StylinDoggies.com

(An unpaid review)

Having nothing to do with ReviewMe.com, I've NOT been asked to review the site/services offered by blogdaughter Machelle of Quality Weenie on her canine clothing site StylinDoggies.com, but I'm doing it anyway as a public service.

Topics addressed in this review:
WHAT THEY DO
WHO THEY ARE
HOW'S THEIR REPUTATION?
IS THE SITE USER FRIENDLY?
ABOUT THE PRODUCTS
IMPROVEMENTS I'D LIKE TO SEE
WOULD I USE STYLINDOGGIES.COM?
CONCLUSION

WHAT THEY DO

StylinDoggies.com is a site that sells fashionable attire and accessories for dogs.

WHO THEY ARE

The site is run by fashionista puppies Lance and Maggie, with Machelle locked in her attic sweatshop, sewing together the various items for some pathetic piece-rate wage.

HOW'S THEIR REPUTATION?

Not much out there on Google yet, but the site's only been up about a week. Pamibe says she likes the look of the necklaces & bandanas.

IS THE SITE USER FRIENDLY?

Yes.

StylinDoggies.com has a simple, uncluttered, two-column design with an easy-on-the eyes pawprint background. It has large, easy-to-read text throughout the pages, and intuitive categories listed in the sidebar. Each category page contains a large, clear picture of the item type being modelled by either Lance or Maggie or both. The navigation sidebar appears on all pages.

All items feature color/pattern swatches so you can see what you're getting, and clear instructions for ordering.

All payments are made through PayPal, so you can use either a credit card or funds from your PayPal account.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTS

First I should mention that I'm not personally a "dress your dog" enthusiast, since my dogs have thick arctic coats and clothing would be superfluous. However, for folks who think that doggie dress-up is a GOOD thing, I have to admit that Stylin' Doggies DOES offer styles, colors, and patterns that you won't see elsewhere, and does so at prices that seem reasonable, especially considering these items are made to order.

I also like the fact that she warns on every page that ALL doggie fashion accessories can be a potential choke hazard and should only be worn under supervision. It's an excellent point that doggie dressers everywhere should keep in mind.

The best feature of the doggie tops is that they're designed to be boy-dog potty-proof, and have been extensively field-tested in this area.

Now, even if you're not a doggie-dresser, there's more than just clothing items to be had, so every dog owner should at least take a look at StylinDoggies.com.

Here's a list of the categories:

Sweaters

Dresses

Shirts

T-shirts

Fancy collars

Necklaces

Bandanas

Bedding

Snuggle Sacks

I'd never heard of Snuggle Sacks before, but they seem perfect for small dogs who like cozy places.

IMPROVEMENTS I'D LIKE TO SEE
There are a few more items I'd like to see in the sidebar:

* A link to a "Contact" page, or just have an active mailto link. There's a mailto link on the home page, but you never know what page a customer will be on when the urge to e-mail will strike, so it would be good to have that always handy.

* A link to an "About Stylin' Doggies" page.

* A link to the return policy.

* A link to an FAQ page. Of course, the site's too new to have any ACTUAL questions that have been asked a lot, but try to imagine yourself as a curious & confused customer who's not familiar with the products, and make up a list.

Also, it might be helpful to alphabetize the categories to make browsing even easier.

For the Bedding page - is there an extra charge for certain large sizes?

T-shirts - should mention that customers need to specify the appliquee in the comments section of the order form.

Fancy collars - I'm a bit confused over which color is for the ribbon & which is for the collar. My suggestion would be to have either the ribbon or collar color on top for every picture, and mention something about that on the page. Since the "Princess" one is the only one with words, I'd suggest using that ribbon/collar orientation for all the items, and just flip the rest of the images that are currently "upside down".

Finally, after some happy customer e-mails start coming in, consider posting some "what people say about Stylin Doggies" comments either in the sidebar or on their own page with a link in the sidebar.

WOULD I USE STYLINDOGGIES.COM?

If I were the kind of person who dresses dogs, I would. Some of those patterns are quite eye-catching, if not downright attractive.

CONCLUSION

StylinDoggies.com is an excellent place to browse and shop for doggie clothing and accessories. With vibrant colors and practical designs, it's the kind of place your dogs would shop for themselves if they had opposable thumbs and a credit card.

MRSAT.COM - UPDATE

Well, I have to give MrSat.com SOME credit. He ditched the blink tags, the endless sound loop, the crappy tagline, and the lame pastel color scheme.

He also fixed the broken links in his "About" page, and added some links to his previously linkless essays.

On the downside, the crappy, unprofessional privacy policy still applies, the new color scheme looks like 1970's kitchen appliances, and his new tagline is "the satellitest place on earth".

Anyway, all he needs now is useful information and frequently updated content, and his site will finally be worth more than a puddle of warm spit.

MrSat.com

(A paid review)

Via ReviewMe.com, I've been asked to review the site/services offered by MrSat.com

Topics addressed in this review:
WHAT THEY DO
WHO THEY ARE
HOW'S THEIR REPUTATION?
IS THE SITE USER FRIENDLY?
HANDY FEATURES
IMPROVEMENTS I'D LIKE TO SEE
WOULD I USE MRSAT.COM?
CONCLUSION

WHAT THEY DO

MrSat.com is a website that contains links to:

DirecTV.com
AllSat.com, which is a DishNetwork retailer
ShopSirius.com, portal for Sirius Satellite Radio

It also contains links to several generalized text essays on the topic of satellite TV, as well as GPS systems

WHO THEY ARE

I have no freakin' clue. Here's the "About" page in its entirety:

Mr. Sat, now on the World Wide Web at www.mrsat.com, officially launched on July 9, 2007. Our mission is to provide you with top-notch reviews of consumer satellite services. Whether you're interested in learning more about satellite television, satellite radio, or GPS systems, we have you covered.

