in the future is please LEADS do not add products like this. I've used this ex. before. In sports there were many body bars all with different weights. I reviewed a few but not all because I ran out of 100 different words to use. I didn't ask for them to be added. Now when I do (medicine balls are an example, they come in various weights so I could have asked that each one be added and reviewed them and changed 100 words but I don't feel good doing that) ask that something like this be added I ask that ONE medicine ball be added. It doesn't matter which one. The ONLY differences are the weight and the colors and that's easily covered on one review.

Do I really have to tell someone that a 15 pound medicine ball is heavier than an 8 pound medicine ball. Just my 2 cents. I agree Doc. It is a database problem as much as anyone's problem. Let's just be careful and make sure the reviews are different enough:) jo

Here's an example:

I have no idea what kind of review this is for, but I just thought of an excellent opportunity to score MAD IS.

Case in point: The Apple iPod Nano.

The nano comes in two different colors and two different capacities. Regardless of color or capacity, functionality is the same.

You could own a 2 gig Black Nano and have all the info you need to review the 2 gig white Nano as well as the 4 gig white and black nanos. All you'd have to do was change a few lines about the color and the capacity of the iPod, and you've got a new review. Sure, you'd be reviewing two different products, but they are basically still the same product.

I could easily come up with the 100 word difference to describe the color and capacity of the iPod. Two paragraphs of the whole review would be different. That's it.

The question is...would that make the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th reviews Not Helpful because I'm still posting the same core review four times? What if somebody was searching for info about a Black iPod, not knowing that they were the same thing as the White one? Your review of the white nano would be basically the same as a black one.

We all know how much IS Electronics reviews rake in, and it would be real easy to take advantage of this. Would your reviews be any less valid?

I'm not saying what lotsofjoy found is wrong or unethical, but I'm just pointing out how it could go both ways. Lots of things on this site are listed by color, especially in the Games and Computer Hardware section, and the products are exactly the same.

I have poked around and found a ton of examples where I think it is okay to post the same information within a review.

I of course am no expert:)

I recently wrote two reviews on accessories for my daughter's American Girl Marisol Doll. The meat of the review is very different, however, I do tell the same story which caused me to purchase Marisol in the first place and why I bought all of her accessories. I did try to tell it in different words, but would struggle if I decided to write any more reviews on Marisol's accessories!!!

I think back ground information is vital for a consumer and because of my belief in back groound information, you are going to find my cute little dumb story in both of my Marisol accessory reviews.

Is this wrong???

I also go on to give some general information about product availability in a seperate section at the end. It is the same or very similar in both reviews.

Is this wrong?

How else do you give a consumer an entire picture without including the vital information (there are only so many ways I can tell my silly background story)?

Happy Tuesday!

Courtney

My opinion: Nothing wrong at all. (As long as 100 words differ so they're "legal") In fact, I would WANT the same story to be told, because, it's the same purchase, so the story SHOULD be the same!

We need to get some of the Electronics leads in here to look at this.

What do you mean by in violation? The same backstory shouldn't be used for multiple products? I'm not sure I understand your premise, but I considered cutting and pasting my backstory on all the method reviews I posted during the w/o. Every single one of them were bought because of my plumbing problems, and I was often so tired I just wanted to duplicate the story instead of writing it in a new way each time. I didn't because it just isn't me, but since the rest of the review about my use and the performance of each product was quite different and way longer than 100 words, how would it be in violation of anything to use the same introduction?