It comes second only to proven facts and studies in my list of things that matter the most when considering a new product or item.
I would rather read a first-hand account of a product from a real person, unpaid by any company, who ordered the product on their own free will, than spend an hour reading materials regarding the product on it's website.
This leads me to what I want to talk about today. I've pulled up 3 really interesting blogs, which I happen to follow, that contain reviews/overviews about products. It's my intention to break down what I like and dislike about each review, and to also give a little bit of insight into the products, if I have something to offer up on them. All three blog posts/reviews come from respectable places, and it's my intention to only build off of the work they've already done, or to give my thoughts on the work they have done.
This blog in general is extremely helpful to people like myself, who obsess over horse nutrition and supplementation. Hannah does a remarkable job in ALL of her posts explaining the scientific facts in each part of a product she might be discussing. Her informational tables are WONDERFUL as well. I really recommend clicking around her blog. If she weren't busy in the Army right now, I'd be getting on her to update the blog, she has GREAT content!
This particular post convinced me to switch my horse to Actiflex 4000. At the time I had my gorgeous dappled buckskin pony Bella, and she was getting 10,000 mg MSM per day. Her work load was increasing, and I felt it necessary to up the support I offered her. One look at the presentation of ingredients and facts on this blog, and I was pretty much sold.
The blogger has a clean, streamlined approach to her blog. She almost always provides some sort of informational table to go along with her product review. This helps paint a better picture for those of us who are visual, with regards to the contents, amounts, and price. She takes all the hard work out of researching similar popular products. I am eternally grateful for the time she has spent making such tables. Her presentation of the ingredients and their purpose gets quite scientific, but for someone like me, who wants to know the why along with the what, it's a perfect balance. At the end of the post she goes on to give her first hand experience with her OTTB and this product. As if I weren't sold enough halfway through her post, the testimonial to the product is actually what convinced me to give it a try. I feel that personal accounts and opinions of things help me form a more balanced, realistic idea about each item I question. I applaud Hannah for the superb job she does presenting the facts and her own opinions.
I have successfully used this supplement for a year and a half, now on two different horses, with SUPERB results. LOVE this stuff.
I'm new to this blog, and I'm fairly certain that the blogger is somewhere in the UK. Thankfully, there are a handful of items which are also available in the United States that I am familiar with. The Back on Track Royal Boots have been a questionable item for me to try out for some time. (as have many other BOT products) I really like the details provided on this blog post regarding this item. The blogger does a wonderful job of providing the company's information about the product, and then quickly goes into their first impressions with the items. I was very happy to see that her review was NOT all rainbows and sunshine. She had valid cons to this product which helped me become a more informed reader, and actually backed me up a few steps in my thoughts to purchase. Her account of the durability of the internal structures of the boots was very honest, with photographic evidence of the durability or lack thereof. It's very important in making a decision on an item, particularly if you're like me, and like to remain as frugal as you can in this industry. She saved me a lot of money when I would have expected the boots to hold up as others typically do. Overall, she still loves them, and if you have the money to spend, recommends them because in her personal situation, the benefits and therapeutic qualities outweighed the lack of durability. Another nicely put together blog post, and overall a wonderful blog.
This blog is overwhelming, in a good way. Clearly the Savvy Horsewoman did something right, because her blog is jam packed full of content, advertisements, etc. This is probably what many bloggers strive to achieve. There is a lot of great information to be had here.
For this particular blog post, the blogger introduces the 5 best selling helmets under $80. The idea is grand. It's right in my niche of being frugal and functional. I actually owned one of the aforementioned helmets for my everyday schooler (The Tipperary Sportage in Matte Black). However I was disappointed. I LOVE the blog, please don't get me wrong, but this post is lacking so much. Where is the personal touch? I see a small blurb at the beginning about how helmets and budgets are important to the blogger, but no mention on anything relating to these helmets directly. Where is that personal touch that helps the reader make a decision? The blogger links off to amazon reviews and star ratings, but puts no personal effort into any of the items. I don't fault the writer, as you can tell, there is a LOT of content going on around the entire blog, but sometimes a reader is looking for a more intimate look at things. It's helpful to relate to your readers, wouldn't you all agree? I do have to put in a plug for the tipperary sportage, a GREAT economical schooling helmet that makes my head not look as big as my old IRH did!
I'm not here to criticize anyone's writing, but I am here to give praise where praise is due! Each one of these blogs provided information to us, the consumer, to do with what we will. Three very different ways to present useful information to us, the fellow consumer.
What do you look for in a blog review or even an opinion piece? What aspects draw you in, and what points help you make an informed decision about what the blogger is writing about?
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