If you go there, please note that all three links are broken.

HOW'S THEIR REPUTATION?

Bad to non-existent. Outside of commercial links, the only Google reference I found was a single paid review on No Sheep that leads off with the words "MrSat.com is terrible." A sentiment with which I wholeheartedly concur for reasons I will soon explain.

IS THE SITE USER FRIENDLY?

Oh dear, sweet God NO.

Let's begin with the front page, but DON'T click the link until after you're finished reading this, because you need to know what you're getting into.

In Firefox 2.0, the first thing I notice is a large swatch of blinking text.

That's right, blinking.

What. The. F***?

Even crappy porn sites don't use blink tags any more. The only time I've seen them in the last 4 years is by someone trying to be annoying on purpose as a joke. This goes beyond unprofessional to idiotically juvenile.

Blink tags are Satan. There's no reason to use them. Ever.

Visiting in IE6, I didn't get the blink, but I got something even WORSE:

An endless sound loop file.

With no option to turn the sound off.

It just keeps playing, and playing, and playing...

If blink tags are Satan, then unstoppable sound loops are Satan's erect penis, mercilessly plunging into your rectum, while sporting a barbed-wire condom.

For heaven's sake, don't use self-starting sound files on your site, and if you do anyway, have a "stop" option. Anything else is inexcusable.

Now, let's look at other reasons to hate this site. Keep in mind that the site's owner wants to use this thing to make money.

Moving off the front page, their is the egregious insult to web surfers everywhere that is his privacy policy. I quote it in its entirety:

Mr. Sat makes no reassurances whatsoever about visitor privacy. Mr. Sat collects information any way he can, and this may include cookies or server logs. Mr. Sat may rent or sell any and all visitor information. Let's be honest, Mr. Sat is in this for the money. :) This policy is subject to change at any time, and such changes will not be announced. Thanks! – Mr. Sat

Yeah. Thanks for one more reason to avoid Mr. Sat like a rabid skunk.

Here's an item that's just humorous - in his request for my review, Mr. Sat mentioned this:

After working on it for 7 months we have finally launched MrSat.com!

It took him 7 months to get this holocaust off the ground, and he's BRAGGING about that fact.

I'm simply stunned that in 7 months he couldn't surf around just a LITTLE bit to see what *quality* web sites were doing, and maybe borrow a clue.

Also, I want to say something about his tagline,

"Mr. Sat, that's my name. That name again is Mr. Sat".

You folks KNOW I enjoy a Simpsons reference as much as the next guy (and probably a lot more), but the Simpsons franchise guards its copyrights almost as jealously as Disney. Using a line from the show as the whole basis for your commercial enterprise is just begging for fire-breathing lawyers to descend upon you like so many flying monkeys. What he's done tempts fate only slightly less than tagging his site as "the satellitest place on earth".

Which leads to the question, "what is the product or service from which Mr. Sat hopes to generate revenue?"

Well, in THEORY, his attraction is supposed to be useful information - a comparison between satellite TV services.

In practice, he has only 5 bullet points each for DirecTV and DishNetwork. Which are neither aligned in a handy chart nor discussing comparable features.

Might as well flip a coin for all the help you're going to get here.

As for the the linkless text essays on topics satellite and GPS, the information they contain is only marginally informative, at best. How Stuff Works explains it better. Or just Google it. Whichever.

HANDY FEATURES

Your browser's "close window" button.

IMPROVEMENTS I'D LIKE TO SEE

I honestly don't think this site is redeemable, but I'll strap on my optimist's hat and offer some obvious suggestions:

* Get rid of the blinking text. It's just annoying.

* Get rid of the sound loop. It's just annoying.

* Get a new tagline.

* Take the money you're spending on buying reviews and spend it on a professionally designed site. The current design is clumsy, amateurish, and does nothing to make you look serious.

* Give people a reason to visit. Offer something they can't get somewhere else. True stories by real people telling why they decided to go with one satellite service over another would be a good start. Have some helpful decision-making information on the site.

At the very least, a point-by-point comparison chart would be a good start.

* If you know anything about the satellite industry, consider attaching a blog and updating it daily.

WOULD I USE MRSAT.COM?

No.

There's nothing on the site that makes it of value to the end user. If you're interested in satellite TV, just go directly to the DirecTV or DishNetwork sites. There's nothing to be gained by stopping at MrSat.com first. There's nothing valuable, informative, or entertaining there.

If you're trying to decide between DirecTV and DishNetwork, Google is your friend.

On the other hand, MrSat.com DOES make an excellent cautionary tale on how NOT to design a for-profit web site, so you might be able to get some use out of it in that capacity.

CONCLUSION

MrSat.com

Don't.

UPDATE 7-27-07:

Well, I have to give MrSat.com SOME credit. He ditched the blink tags, the endless sound loop, the crappy tagline, and the lame pastel color scheme.

He also fixed the broken links in his "About" page, and added some links to his previously linkless essays.

On the downside, the crappy, unprofessional privacy policy still applies, the new color scheme looks like 1970's kitchen appliances, and his new tagline is "the satellitest place on earth".

Anyway, all he needs now is useful information and frequently updated content, and his site will finally be worth more than a puddle of warm spit.

DailyGames.com

(A paid review)

Via ReviewMe.com, I've been asked to review the site/services offered by DailyGames.com

Topics addressed in this review:
WHAT THEY DO
WHO THEY ARE
HOW'S THEIR REPUTATION?
IS THE SITE USER FRIENDLY?
HANDY FEATURES
CAVEATS
IMPROVEMENTS I'D LIKE TO SEE
WOULD I USE DAILYGAMES.COM?
CONCLUSION

WHAT THEY DO

DailyGames.com is a website that hosts over 3000 Flash, Shockwave, and Java games that can be played in your web browser.

