By now you must have heard of ReviewMe. If not, here it is in a nutshell: it's an advertising website that pays bloggers to write reviews for products or services from advertisers. The only (serious) condition is that bloggers have to label such reviews as paid-for, and so to comply, I hereby label this review of ReviewMe as sponsored and paid for.

Objectivity?

This raises the issue of objectivity: can bloggers (or any reporter) be truly objective about what they are reviewing if they are getting paid for it? I would answer that, in this particular case, yes, objectivity can be maintained. You see, the set up is that bloggers have a relationship with ReviewMe, not with the advertisers. Further, since the advertisers ask to be reviewed by certain blogs, the bloggers can choose not review any or all products. Likewise, advertisers can choose who they would like to review them. If you think about it, this is the same set up as any magazine, journal, or newspaper, such that the bloggers are freelance writers for the publication, which in turn attracts advertisers. The only difference is that the published articles are not on paper or on a website, but distributed across many websites.

This system will mirror what we already have: some will write glowing reviews for everything, attracting more advertisers but losing their visitors' trust, while others will be completely negative, attracting no advertisers, with the great majority maintaining some degree of objectivity. I hope you'll believe me when I say I will strive to be in the lattermost group!

How does it work?

Create an account and login to your control panel (screenshot below). The interface is clean with clear blocks of information telling you of any messages and a summary of your reviewing activity. The account allows you to be a blogger writing reviews and be an advertisers if you want reviews.

Through your account, you can submit up to six blogs to be included in the approved list of reviewing websites. Reviews start with advertisers requesting reviews blogs they choose from the ReviewMe directory (for example, my things of sorts entry and the Blog of Science entry). The blogger can then accept or reject the request.

Will it work?

I don't see why not, but the objectivity question has been raised many times around the web. A wrong slip might tarnish the ReviewMe image and the system beyond repair, so the onus really is on the ReviewMe team to be fair - and strict - umpires to manage everyone. From their FAQ for advertisers as I write this:

Can I require a positive review?

We do not allow advertisers to require a positive review. The vast majority of reviews are measuredly positive, although many do contain constructive criticism. We view this as a bonus: how else can you quickly and cheaply get feedback on a product or service from influencers?

IMHO, they need to be much more strict and rigid in enforcing a fair framework about what to expect from reviews and reviewers - Criticism taken the wrong way will start fights.

The other issue is getting enough advertisers to request reviews. Inventory-wise, a large selection of blogs with little or no reviewing history might put off advertisers. If you know that a given blogger in your target niche is a good reviewer, why go elsewhere and risk losing money?

All in all, I think ReviewMe is a good idea and it will succeed. Their launch promotion is certainly a great way to kick off (talk about the SEO benefit!), but let's see what they deliver in the next few months. With this in mind, expect a few more reviews here on things of sorts or on the Blog of Science.

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