Earlier in the week, in Honesty in Blog Product Reviews, we talked about the proposed amendments that the FTC is considering which brought into question blogger product reviews. Let’s consider just how great that influence is on consumers’ purchasing decisions.
As blogging became more mainstream and credible, the concept of web log suddenly morphed into more of a blog-like magazine. The tone stayed the same in most cases, but the content got more serious, more useful and more frequent. What began as one consumer simply sharing a random product experience with other consumers quickly ballooned into established and trusted bloggers being …read more

Often when faced with the task of purchasing a high-end product, many consumers jump online to find out what’s available. Brands, models, features and price points are all considered and compared, culled from company and store websites around the web.
In my case, after a thorough spreadsheet is created with the various product specs, I often still don’t have a decision made. That’s when I start searching through online reviews of the top 3. Now that particular behavior is just me – I’m sure most buyers don’t build a thorough spreadsheet and some might possibly even go straight to the reviews.
Ah …read more