Every so often a row seems to develop upon one of  Second Life’s uber blogs and chaos ensues.  Second Life is a magnet for drama of all kinds and I have to confess I attempt to steer clear of it as much as I possibly can (not being a drama queen myself and having no aspirations to be one,) but the metaverse is certainly full of people who are! In fact I always find it quite odd that for a virtual environment nothing is more real and all-encompassing than the arguments, fights and bad feeling that is often generated in-world. At the moment there’s yet another row kicking off about blogging. I know I’ve spilled my two penneth on this subject before, but allow me to indulge myself once again…I blog because I like blogging.  I don’t blog because I want to become one of the ‘feted inner-core’ or be ranked amongst the great and the good of SL.  I’ve been fortunate in that I have crossed paths with many who ARE the great and the good, but I’m certainly not in any ‘SLiques’ to my knowledge. I am fortunate to count some truly gifted individuals as friends.  I write for my own enjoyment and as a way to invoke all my failed Journalistic fantasies.  I also write because I want to be ‘involved’ in Second Life in a deeper way.  I think that a lot of people who can’t create in-world use blogging as a way of expression because of a need to feel like you’re doing something Second Life related that matters, even if it’s only to yourself.   Also don’t forget that blogging  is superb fuel for your ego; oh boy it’s *great* for that and I’m afraid that anyone who says otherwise is a fibber of gargantuan proportions, but I’d be a bit of a pillock if I thought my blog was in anyway worthy competition for ‘Shopping Cart Disco’ or ‘Metaversally Speaking’.…

I am many things, but deluded is not one of them.

Kittywitchin is an eclectic bundle of blogginess at the best of times, and I’ve always felt that this is it’s inherent strength.  One day I could be blogging about nice dresses, the next day wonderful hair, and the day after that inflatable wallabies that dispense Mojitos to you and your guests upon demand ( Note: haven’t seen one of those yet, if you have, please let me know) 99% of my blog entries contain products that have been bought BY MYSELFbecause I liked them and decided to share them  with you.  Note that bit carefully; I LIKED THEM otherwise I wouldn’t have bought them in the first place.  Fact is, I can’t afford to purchase something to slate.   Does that lessen the worth of my blog, the fact that I enjoy the majority of content that I feature on here? I sincerely hope not.  I’ve always stated that it’s one girl’s opinion and as a matter of fact if I don’t like an aspect of something that I’ve purchased to share with you then I will point it out. ..but I’m not in a financial position that would enable me to purchase content purely for blogging purposes, especially if I won’t get any personal use out of it afterwards. I’m not so modest to say that I don’t like to receive review copies because I do,  BUT I’ve never actively solicited them, and I have a review policy that states if the content creator wants their wares back then I AM HAPPY TO RETURN THEM.  (Review packs contain product and product is profits) Really, I don’t mind giving items back after I’ve played with them and washed them down! It’s nice to be asked for your opinion on something in the first place, but bear in mind a review is just that.  In fact, you could view it as being a risky marketing strategy because if  I don’t like an item or don’t think it’s particularly successful then I will say so, plain and simple…is this why the concept of paying for a review has developed? Is it to guarantee glowing reportage? If so, perhaps that’s why I don’t get so much in the way of review packs, but hey..I’d rather be known for being honest!)

Let’s get to the heart of that matter, which is the concept of being  ‘paid’ to review. This is my own viewpoint naturally,  but to me it totally goes against the grain and is an utterly foolish concept.  To be paid to review an item by its creator…what a ruddy nonsense!  What would be the point of writing a review in the first place?  If you pay for a review, surely you expect it to be a positive one?  Why pay for it otherwise? If you dropped some Lindens on someone to write a review of your product and they dissed it you’d be seriously miffed wouldn’t you? Think about it logically…You cannot pay for reviews because they are by their nature somewhat biased.  Change the definition folks..you pay for an ad, or an editorial piece about your product..but you don’t pay for a review.

 To finish, here’s what  Dictionary.com has to say upon the matter: Review, criticism imply careful examination of something, formulation of a judgment, and statement of the judgment, usually in written form. A review is a survey over a whole subject or division of it, or esp. an article making a critical reconsideration and summary of something written: a review of the latest book on Chaucer. A criticism is a judgment, usually in an article, either favorable or unfavorable or both: a criticism of a proposed plan. The words are interchanged when referring to motion pictures or theater, but review implies a somewhat less formal approach than criticism in referring to literary works: movie reviews; play reviews; book reviews. 8. reconsideration, reexamination. 16. criticize.)