Consumer Reports vs. Epinions and Deja
from the old-world-vs.-new-world dept
Salon compares the old world of Consumer Reports to the new internet ways of Epinions and Deja.com. They point out that Consumer Reports is the second most popular online subscription (next to the Wall Street Journal) and has stood by its policy of charging for content and not allowing any advertising whatsoever. Deja and Epinions seem to laugh that off as being fairly quaint. Of course, take a look at which of these companies is laying off people and which are humming along just fine, and you have to wonder who will have the last laugh. I'll admit that Consumer Reports might not always be able to get away with charging, but for the time being I certainly don't see Deja or Epinions being serious competition for them. Careful scientific testing vs. consumer ranting doesn't necessarily lead to the same results.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
