a good time in the process, all the better.

Disclosure: I am not a blogger. I tried once. Looked at my viewpoint as a run on sentence and decided I was a much better commenter. I do however product test and have done focus groups and was compensated for my time doing so. Does this mean I shouldn’t trust my own judgement?