WHO THEY ARE

From what I could dig up, it's an English-language offshoot of the Spanish game site JuegosDiarios.com. The site is registered from Spain, and its archives stretch back to 2002 (well, the very first game is dated 2002, but the next earliest date listed is 2004).

HOW'S THEIR REPUTATION?

Essentially non-existent on the web. The only significant reference I found was a single ReviewMe.com-paid review (which was positive) that was posted on three different sites.

On the bright side, McAfee Site Advisor said "We tested this site and didn't find any significant problems", so you're not likely to pick up any adware, spyware, or malware from Dailygames.com. My own experiment with running Spybot before and after visiting the site seems to confirm this.

IS THE SITE USER FRIENDLY?

Quite.

First, unlike a lot of game sites, the layout is clean, orderly, and not befouled by dozens of annoying, blinking ads. The few ads on the page are from Google, and are contextually relevant. They're usually plain text, although there are occasional animated ones.

The search feature - which is prominently displayed above the fold - searches both title and description, giving you a better shot at finding what you're looking for.

All games posted in the last month were functional. I found a few broken ones while randomly poking around in the archives, but they seem to be few and far between. Even links from the very first page of the archives were all functional.

All game links open in a new window, and again, the new page only features the Google ads - usually text.

The main page has links to the three applications (Flash, Shockwave, and Java) that you might need to play the games, which is a convenience.

If you're using Internet Explorer, the game window is resizable. Sadly, this feature is currently unavailable in Firefox.

HANDY FEATURES

One of the best features on the site is the ability to add games to your "favorites list" (see right sidebar, above the fold) with a single click. Removing them is an equally convenient single click away.

The Top Games Section (above the fold, right sidebar) gives you the ability to have the top 15 and top 100 games listed by either player ratings or frequency of being played.

Games are listed in reverse-chronological order on the main page, with the newest ones on top. And when they say, "new games added daily", that's exactly true. I checked the last 30 days, and it's been pretty much three new games every day, with rare, sporadic bouts of two or four. Random archive spot checks show the same pattern.

If you're interested in adding links to the site's latest games in your sidebar, there's a page that gives you the code to do so. The image size, number of links, text color, and background color are all customizable, so it can be made to match any decor:

[full disclosure - scrollbars aren't customizable in the form. I had to do a simple code-tweak for that, i.e. set scrolling to "yes".]

They have a large and descriptive category listing, which should pretty much be all you need to figure out where to start browsing:

2 players
Ability
Action
Adventures
Animations
Bloody
Board games
Cards
Cars
Classics
Fight
Football
For girls
Infantile
Logic
Multiplayer
Platforms
Puzzle
Shooting
Sports
Starships
Strategy
War

Finally, in the rare event that a game doesn't work, you can click the handy link at the bottom of the main page and notify the webmaster. I did that Tuesday evening (June 12th), for the game Terminate (which worked for me in IE, but not Firefox) but haven't heard back yet. I'll update if/when I do.

CAVEATS

Games aren't always in English (for example, Operation Tomato is in Spanish; Red Fighter is in Japanese) but they're usually intuitive enough to play anyway.

Speaking of language issues, the game descriptions are obviously written by someone for whom English is a second language, as they are lightly sprinkled with typos and grammatical near-misses. Depending on how healthy your sense of humor is, this can be either slightly annoying or ironically hip & amusing, in an Lolcats kinda way. For example, this description of Othello:

Board game very ressembling to the ladies in which it wins the one that has more crads from the same color over its board.

However, this is merely a translation issue. The site is otherwise competently run, neatly organized, and well-designed.

IMPROVEMENTS I'D LIKE TO SEE

There are no major usability or functionality issues with DailyGames.com. There's nothing about the site that would drive me away.

However, if the webmaster would like to polish this gem, I can suggest the following:

* At the bottom of the individual game pages, the phrase "¿Do you like DailyGames?" does not need to be prepended with an upside down question mark.

* On the individual game pages, in the box that pops up from clicking the "Recommend game" link, the "You forgot your password?" link opens up a dialog box that's in Spanish, not English.

* Consider adding a game window zoom control button that will return the window to it's original size. Also, it would be to your advantage to make the zoom controls functional in Firefox, as the browser is rapidly gaining in popularity.

* At the bottom of the main page, add a link that will either take the visitor back to the top of the page, or to the DailyGames.com home page. I know that DailyGames.com is linked at the bottom with "online games", but that's not obvious to the casual user.

* Make the top banner on the main page clickable, and linked to the home page. It'd be handy to be able to get back to the home page easily after multiple sessions of browsing categories or search terms.

* Consider having a full, alphabetical, linked listing of all games at the bottom of the front page, under everything else. Your competitor, OnlineGames.net, does it and it looks pretty handy. I also like that they list the number of games that are included in each category - something else you might want to try.

* Offer an opt-in mailing list for people who would like to be notified as to what new games have been posted.

* Currently, only the 11 most recent games are listed on the home page. Consider bumping this number up to 21 so that those who only browse on weekends don't have to click around to see what they missed. Remember, the more games you list on one page, the easier it is for visitors to find something they like and click on it.

* Include the "There is a Game that doesn’t work!" link on each individual game page. The easier that link is to find, the better chance you have of having your visitors help you keep all your links functional.

* Make obvious knock-off games easier to find with the site's search feature by including the similar and more popular game name in the description. For example, use the phrase "like Othello" in the description for the game 3-D Reversi.

