SoftWareProgs.com

Q1. Have you ever noticed that product reviews often seem alike?
Q2. Or that many reviews mention no defects?
Q3. Or that numerous reviews list features but no user impressions?

My guess is the following.
A1. Many reviews are fake, written from vendor promotional documents.
A2. Many reviews are intended to push sales, not to inform readers.
A3. Many reviews are written by folks who never used the products.

Here’s an example from my recent experience.

McAfee publishes security software for computers, and has built a big reputation. One of their clever marketing ploys has been to get Internet Service Providers to offer deep discounts or “free” (prepaid) copies to customers. I recently got “FREE McAfee Antivirus and Firewall software” from Comcast.net. So far, no problem.

From my blog post of 11 May 2008:
QUOTE
The initial download was a download manager to fetch the full multi-megabyte installer. Even on cable, the download and install took time.

The install halted and said that one of its components (the only one I wanted, in fact) was incompatible with the installed AVG Anti-Virus. Hiding AVG files in a zip did not help. Uninstalling did not clear the problem*.

McAfee’s blunder is that the installer can’t restart, but I had to restart the download manager to refetch the multi-megabyte installer. The McAfee downloads I found in a C: temp folder just would not do anything. The upshot was that I had to download four times, after clearing AVG boo-boo.

Come on McAfee. Such design blunders cast doubt on your ability to protect computers against software invaders.
ENDQUOTE

*To clear the McAfee conflict with AVG, I had to use regedit to manually purge Grisoft and AVG from my registry.

I found the McAfee suite to occupy 10 to 100 percent of my fast CPU on the second day, long after any initial scan would justify. Because my NetGear router includes a firewall, I turned off the one from McAfee (as well as the one in Windows XP). Still heavy CPU usage. Then I turned off the McAfee component which scans email, because TaskManager showed that to be the top CPU user, even when I had no inbound mail. I already have spam filters on my email, plus quarantine of executable attachments, so I’m willing to give up full time virus scans of messages. McAfee was still taking ten to one hundred percent of my CPU, so MCAFEE IS A VIRUS. I uninstalled it, and went back to the superior, free SpyBot Search and Destroy which can be made to run on schedules and/or computer boot up. This protector can be throttled from full CPU down to run-when-idle.

Did I read of such gross defects on any software review? Of course not. They are all directed at making money, not informing consumers. Nor did any mention kick backs or payments under the table, or free competing products.

I am not against sponsored or fee-paid product reviews. After all, a good review takes research, concentration, plus time, and not everyone wants to volunteer. I am against reviewer prostitution, reviewer laziness, reviewer stupidity. Of course, consumer ignorance, consumer laziness, and consumer stupidity allow bad reviews to continue misleading shoppers. Don’t allow yourself to be a bad consumer.

Pick your “infomercials” carefully.

Copyright 2008 by Donald A. Miller, PhD / SoftWareProgs.com,
See “S/W Store” and “Specials, Limited” for good deals on software.