The Power of the Internet and CF ?

[Sabbatical II]

I've been amazed at the bagging of the Rocna anchors on this forum and have taken particular interest in each thread being someone who has purchased a "made in China" version.

My question has nothing to do with the anchors. I am interested to know if bad reports on a forum such as this result in a drop in sales figures for such products or does it even spell disaster for companies who get "poor press" on the internet?

Greg

[Cheechako]

Dont know but i would think so eventually. The internet influences most things i buy now. Mostly from user reviews. One needs to read a lot of reviews and glean the common thread in them all. Reading one or two bad reviews doesnt mean much really. I havent followed the whole rocna thread but have seen a bent shank on almost all anchors out there. Likely the result of poor anchoring decisions or user issues, then , bad luck

[sailorboy1]

I don't know, but bet it does some. But I know that it's funny how lots of time when I'm doing a web search for something that CF comes up on the first page of search results. I'm even more amazed when it is a posting from me looking for the answer to the same thing.

[zeehag]

i am amazed to see glossy sailboat magazines misquoting me out of context.....from cf...
and if rocna were last anchor on earth i still wouldnt buy one. so i am not influenced as to what to purchase.....

[Bash]

There are 1,222 users online as I write this.
Of that group, an estimated* 1,097 love anchor threads.
Of the group that love anchor threads, an estimated* 628 actually own anchors.
Of the anchor owners, an estimated* 466 either own a Rocna or were considering buying one.


*these are my own private estimates, of course.

[GordMay]

It certainly cannot help.

[Aussie_Sequoia]

Reviews from reputable publishers or sailors are one thing... emotionally fuel threads full of hearsay on social forums (even themed social forums such as this one) is an entirely different thing. Unfortunately I imagine bad press from CF does influence real world sales trends... but I'm saying it shouldn't. Anyone listening solely to threads on a forum is not making an educated decision.

[Target9000]

Almost every thread that contains reviews or opinions of a product has a wide variety of viewpoints represented. As a consumer, I'll listen to both sides when making a purchase decision. Most companies that care about their products, customers, and their bottom line will listen to both sides too. Their reactions to the feedback are important to me.

Listening solely to a manufacturer or a vendor is not making an educated decision.

[Aussie_Sequoia]

I agree to the two sided approach. For the record, I didn't say manufacturer or vendor. I said reputable plublisher or sailer eg: an organisation who reviews (equipment) with the view of the consumer in mind - stating both sides of their results... or reputable sailors who state their findings after realworld conditions in a reputable publication (online or otherwise) - not armchair sailors on a forum.

I agree that forums are part of my research and it is nice to read both sides... but I find there is far too much hearsay and blabber between real facts in most forums and BBs.

Just my 2cents

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Aussie_Sequoia

... Anyone listening solely to threads on a forum is not making an educated decision.

They certainly are, if they're paying attention to my advice.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

I don't know, but bet it does some. But I know that it's funny how lots of time when I'm doing a web search for something that CF comes up on the first page of search results. I'm even more amazed when it is a posting from me looking for the answer to the same thing.

yeah, i noticed that about me the other day. I need to shut up and just loiter for a while! ;>)

[SabreKai]

Comments on the web do have an effect on sales. But people who only read comments on one or two forums without going to professional reviews to balance out the data are making a big mistake. I agree, most comments are on the emotional side. I'd like to see equipment reports written in a more non emotional way, strictly what happened, what lead up to the incident and no comments either way as to the quality.

As for making decisions using forum comments, they aid me in my process but I also read the reviews and do a poll of all the boats at my club. When I needed new furling gear for SD, I went down to the club with a clip board and did a nose by nose survey. Based on that and reviews I made my choice.

[S/V Alchemy]

Sometimes "crowd-sourcing" only demostrates that a surprisingly large number of people are wrong, but in general, if the same observations crop up in professional reviews, semi-pro places like yachtie newsletters, personal blogs and lastly, in forums, there is probably more than a grain of truth in the criticisms or the plaudits.

For every "Rocna" type of "shocked and appalled" thread, there's frequently an endorsement of some service or product that may be cheaper and more effective that the "marine standard".

The way Atomic 4 owners treat Marvel Mystery Oil like it came from a magical grotto is an example of this. I had never heard of the stuff before I went on A4 e-mail groups, but I have NEVER been on an A4-powered boat without seeing a bottle of it stashed in a locker along with spare plugs and a Globe impeller.

The Simple Green and "303" cleaning products are also very popular with the boating crowd, and I think those products were greatly boosted by Internet chatter.

Sometimes in boating, a great but discontinued product like Barlow winches or Merriman turnbuckles and other gear is "hoarded" and no longer available parts are traded like holy relics because boaters are quite conservative and tend to dislike waste...a 35 year old winch could last another 25, why not?

[Randyonr3]

and some times bogus info gets put out and it spreads like wilefire.....
Had a guy come into the shop a week or so ago to have a new bimini and dodger made for his boat..
He was a faithfull readed of CF and made the remark about using a certain typ of thread "Tenara" and sunbrella "plus" to be used.........
Have no problems doing as he requested but when he found out the sunbrella he wanted was a bit higher in price and the thread was an additional price over the bonded poly, He seemed to back off on the "I have to have this" attitude a little..
He had read a few posts on products concerning biminis and dogers and was taking the info on CF as law.
It dosent change my way of doing work or the amount of work I have back-logged, but sometimes the info given out dosent give the complete story..
For this gentelman, he was thinking he would get the up-graded products for just comming in and demanding it...
shocking as it might seem, all up-grades are passed on to the customer...

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by SabreKai

(...) But people who only read comments on one or two forums without going to professional reviews to balance out the data are making a big mistake. (...)

The problem is that it is pretty hard to tell a well written piece of crypto advertisement from an unbiased review. And will the manufacturer advertise in my magazine if I bash their product? Etc..

I mean to say you are right; and the opposite (reading only professional reviews and disregarding the word of mouth, Internet fora, etc.) is the other kind of mistake.

The third one is walking into a chandlery and asking the salesperson for a recommendation ;-)))

b.