* Consider adding a PayPal or Amazon donations box. Folks who find a great game at your site might be grateful enough to supplement your ad income. Doesn't hurt to ask.

* Host a discussion board for players to discuss strategy, hints, and tips.

WOULD I USE DAILYGAMES.COM?

Not only yes, but HELL yes!

They have a great selection of fun little time-wasters for those moments when I just don't feel like doing what I'm supposed to. For example:

Spaced Penguin - launch a penguin through space into his spaceship, taking changing gravity into account.

Pac-Xon - sorta like Qix.

Last Stand - kill zombies!

Electrocity - a PC, enviro-nut version of Sim City. Personally, I like to maximize pollution levels and scare all the hippies away.

Power pong - realistic-ish 3-D ping-pong game.

New Blackjack - pays 3 to 1 on Blackjack - Woo-hoo!

Clean your ass - an animation showing how to do the job in Sheryl Crow's "one square world" (warning, animation contains explicit cartoon poo)

The Hanged One - play Hangman while being heckled by a smart-ass Kangaroo.

Anyway, that's enough for starters. Best way to find more is click your favorite game category & just start browsing.

CONCLUSION

DailyGames.com is an excellent source of online games and a perfect way to waste otherwise unproductive time either at work or at home. Updated daily, so visit on a regular basis.

Definitely worth bookmarking.

Ticket Liquidator

(A paid review)

Via ReviewMe.com, I've been asked to review the site/products/services offered by TicketLiquidator.com

Topics addressed in this review:
WHAT THEY DO
WHO THEY ARE
HOW'S THEIR REPUTATION?
IS THE SITE USER FRIENDLY?
IS THE SITE SAFE TO USE?
SELLING TICKETS
IMPROVEMENTS I'D LIKE TO SEE
WOULD I USE TICKET LIQUIDATOR?
CONCLUSION

WHAT THEY DO

Ticket Liquidator is a ticket broker service. What they do is match people who want to go to sporting, concert, or theater events with people who have tickets for those events. They make their money by charging a service fee for their role in facilitating this transaction.

WHO THEY ARE:

Ticket Liquidator is a Connecticut based company that - judging by the copyright date on the bottom of the page - appears to have been in business since 2002. Researching this has been complicated, but near as I can piece it together, it goes something like this:

The main company is Ticket Software, LLC, which owns Ticket Network (makers of Ticket Network software). They also operate the Ticket Network Direct ticket brokerage network, members of which can become "Ticket Network Direct Trusted Merchants" by agreeing to adhere to certain guidelines and standards. This allows them to offer for sale tickets from the entire Ticket Network Exchange ticket broker inventory. Ticket Liquidator is sorta like the "corporate store" ticket seller for Ticket Network. At any rate, they're all run by Don Vaccaro.

HOW'S THEIR REPUTATION?

As far as I can tell, above reproach. This was a particularly difficult investigation, since Googling for information on ticket brokers is like searching for legitimate information on "cheap prescription drugs" or "debt consolidation". Most search results are for search engine optimized ads that the company has paid to place on other people's web sites. This tells you nothing except that Ticket Liquidator has a significant ad budget.

Also in the results are a few testimonials from purportedly satisfied customers, but these are hosted by a site connected to Ticket Liquidator. This does NOT mean these testimonials are entirely without merit, it just gives them the appearance of being self-serving, which may or may not be the case. The same can be said for the customer testimonials page on the Ticket Liquidator site.

What I wanted to find were casual mentions on unrelated sites. Turns out there were very few. People generally don't discuss where they bought their tickets, just the fact that they went to the event that the tickets were for.

Still, the search was not entirely fruitless, in that it allowed me to notice a certain pattern. When the dead tree press guys & TV news folks talk about ticket brokers, they usually phrase it as "Stub Hub, Ticket Liquidator, and others". And, likely as not, there will be a quote from Ticket Liquidator CEO Don Vaccaro

Checking up on Don led me to two different instances (both in the 90's) of him testifying before the Connecticut legislature on the subject of proposed legislation regarding regulation of the state's ticket resale industry.[CTRL+F "Don Vaccaro" and CTRL+F "Donald Vaccaro:" respectively on the above links]

The fact of his testimony tells me that Don really has been in the ticket resale business for a long time. He's not a Johnny-come-lately or a fly-by-night whose web site will disappear tomorrow. He's in this for the long haul.

The content of his testimony tells me that he's long had an interest in distinguishing what he does from what scalpers do. He wants to see the ticket resale industry as a whole become as legitimate and trustworthy as stock brokers, real estate agents, or online auctions sites like eBay.

So, what DID I find for mentions of Ticket Liquidator? Someone saying they had a friend who liked Ticket Liquidator. Someone saying he used Ticket Liquidator to find his ticket. Someone else saying that Ticket Liquidator sold his ticket out from under him. This last probably isn't as worrisome as it sounds. Ticket Liquidator doesn't HOLD tickets, it merely connects buyer to seller, and some of the tickets it lists are listed at other selling venues as well, which are not necessarily instantaneouly updated. I don't know the details of the transaction, but I do know that they luckless wanna-be buyer didn't seem too upset, so it's probably safe to assume that he wasn't charged. Besides, one of Ticket Liquidator's guarantees is "You will receive tickets that are comparable to or better than the tickets you originally ordered, or your money will be refunded." When ordering tickets, you can select the option "If the exact tickets I've chosen are unavailable, I will accept equal or better tickets if they are available at the same price". I assume the guy didn't choose that option.

