I do quite a bit of "online research" of different things. However, I've had some people tell me not to believe everything that is online. I do understand that, but researching something online can be/is helpful. I think, it can be a heck of a lot cheaper to research a possible small health problem rather than seeing a doctor and pay for that (even w/health insurance). If a doctor is really needed, than that is fine. Some things a person can do in a "home-remedy". I read online Reviews of a lot of things that we are thinking about buying. I even do online Reviews myself. What about you? Do you do any "online research" of things?
Yes but I always look at the source of the info, that's probably the most important part. Then that leads me to research the source lol...i never believe anything totally unless it's just a simple fact I'm looking up...if it's opinion then I'm hesitant. It all depends what I'm looking for as to how much I research it.
I do a lot of online research too especially when the questions why or how enters my mind about something. Just today I was wondering about the word cognitive and googled it. When I buy previously owned items they don't usually have owner's manuals so I search online and download free manuals.
Yes, it's good for lost manuels. I've used it to look up my Sprinkler system because I forgot how to change some of the settings. When we were on water restriction I could only have it run on tues. and thurs...plus I had to change the time each station ran and I have 6 stations. It's hard for me to see the tiny print on the unit and I have to stand on tippy toes, so looked it up online...easy peasy.
I almost never read reviews of products anymore, due to the increase in 'paid' reviews. Can not believe people will be accurate when they receive a discount on other items sent to them. If I am interested in a product, I look at the specs and read any pdf file that is available. This usually tells me all I need to know. Because of the type of work I do, I research equipment almost every day I'm at work. Since the advancements on the web, I no longer have to keep manuals on equipment I purchase or work on. When I worked for a dealer of HVAC equipment, my work van was full of manuals and wiring diagrams of motors, controls and the like. Now I put everything I need on an SD card and load it onto my tablet. Have a 7" one just for work that fits in pocket of my cargo pants. Have hundreds of manuals, diagrams etc. at a moments notice. Since I'm getting older, the problem of remembering and distractions happen with more frequency. SQUIRREL... On my phone, I usually read the articles on 'Discovery News' and that will spur other research I want to do on a subject.
On one level, I pretty much do Internet research for a living. I prefer a printed manual for things, but so many products no longer even offer a printed manual. I rarely go to the ones that are online. That reminds me of a television that I ordered one day. The television came with a VHS tape that gave step-by-step directions on how to set up the television, beginning with taking it out of the box. Since the VHS tape was beneath the television in the box, that part had obviously already been done. Plus, unless I already had a television, I would have to have already set up the television in order to view the instructions.
Paid testimonials, like the drug ads on T-V. "Actor compensated". Poses as user of product, experienced wonderful results. "Run out and buy some"! On line, no such revelations. But, one thing I've learned through my wife's dealings with Amazon, and my own with car parts suppliers, the system of "feedback" seems valuable. Even lists the number of feedbacks in total the seller has recedived, when business started, % positive, % negative. Can we believe the numbers, though? Frank
Wellll, do you want a reply from the other side of this issue? lol Chrissy is on the right track, but in some cases even that isn't enough. It can take "some doing" to find the original source of info, but when website owners hire people to produce material (a/k/a "content") it's impossible to know the source- or how knowledgeable the source is about the topic.
Often when I read reviews I have wondered whether they are believeable so I read as many of the negative reviews to convince myself not to buy the item.
We've bought a number of things online, after reading both positive and negative reviews. However, some things don't have any reviews at all, but we've still bought and I've added a review of my own. We bought a miniature character figurine set of The Force Awakens. The reviews online were fine, except a few buyers were disappointed that this set turned out to be not a "Play Set", even though that what was stated on the box. IOW, a set that children could play with. The box does say "Play Set", but it really isn't. We use it as a "Display Set" and have the figurines standing on a wall shelf. The negative reviews stated that the miniature characters body parts couldn't be moved and they can't. From what I know, all of today's "Play Sets" the body parts can be moved. So, the box should have stated "Display Set". Myself and another Buyer wrote a negative review for Darth Vader Gloves (for a costume) that we bought. Turns out that the picture on the website of the gloves was wrong. The picture showed gloves from years ago (that I wanted), not the gloves that are sold now. I sent my gloves back, got a refund. Found another pair, from another company online, that showed the gloves I wanted. Called the company Customer Service and was assured that the gloves I'd get were the same ones pictured. Wrong! Got them and they were exactly the same as the ones I returned to the other company. I immediately called Customer Service, they apologized and said they'd change the picture that was online. They also told me to keep the gloves and they'd refund my money as well. Last time I checked, they hadn't changed the picture yet. The few reviews that were done for these gloves were totally positive, but I truly believe these folks really don't know what the original Darth Vader gloves looked like. So, today, I'm very careful what I buy online and do a certain amount of research before buying online or in a store.
I buy a lot online, and I rely at least as much on the reviews or comments than I do the description of the item. On Amazon, I will look at the lower ratings to see what the problem was. Often someone will rate something low because it didn't arrive on time or because it had been damaged in transit. These, I'll discount. I do consider that good reviews might have been paid for, but I don't assume that every 5-star review is a paid review because I have often given products five stars when I liked it. Sub-comments and answers to questions can be helpful. At any rate, the reviews are helpful and, more often than not, I find that they prove to be accurate. When I have ordered things that will have to be assembled, which is something I hate to do anyhow, every time that I have ignored reviews that spoke of the difficulty of assembling something, I have regretted it. If one or two people have had a problem with it, they might just be idiots, but when several people have, I can be pretty sure that I will too, because I'm certainly no genius when it comes to putting things together. Outside of Amazon, I will seek out reviews but very often, these are on sites that are looking to promote one product over another. Still, they can be helpful. I know that when I was more active in Amazon associate sales, I would review items honestly on my sites, and often found that I mad a lot of sales even on items that I had reviewed poorly.
I'm always researching one thing or another online many times just because I have and "enquiring" mind that just wants to know things. I also do alot of Biblical research online which is fasinating to me but I am always amazed at how people come to different conclusions about things. I used to have to spend alot of my time at the Library researching or checking out books to do the research, but now I mostly check out fiction at the Library and enjoy doing research online where all I need to know and more is at the touch of my fingers.
There are times when my wife will see something advertised on tv, like obviously someone's invention. She will like the ad, but after I look up the reviews for it, we will end up deciding not to buy the item. And, learning the hard way, we will never again buy a product that is automatically sent each month, like facial cream for her. Time-Life Magazine music is like that. It's easy to get the thing going, but if a person doesn't like the music they are getting, it can be hard to stop the subscription.
Look for balance in the review. Although I have reviewed some products that I thought were perfect, usually there is something that could be better. When a client is paying for a review, they often don’t want anything negative stated on a review that they are paying for. Sometimes it’s easy to tell whether the reviewer actually knows what he’s talking about. Of course, it’s hard to know what to make of that. They might know a lot about the subject because it’s their product, or it is based on information supplied by the manufacturer or seller, or it could be that the person just knows what he’s talking about. It helps if they can explain why they are so well versed in the topic. Some sites are known for publishing more reliable reviews, such as CNET, Digital Photography Review, and Consumer Reports.
Online research helps, but do not rely on it 100% because it's true that not everything you read online s true. If it is regarding your health, you can do a bt of online reading and some possible remedies, but it is still advisable to seek consult, and ask the doctor if what you read is true, and if the remedies could indeed be of help