A Look At Free Reviewer Swag

chicl3t writes "It used to be that the lagniappes that came along with hardware for review were things like USB drives — makes sense, one 128MB drive for a 100MB presentation. But...iPod nanos? As in more than one? That's another story entirely. It's damn nice swag, of course, but at what point is it too much? A DailyTech writer talks about his experiences with swag."

Comments

I heartily agree

[Anonymous Coward]

As I write this on my beautiful Apple MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo Santa Rosa 2.4ghz with an ultrafast 4 GB of Corsair Memory and my always trustworthy Western Digital MyBook Pro 1TB World Edition backup. This marketing madness must stop.

Re:I heartily agree

[StikyPad]

As a reviewer, I am under no obligation to promote the zesty, robust taste of Doritos brand tortilla chips, regardless of how great a snack they may be for lunchtime, munch time, anytime. It's illegal for my crunch money here to pay for the review, but it is legal for it to pay for my website, and the website can report on Frito Lay. Advert: "Eat them." Reviewer: "I just happen to like 'em."

Critical thinking has its rewards

[Dystopian Rebel]

And some Slashdot militants complain that critical thinking isn't taught in the US school system (or White House press conferences)!

This is a fine example of critical thinking being rewarded. In their heart of hearts, Corporations only want people to understand the benefits of their products. And writers... well we all know how hard it is to grind out paragraphs for which someone wants to pay. If writers have to EBay their lagniappes for food and rent money, are you going to oppress them with your sanctimonious principles, you cruel prescriptive bastards?

Besides, the reviewers are not receiving bribes. They are lagniappes. If I were a politician, I would be open to receiving lagniappes. It sounds like something you get at a fine soirée, like canapés and other words with French accents in them.

Message texted from pew #7 in my church using a Blackberry from a review I did earlier this year.

Re:Critical thinking has its rewards

[Nastard]

You talk of critical thinking while surfing (and posting to) Slashdot in a church?

Swag removal for free

[WPIDalamar]

Please email me for my latest free service "Swag Removal". I will provide you with an address that you can ship all of your unwanted swag valued at over $20. I will then make sure that swag is "properly handled" to provide you with an ethical solution to the problem at no cost to you other than shipping.

Re:Swag removal for free

[blowdart]

I would like to provide an independent review of your service. Please send me some items so I might send some of them back.

Nano for Swag? Ha! That's nothing!

[Ralph Spoilsport]

I got a really nice computer backpack in 1998 from attending (against my will, but at the behest of The Powers That Be) an SAP conference. And before that I got a Palm IV (!!!) for free, and all that was WAY more expensive and WAY more useful than a fucking iPod nano.

At another convention, I got a guitar tuner, and a really nice long sleeve Moog Synthesizer T shirt. ANY old dump can crank out cheap short sleeve shirts - you know you're getting a better deal when they dish out heavier quality long sleeve T shirts. That's much better swag. I am a swag seeker. I have original Napster Golf Shirts. I have Macromedia mouse pads, I have all kinds of this crap in my garage. I even have a heavy duty cotton button down collared Fontographer shirt. Really nice shirt, and a prized possession. I have a long sleeve "ready Set go" shirt, too.

But iPod nano? BWAHAHAHAAAAA!!! Don't make me laugh. That it such junior league material - intro stuff like my shirts and mousepads. When they give away the giant 160 gig iPod, then we're talkin' quality swag....

RS

Re:Nano for Swag? Ha! That's nothing!

[Anonymous Coward]

> And before that I got a Palm IV (!!!) for free, and all that was WAY more expensive and WAY more useful than a fucking iPod nano.

Considering that Palm never released something called Palm IV, you either got a Chinese knockoff PDA or something non-existent. I think I'd take the Nano.

Re:Does anyone bother with those reviews?

[Matey-O]

I stopped relying on Consumer Reports when their gripe for a Mitsubishi eclipse was: "Trunk too small for a wheelchair."

Re:"Lagniappes?"

[ColdWetDog]

Thanks for that. It was just too damned hard to select the word, right click on it and "search google".

Oh, I've got it, you don't have a right mouse button. My bad.

Re:Great News!

[Anonymous Coward]

I suppose plugging in an SLI PCIe backwards would be difficult.

Allow me to introduce my friends "tin snips" and "hot glue gun".