Which brings me to the topic of thundering silence. Ticket Liquidator has been in business online for over 4 years. If they were in the habit of giving bad deals, not following through on their promises, or just plain old screwing people over, there would be online hatred and complaints aplenty. Lord knows that if I'd gotten screwed on $100+ tickets to something, I'd be posting howling screeds in every venue I could find.

I infer from the silence that Ticket Liquidator receives no more unhappy customers than any other company in the industry, and probably far less than some others.

IS THE SITE USER FRIENDLY?

Very much so. Prominent search box, narrow two-column page design that makes good use of white space, easy-to-scan lists of the more popular events, and - best of all - when you select the day and location for the event, you'll find a link to a pop-up map of the seating arrangements for the venue in question, so that you can get an idea of what kind of view you'll be buying into.

IS THE SITE SAFE TO USE?

As far as I can tell, yes.

Squidoo lists some things you should look for on an online ticket broker's site:

A Buyer Guarantee - yes, as well as a complete listing of policies

Easy to find Phone Number - yes, as well as the address of their office and hours of operation.

Better Business Bureau Membership Logo - yes, although it's for Ticket Network Direct, not just Ticket Liquidator.

Privacy Policy - yes, near the bottom of the policies page [CTRL+F "privacy policy."].

SELLING TICKETS

If you have a ticket that you don't want or can't use, Ticket Liquidator allows you to sell it through their site. The upside: Unlike eBay, there are no listing fees. If your ticket doesn't sell, you're not out a dime (except for whatever the ticket cost you, and you're already out that no matter WHAT you do). The downside: the selling fee is 10%, which is higher than eBay's combined listing and final value fees (which varies between 5-10%, depending on listing price and final selling price). However, it saves you the trouble of cobbling together an eBay page for the item, and lets you use Ticket Liquidator's reputation to sell your ticket instead of relying on whatever your eBay user feedback rating is. If you don't have many eBay auctions under your belt, it's likely worth the little bit extra.

On the other hand, it's cheaper than StubHub (now a subsidiary of eBay), which charges a 15% selling fee.

IMPROVEMENTS I'D LIKE TO SEE

More navigational links - this is a minor point, but still, since there's no left sidebar with navigational links, I'd suggest one or more of the following to help the user navigate the site:

A "top" link at the bottom of the page.
A "home" link at the bottom of the page.
A search box at the bottom of the page.

Yes, the user can scroll back to the top, but it never hurts to make navigation faster and easier.

Mention the service fee percentage - I don't have a problem with Ticket Liquidator charging a service fee. They earn it by making it convenient for me to get good seats at the events I want to attend. What I find annoying is the fact that the service fee is not included in the price of the tickets. Also, the service fee is not displayed until after you click the buy button, select your country, and select your shipping option. Which isn't necessary, since the fee is not related to the shipping cost. It's a flat 15% of the ticket price. Yet nowhere on the site is that percentage disclosed.

I find this to be an inexcusable inconvenience to the site user. Especially in light of this statement:

We keep our costs as low as possible, using efficient technologies and our innovative business model to grow our business without increasing the cost to the consumer. Sound too fair and ethical to be true? We encourage you to shop around and try to find a better price... we're confident there's not one out there.[emphasis added]

If you really want people to shop around, then make it easier to calculate the final cost. Add a page disclosing "fees and shipping options" and mention that your service fee is 15% of the ticket price, and your shipping options are:

2-day delivery $15.00
Standard Overnight $20.00
Priority Overnight $25.00
Saturday Delivery $30.00
International Priority $36.00 (Canada & Mexico)
International Priority $40.00 (other international deliveries)

I need to know the total amount I'll be asked to spend before I can decide if that ticket is what I want or if I should choose another seat. I believe Ticket Liquidator is passing up a huge opportunity here by not posting their prices up front, which makes them vulnerable to any competitor who DOES offer that extra convenience. I hope they consider this consequence and re-consider this policy.

WOULD I USE TICKET LIQUIDATOR?

A qualified yes.

It would not be my first stop. That would be either the ticket office of the venue where the event is being held, or their authorized ticket agent.

Definitely my second stop. Now that I know the face value of the best available retail seat, I can use Ticket Liquidator to see how much more a better ticket would be. I might get lucky and find something cheaper (more likely to happen as the event draws closer and panicked sellers start trying to unload their tickets at a loss). Or I might find a better seat that's enough of an improvement to be worth the extra money. Ticket Liquidator is quick & easy to use, so it's not much bother to do this.

However, probably not my last stop. I say "probably" because if Ticket Liquidator has a deal that sounds reasonable, I might just go ahead & grab it. Spending time comparison shopping carries the risk of someone buying the tickets I had my eye on.

But if I wanted verification that I'm looking at a good find, I'd check the other popular sites like Ticketmaster, StubHub, RazorGator, and maybe even muck about in the swamp of eBay. Of course, ticket re-selling is rather a commodity business, and the odds of improving a price by more than 10 or 20 dollars is fairly slim (at least for events that *I'd* consider going to). I'd balance the need to find a "bargain" with how much of my life I really wanted to spend chasing the hope of those savings.

CONCLUSION

Ticket Liquidator is a well-regarded ticket broker with a secure, simple-to-use web site and a good reputation. In a crazy internet ocean swirling with "who's this guy?" ticket re-sellers, Ticket Liquidator is an island of stability that's here for the long haul and wants to give customers an experience that will make them come back. Shop around all you want, but make sure that Ticket Liquidator IS one of your shopping stops.

Preferably the first one after you decide that you deserve a better seat than the one the jerks at the ticket window are offering.

BIGGEST ON EARTH UPDATE

I blame the USPS and and the Christmas card writers of America for the delay, but I finally got my "69th Best Blog on Earth" certificate in the mail on December 31st from BiggestOnEarth.com. Looks just like the on-line version, except "Bad Example" and "69th Best Blog on Earth" are in red.

