B reviews,  raving lunatic rant

Pet Peeves from the Review Queen

enjoying a refreshing beverage

I write a lot of reviews these days. It’s a really great way to make some extra money and the products I sign up to review are usually products I don’t mind saying a few good words about. It’s a win-win situation for me and the company I am being paid by. However, lately I’m starting to get peeved at the people who comment on my reviews. Not you guys of course. You are my real readers. You’ve come to know me over the years and you care about me. Some of you comment on my review site and I love that. Your comments are always interesting and unique and most importantly they answer the question I usually pose at the end of my post. But you know what a majority of the comments are? Copied and pasted canned answers from people who don’t read my normal blog or even the post which they are commenting on. This gets my goat.

I know reviews can be boring. I don’t read them very often myself unless the product being reviewed is something that I am already interested in or the blogger who is reviewing them is super funny or interesting. I don’t pretend to be super funny or interesting but I do try to write reviews from my own unique perspective. I do put the work into each review. I don’t copy and paste content or slap one photo up and call it a day.

I also realize that review posts are always contests. There is always incentive to comment and a prize for some lucky commenter. I realize that whenever you attach dollars and prizes to posts then you are going to attract readers that are only there for the prizes and dollars. But here is where I come in and can make a difference. I don’t think it’s fair that people who don’t even bother to read my review posts should be allowed to win the prize. If your comment does not answer my question at the end of my post then I think you should be disqualified.

So here’s my secret to my loyal blog readers: You have an advantage over all those copy-and-paste commenters who are not loyal SAJ fans and don’t know me from Adam. They don’t read my posts. You do. So if you are so inclined, you could win an easy $100 just for paying attention! Go ahead and skim the review if it’s boring. I understand, I do it too, BUT pay attention to the prompting question. Eighty percent of the other commenters are not paying attention and I am going to throw their comments out when I use random number generator to pick a winner.

Speaking of… here’s a review I wrote about V8 V-Fusion + Tea. It’s a surprising little drink that gives you some get-up-and go and tastes good. And guess what? The answer to my prompt question is NOT what your favorite flavor is!

Okay. I’m done ranting.

33 Comments

  • Mel

    you are so funny to pet peeve! i love your honesty and i like your reviews! i know what kind of mom you are and i trust you :)

  • Jaynette

    This sounds like a great solution. Why rewards them? It’s like a teacher giving a good grade for a poorly thought out assignment.

  • simply heidi

    Hee! This just makes me giggle. That’s one of my pet peeves too and I love the thought of getting back at those just-in-it-for-the-prizers. I don’t usually enter because I feel guilty. I mean, I’m not commenting enough on the regular posts, I don’t deserve to comment on the giveaways…
    But I did enter this one. Thanks!

  • JennyBean

    Wow, had never noticed that before but now, reading your review and the comments after it, I’m surprised by how many people completely fail to even reference your question! Did she ask what your favourite flavour is? Nooo…

    I always read your reviews; I usually don’t comment though because most of time, you are reviewing products I can’t get in South Africa, plus I don’t know if Blogher is different but usually these competitions are only open to US residents. But I do always read – and enjoy! – your reviews. Don’t let the scavengers get you down…we still love you. :)

  • Tina

    I have to admit, I read your blog but usually don’t comment…if I do go to your review page (often I don’t click over b/c if time or b/c there are so many people entering I don’t bother), I do enjoy reading it–for the same reason I like your blog! You just have a fun writing style and you show that same style in the review, so it is fun to go over there. I’d blame the “Go to these other blogs for another chance to enter” type links for you cut/paste answers. But now I’m all willing to go over knowing the little secret! :) Thanks! :)

  • Jenn Bo

    I always read your blog. Always always. Sometimes comment, but not often. I must admit that I have not been as faithful to your reviews. I’ll do better, I promise. =)

  • Colleen

    Good for you! If people don’t have a few seconds to read, they shouldn’t be on the computer anyway. I might not always make sense in my sleep-deprived world, but I try my hardest to comment in a relevant manner….

  • Brandee

    Yours is the the very first blog I started reading, because I googled something about soothers and your blog came up. (Our kids are virtually the same age January babies). I usually never comment and although I sometimes read your review posts, I dont comment because I am in Canada.

    But I have always thought how crazy it is when someone who gets 5 to 20 comments usually then all of a sudden they havee 200 on a giveaway…

    I guess thank you for my fueling my blog obession to what it is today. I faithfully also read Bethany’s and Anna. And because of you I met Anna in person and we have become friends! The blog world is something else.

  • Melissa

    Those of us who read your blog like your reviews as well. I see nothing wrong with you giving us a little advantage :) and totally appreciate it! Thanks for thinking of us.

  • Leah

    It is your blog and if the instructions are not followed, it is your right to disqualify someone that didn’t follow the MANDATORY rule! I loved this post…I did get a good feeling from it! Thanks

    Leahforlove

  • Brooke

    The ice in your drink looks like foam, and the juice looks like dark malt. Haha, I was expecting a review on a beer : ) Obviously, once I saw the review I saw the picture for what it was and it doesn’t look like that at all any more…but I was fooled at first glance :)

  • Yara

    ” I don’t pretend to be super funny or interesting”… meaning you don’t have to pretend, because you really are, right? ; )
    At least, all of us reading your blog find you interesting, because we keep coming back.

