In recent months, this board has blown up in terms of users testing new products provided by supplement companies. While we have already debated the upside (more reviews, impressions on products before release date, great opportunities for knowledgeable and hard working board members) and downside (constant bickering and whining, increased commercialism/pimping) to this influx, there are other issues at hand that I feel need to be addressed.
1. If you are chosen to be a product reviewer, it is your responsibility to the forum and to the providing company to keep up with your log. Some products lend themselves to regular updates more than others, but just because the day-to-day effects may be small doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t at least post impressions twice a week.
2. Eliminate variables. How are we to know how a product is working if you simultaneously up your caloric intake, change your training style, add a few days of rec basketball a week, and stack it with the brand new Product XYZ you have been dying to use. Hold off on any new supplementation, diet changes, or exercise changes until after your trial is complete.
3. Along the same lines, if you already have products lined up to review, don’t go out of your way to get more. While the prospect of “freebies” is enticing, especially for those strapped for cash, keep in mind that: 1) there are other deserving individuals out there who have yet to get a product to test, 2) you should only test one product at a time, and 3) it is not fair to the community or the providing company if you have to wait 4+ weeks to legitimately review the product.
4. Keep your reviews as objective as possible. There is always the urge to pimp a product because you believe the hype or because you want to “thank” the providing company by making their product out to be the next creatine. Go into it as if you bought the product yourself and never read all of the inflated claims that came with it. Biased reviews do nothing for the community.
I am sure there are other points to be made. If you think of any, feel free to add them. Hopefully this thread will stay bumped for at least a few days so people will have the chance to read it before it drifts into obscurity with 30000 N-Large and Cell-Tech threads.