As a note on BOE's good customer service, I'll mention that I was sent another certificate a couple days earlier. However, Dan realized after he sent it that it contained an error, so he sent me a replacement at no charge.

Also, please note that Biggest On Earth has changed its business model. It now offers a choice of a web-only certificate for $2, or a web version plus a hard copy for $8 (shipping is free).

BIGGEST ON EARTH - UPDATED 1-4-06

(A paid review)

Via ReviewMe.com, I've been asked to review the site/products/services offered by Biggest On Earth (www.biggestonearth.com - note: site owner does NOT recommend site for children under 13 except with direct parental supervision).

WHAT THEY DO

They offer you the opportunity to "officially" label yourself (or someone you love/hate) as the "officially" ranked best, worst, biggest, etc. something on Earth.

As proof of your status, you're mailed a fancy-looking certificate (suitable for framing) attesting to your status, plus your own customized URL where your certificate will be permanently displayed online for all the internet to see.

WHAT IT COSTS

Currently, $5, plus $1.25 shipping & handling, although the site's offering a "New Launch Special" of free shipping "until December 20th" - I'm not sure if that means you have a few hours left, or a day and a few hours. Biggest On Earth accepts MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and PayPal (PayPal payee listed as Purple Street - a Verified Business Member).

WHY WOULD YOU WANT THIS?

To quote the site:

You can use your award as a marketing hook for your business or maybe as an ice breaker during parties or gatherings. Link to your award's own URL from your blog. Get back at someone by nominating them for one of our "bad" awards. Put the URL you get for the award on your business card.

[snip]

All awards are permanent and are entered into the "Biggest on Earth" database, accessible by all search engines and can never be changed. That person will always be associated with that award from now until the end of time. But be careful who you nominate...someone can nominate YOU for an award, too!

In other words, to show people you've got a playful sense of humor.

IS IT WORTH IT?

Let's face it - for $6.25 (or $5, if you hurry), you're NOT going to be able to buy anyone a good present. This one definitely falls into the "it's the thought that counts" category. So if your only goal is to let someone know you're thinking about them, I figure a Biggest On Earth award is at least as good as a box of crackers and a can of spray cheese. Might even last longer (although spray cheese is incredibly durable, so I could be wrong about this).

WHAT ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE PRODUCT?

Unfortunately, time does not permit me to recieve a hard copy of the certificate prior to the posting of this review, but I'll update after I get it.

However, the Biggest On Earth home page has a "View Sample" link, as well as links to "Recently Bestowed Awards", so you can check those out to get an idea of what they look like. As far as I can tell - assuming the print & pixel versions of the certificate are similar - it's good enough for an "it's the thought" gift, or for personal ego-stroking.

For example, this "1st Biggest Breasted Woman on Earth" award.

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THE SITE

Clean, simple, colorful layout that immediately lets you know it's a fun site. The graphics, and differently sized/colored fonts send the message clearly without detracting from the readability of the page. Visitors are immediately greeted with links for "Who?", "What?", "Why?", and "How?", as well as top-of-the-page links for "Privacy Policy" and "Contact". Links and buttons are obvious and intuitive. The order process is straightforward and uncomplicated.

IMPROVEMENTS I'D LIKE TO SEE SOON

Although I think Biggest On Earth is a great concept and frought with potential, I did notice what I'd consider some flaws in the actual execution. If this were MY baby, this is what I'd change:

A link to Dan Sherman's blog - The Biggest On Earth site says very little about the owner of this operation. As a new company, it's important to establish credibility and reassure new customers that this isn't an out-of-nowhere, fly-by-night thing. Dan's blog has been around since May of 2004. A simple link to the front page would be nice, so that people can find out who they're dealing with without Googling.

Better grammar - One given category is "Worse Blog". I really think that should be "Worst", so as to better match the other absolute adjectives, like "Biggest", "Best", "Happiest", "Cutest", etc. - Fixed, 12-20-06

Also, with "1st" awards, consider omitting the "1st", since phrases like "1st Best" are redundant. All you need is "Best" for those. However, for awards of "2nd Best", "3rd Best", etc., it works just fine.

Better layout on certificates - I don't know how to describe this, so I'll just show you:

The text below "(Wilsonville, OR)" should be on the same line, not a separate one.

I've only seen this problem on one certificate, and maybe the problem's been corrected by now, but Dan certainly shouldn't link that particular page as his official "View Sample" image. It leaves a bad (and possibly incorrect) impression. Fixed, 12-21-06

Alphabetized categories - The listing of available certificate categories can only be described as haphazard. I know that new categories are being added all the time, but they should still be in SOME semblance of order to make them more browsable by prospective customers.

Packaging description - How are these certificates shipped? Are they mailed in a crease-resistant cardboard flat, or are they folded up and put in an envelope?

IMPROVEMENTS I'D LIKE TO SEE DOWN THE ROAD

Live Preview - This one might require a consultation with Dan's local geek guru, but it'd be nice if, during the "preview" step of the shopping experience, the buyer were shown an "as it will appear" version of the certificate before having to commit to the purchase.

Here's one reason why: I just got my "69th Best Blog" certificate ordered, and while I was filling out the form, I wanted my site URL (www.badexample.mu.nu) to appear on the certificate. I hoped that by filling out the "city" part but not the "state", it would appear in parentheses on the certificate. Sadly, that trick doesn't work, but I didn't know that until afterwards.

Links to a page displaying all of the already-issued certificates in that category - For example, if I want to find out if the "69th Sexiest Man" certificate has already been taken, I can't tell just by looking at the listing on the front page. Perhaps those category names should be clickable links?

