Are product reviews welcome on bikeforums? Is this the right subforum for posting them? Is it kosher if the reviewer received free evaluation units offered expressly for reviews? I looked for a place to submit these questions to the moderators, but I didn't find one. Also, how does a vendor set up advertising here? I've been approached by a couple of vendors to be a reviewer and want to know the legitimate way to do it, if it is allowed at all. I imagine the forum's owner can make advertising revenue from it, but perhaps only if that's in the owner's business model.

Thanks for any help.

Tom Reingold

Free stuff is never "reviewed". Its paid advertising, just not paid in dollars.

I get your point. It depends on how valuable it is. They sent me a $3 headlight which was trash in many respects. I told the vendor that she really didn't want me to review it, because the review wouldn't be favorable. I told her what a light should be and do for me to like it. I don't consider this junky light to be payment at all. In fact, the time I spent with it is really a loss, though not a terrible one.

Still, clearly the owner here likes advertising in some forms.

I wouldn't bother without a written policy, consistently observed. At least one of my product review posts was deleted, presumably mistaken for spam. I just liked the product, and paid for it myself.

I understand the mod chores and nature of the beast. I've been a mod on a couple of hobbyist sites for many years. But without a consistent policy, or a designated product review forum, it's usually a pain in the neck for everyone. It's too difficult to tell at a glance the difference between an enthusiastic review and spam. And if the post is deleted, it discourages posters from bothering again.

Nowadays I just write reviews for the vendor I bought from, Amazon, or my own YouTube or blog pages. When I'm looking for user feedback on a product I check Amazon first, then a few relevant discussion forums to get a balance of opinions. The problem with discussion forums is the usual digressions into arguing about stuff other people have posted, rather that sticking to the characteristics of the product itself.