  • beck

    Thank you for having this opinion! Woo hoo!!! Take THAT, mindless commenters hoping to get something for… NOTHING, not even a few brain waves.

  • brenda

    Hmmm…. is this me? I read your site, but rarely comment. And sometimes posts set off tangents in my mind and I end up writing something totally off the wall, but that makes sense to me. Now I have to go see which contests I posted on yesterday. Because I vaguely recall doing a c&p on the windows phone clutter contest, but I believed that the comment was relevant on both blogs, but it may not have been because I was in a rut when it came to my mental processes. Hmm…

  • Siera

    I stop by now and then and comment sometimes. I usually don’t bother commenting as most contests aren’t open to Canadians. *Sigh* I read the rules, after the review to not get mt sad Canadian hopes up.

  • Jeanie

    Hey – what an honest post. I haven’t been to your review site more than once or twice…my active 2.5 year old son takes up a lot of my time.

    I find myself not commenting on anybody’s posts that are contests. I’m not sure why, but part of it is that I feel like I have what I need — why not let someone else win the prize and not be one of the many?

    I also get a HUGE kick out of the blogs that garner like 17,000 comments to win a mixer. I mean, COME ON. You and the city of Detroit are commenting in order to get that one shot. I don’t know — that just cracks me up. Yeah, nothing’s gone into commenting other than a few seconds of time (if you’re a cut & paste poster) but it still makes me laugh.

    I read blogs for their content. I read interesting people. I’m not even sure how I found SAJ but I have always liked it here and felt like if I ever ran into you at the grocery store (fat chance since I live in the Midwest) that I could say Hi to you and you wouldn’t flip out, and you would seem real.

    Sorry for the long comment. I’m not a blog owner so I guess I got a little long-winded when I had the chance.

    Good for you, though, and congrats to your SAJ winner, whoever she/he is.

  • Susie

    I’m a longtime reader and very occasional commenter. I’ve been reading you since before you were pregnant with bug! I should try to comment more, but… I’m lame. We had one brief email exchange YEARS ago, and I thought I would die of excitement that I was having an actual “conversation” with SAJ!

    Anyway, as you see, I’m a babbler, which is why I don’t comment often.

  • Katie

    AAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA (sorry can’t contain myself) So I just hopped over there to read and then read the comments (knowing what the question was).. I think maybe instead of it being a peeve you should view it as funny.. I know it’s frustrating but I think you are handling it well. :)

  • Mrs. Wilson

    I was wondering how you dealt with things like that!! Most reviews/contests are open only to Americans, so I don’t enter a whole lot of them, but when I do, I end up reading the poster’s “real” blog. AND THAT’S HOW MY READER GETS SO FULL.

    Wait, what was the question?

  • gingermog

    Hello, I’ve always have a bit of dilemma on what to do regarding commenting on your reviews. I always want to support anything that you do, but I never feel comfy commenting when there’s a give away as I don’t want to win anything and also I’m not a US citizen, so I think that disqualifies me. I will however feel free to comment on your craft reviews, I think we are due one soon?

    I noted your reference to Brendaritta’s in your review, (the tea sounds delicious by the way) and I am so happy and proud to think I’ve actually drank one of those made by your own hands :) It was an awesome drink. Thank you. xx

  • Becca

    I totally get your pet peeve! I have it too. I don’t like entering giveaways because there are so many fishers out there and I don’t do reviews and host giveaways because I wouldn’t want one of them to win. Great idea disqualifying them!!

    BTW, I read your reviews all the way through :)

  • elz

    That has bugged me too. I tried winning a few of the Kellogg’s (some of my favorite bloggers participated :)) It amazed me that people would just say-enter me- and not answer the question. if you don’t follow the rules, you shouldn’t get toplay. Just my two cents.

  • BeachMama

    Awesome idea, that drives me nuts too! And just so you know, I don’t enter them because I live in Canada, not because I don’t love your posts and giveaways :)

  • berlin hair baby

    I love your blog and am a total “sympathetic disliker” so as soon as I read this I had to go read your latest review and be annoyed by the lame, generic commenters :-)
    You are such an awesome woman SAJ, and I really wish you the best!
    ps: my pet peeve is that so many of the sites I network with about hair etc have contests and its USA RESIDENTS ONLY. every time. dunno, I’m sure its practical or necessary on some level but it annoys me.

  • s

    This is funny – I always feel weird about commenting on any review posts because lets be honest, of course I would LOVE to win free stuff, but I don’t want to be all about the “bling” – I read your blog (and some others) because I enjoy the writing and the stories shared (and the pictures of course!) so I feel sorta lame-o trying to stand in line winning something! I do always answer the question tho, so I will try to feel a little less lame-o in the future!