Requestable Categories - Personally, I'd like to have a "Best Blogdad On Earth" certificate, but I'm limited in selection to what's listed on the front page. If Dan wants to have control over the categories so as to avoid obscene ones, that's fine - no reason he'd HAVE to accept every suggestion. However, it'd be nice to have a "suggest a category" form right on the front page.

An FAQ page - It's common practice for business web sites to have one of these, and people pretty much expect it nowadays. I think there's plenty of material in this review to make a start on that.

Certificate Frames - WAY down the road... think about offering a selection of frames to put the certificate in.

SUMMARY

Biggest On Earth looks to be a site that offers a fun, light-hearted gift, best suited for teens and adults. A good way to let someone know that they're in you're thoughts.

Assuming customer service is of good quality (which I will report on in a few days), I think this is a good place to pick up a "for the person who has everything" gift.

Even if that person is just yourself.

UPDATE - "Recently Bestowed Awards" column on Biggest On Earth home page is NOT updated immediately to reflect my certificate purchase. I'll keep an eye on it to see when it gets listed.

UPDATE 12-20-06 7am - My certificate is now listed under "Recently Bestowed Awards".

Also, Dan responds to my wish lists in the comments.

UPDATE 1-4-06 - I blame the USPS and and the Christmas card writers of America for the delay, but I finally got my "69th Best Blog on Earth" certificate in the mail on December 31st. Looks just like the on-line version, except "Bad Example" and "69th Best Blog on Earth" are in red.

As a note on BOE's good customer service, I'll mention that I was sent another certificate a couple days earlier. However, Dan realized after he sent it that it contained an error, so he sent me a replacement at no charge.

UPDATE #2 1-4-06 - BOE has also changed its business model. It now offers a choice of a web-only certificate for $2, or a web version plus a hard copy for $8 (shipping is free).

REVIEWME.COM - UPDATE

Although I've completed and been paid for one review, I had serious doubts as to whether I'd ever be chosen by an advertiser to do another one. This blog is fairly eclectic, and I just couldn't imagine a product that would be in tune with it.

Turns out I was wrong.

I received an offer to do a review on December 18th, and the advertiser who asked was actually a good fit for what this blog is about.

So, I guess it's true that there's someone out there for everyone.

I was just surprised they found me.

Pleasantly surprised.

CHECK CLEARS - REVIEWME.COM RECOMMENDED

Got paid today via Paypal. I no longer question ReviewMe.com's ability or willingness to pay.

However, DO note that their future ability to pay - as with any company - will depend on their ability to balance income against expenses over the long haul.

Time will tell on that aspect, but they're off to a good start.

Meanwhile, subject to my cautionary statements about blogging for money, feel free to sign up at ReviewMe.com.

HOW THEY ADVERTISE BLOGS

Their front page contains three screenshots of member blogs which rotate randomly each time the page is refreshed. I just happened to get mine while I was visiting:

(click to enlarge)

Note that it only includes an excerpt from the description of your blog that you submit at sign-up. Try to make your first couple sentences attractive/intriguing to potential advertisers so that they'll be inclined to check out the whole thing.

REVIEWME.COM UPDATE

5 days later, my review was finally reviewed and approved by the ReviewMe.com site. They've determined that it met the requirements of both being longer than 200 words and mentioning that it was a paid review.

I've got mixed feelings, here.

I'm glad they put me in their "we owe you" category. This is one more step in showing that they're a legit operation. Of course, the actual payment part isn't scheduled until early December, so I'm curbing my enthusiasm until the check clears.

However, I'm disappointed that it took them 5 days to verify my review when I was given a 48-hour deadline to post it after accepting the assignment. I'd consider it an improvement in the quality of the site if they'd either speed that up OR find a way to give an estimate on how long they expect verification to take.

REVIEWME.COM - UPDATED 12-19-06

(A paid review)

Found this via Pam of Pamibe.

About 18 months ago, I decided (involuntarily) that I'd had enough of the corporate world and that I'd give professional blogging a try.

Results were tepid.

Things I do for money now include accepting Google AdSense ads in my sidebar, selling merchandise via the IMAO store, and blogging at IMAO for a cut of the ad revenue.

A nice trickle, but not exactly a 401(k).

Well, it appears that there's a new trickle in town - ReviewMe.com.

WHAT THEY DO FOR BLOGGERS

After you sign up, you are offered payment in exchange for your review of a product or service. Since ReviewMe.com is new, the first offer is for reviewing ReviewMe.com itself.

WHAT THEY DO FOR ADVERTISERS

Get blogs talking about you in a post - you know... the part of a blog that actually gets LOOKED at - instead of just placing highly ignorable ads in people's sidebars.

WHAT REVIEWME.COM CLAIMS

According to the site's FAQ, after you sign up, you will be offered between $20 and $200 to write a review of their advertisers' products or services, with the specific offer depending on how your blog is ranked according to some (undisclosed) algorithm of Alexa rank, Technorati rank, and estimated number of RSS feed subscriptions.

There is no content restriction for reviews.

The reviews do NOT have to be positive.

The reviews DO have to be at least 200 words.

You MUST disclose that you're being compensated for your review.

NO, REALLY, HOW IS RANK DETERMINED?

They don't say. However, Engtech hypothesizes that it's likely related to your BlogJuice score.

To crunch some numbers:

My BlogJuice score is 5.6, and I'm being offered $50

Engtech scored 3.9 and was offered $30

Paul Stamatiou scored 6.1 and was offered $125

Caydel’s SEO Blog scored 0.4 and was offered $20

So Engtech is probably right.

IS THIS FOR REAL?

I don't know. Payouts are done between the 1st and 4th of each month, and - according to the site's blog - they launched on November 9th, so there's a lot of IOU's but no one's actually been paid yet. This doesn't necessarily make them a questionable operation, just "unknown at this point". Ask me again on December 5th.

Absolute worst case disaster scenario: the operation is ineptly run, goes out of business, you don't get paid for your reviews, they sell their servers without wiping the hard drives, some dirtbag gets your social security number, and your identity gets stolen.

More realistic worst case scenario: the operation is ineptly run, goes out of business, and you don't get paid for your reviews.

Likely scenario: the operation is competently run, you get paid for reviewing ReviewMe.com, but your blog doesn't have a target audience that attracts any other offers, so that's your only paid review.

Other likely scenario: the operation is competently run, you get paid for reviewing ReviewMe.com, but advertisers think your review is poorly written, unfair, or uninformative, so you receive no new offers.

Best case scenario: the operation is competently run, you get paid for reviewing ReviewMe.com, advertisers love your style, and you can make a living (or at least some extra money) doing paid reviews.

We'll just have to wait & see how it plays out.

By the way, I should mention here that the folks at ReviewMe.com have been polishing and shaping this concept since June of 2006 (and blogging sporadically about it), so it's quite unlikely that they're an utter fly-by-night operation.

SHOULD YOU SIGN UP?

Assuming that you consider the disaster scenario sufficiently improbable (as I do), you've really got nothing to lose other than the time it takes to sign up and write your first review. That's a judgment call you have to make based on how much you value your time and your personal level of risk aversion. But if you're interested, let me give you some food for thought:

Blogging for money WILL change you. Your perception of yourself and your blog will be altered. You'll start writing with your audience and potential advertisers in mind. You will not feel as free to speak your mind. You'll start down a path of self-censorship until you become a corporate shill.

Ok, that's the absolute worst case disaster scenario, but still, you WILL start to feel more like you're writing for an audience instead of for yourself. If your blog's main purpose is stress relief or casual interpersonal contact with other bloggers, you might want to turn away from mammon's temptation.

Otherwise, if you're reasonably confident that you can maintain your objectivity under pressure, go ahead & sign up.

WHY I SIGNED UP

Aside from the money, I *enjoy* doing objective analysis posts. King of the Blogs reviews, judging the IMAO T-shirt Babe contest, and my review of Matty O'Blackfive's "The Blog of War" - all posts that I *loved* writing. I'm *quite* certain of my ability to examine things from different angles and declare qualitative rankings.

So I *know* I can do this, and do it well, therefore I'm diving right in. Wish me luck.

ABOUT THAT SIGN UP PROCESS

You're going to need to do a little prep work before you sign up, because you'll be asked to both choose 6 descriptive tag words/phrases, AND write a short description of your blog. If you don't know which tag words to use, I recommend checking the most popular Technorati tags and using them - IF they honestly apply to your blog.

Or you can always create your blog's word cloud and see what your most frequently used words are.

For your blog description, try to describe your site in terms of "what's in it for the advertiser". I wrote mine as follows:

Blog aimed toward intelligent, educated adults, generally age 30-50. Politically right-leaning, featuring some partisan humor, but politics is only a minor part of the overall content. Can be counted on for an objective opinion on serious topics, with dashes of humor thrown in to keep it all readable.

Sample categories:

Blogging, Blogging Tips, Cool Toys, Funny on Purpose, Good Advice, Love Notes, Naughty Stuff, Ponderings

You might also consider mentioning your traffic stats, e.g. approximate monthly visits & page views.

A FINAL CAUTION FOR SIGN UP

Because you will be paid, ReviewMe.com will ask for you social security number. This isn't unusual. Pretty much any site that cuts you a check will request it. Just be sure that before you submit your info, you glance up at the address box in your browser and make sure the URL starts with "https" - the indication that your information will be sent encrypted.

UPDATE 11-20-06:

5 days later, my review was finally reviewed and approved by the ReviewMe.com site. They've determined that it met the requirements of both being longer than 200 words and mentioning that it was a paid review.

I've got mixed feelings, here.

I'm glad they put me in their "we owe you" category. This is one more step in showing that they're a legit operation. Of course, the actual payment part isn't scheduled until early December, so I'm curbing my enthusiasm until the check clears.

However, I'm disappointed that it took them 5 days to verify my review when I was given a 48-hour deadline to post it after accepting the assignment. I'd consider it an improvement in the quality of the site if they'd either speed that up OR find a way to give an estimate on how long they expect verification to take.

UPDATE 12-1-06:

Got paid today via Paypal. I no longer question ReviewMe.com's ability or willingness to pay.

However, DO note that their future ability to pay - as with any company - will depend on their ability to balance income against expenses over the long haul.

Time will tell on that aspect, but they're off to a good start.

Meanwhile, subject to my cautionary statements about blogging for money, feel free to sign up at ReviewMe.com.

HOW THEY ADVERTISE BLOGS

Their front page contains three screenshots of member blogs which rotate randomly each time the page is refreshed. I just happened to get mine while I was visiting:

(click to enlarge)

Note that it only includes an excerpt from the description of your blog that you submit at sign-up. Try to make your first couple sentences attractive/intriguing to potential advertisers so that they'll be inclined to check out the whole thing.

UPDATE 12-19-06:

Although I've completed and been paid for one review, I had serious doubts as to whether I'd ever be chosen by an advertiser to do another one. This blog is fairly eclectic, and I just couldn't imagine a product that would be in tune with it.

Turns out I was wrong.

I received an offer to do a review on December 18th, and the advertiser who asked was actually a good fit for what this blog is about.

So, I guess it's true that there's someone out there for everyone.

I was just surprised they found me.

Pleasantly surprised.