Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ From Oslo pram guy to the teenage vacuum expert: inside the obsessive world of niche online reviewers

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

This topic may appear at first glance to stretch the concept of 'online learning' a bit too far, but I think that it points to some important trends I think educators should note. These product reviewers are building a sustainability model already proven by publications such as Consumer Reports - they are independent, not supported by advertisers, and rely on reader subscriptions. However, these subscriptions are voluntary, which means the entire community benefits from the content. This wide readership also acts as a guarantor that the reviews are trustworthy. This model, though, depends on a viewership informed enough to be able to discern the markers of reliable reviews, as opposed to advertising, product placement, and reviewer bias or skew. (Note: sometimes the Guardian demands you login to view an article; it didn't make this demand of me for this item, but as we've seen here before publishers are now using AI to decide whether or not to employ paywalls or spamwalls).

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Dec 25, 2024 08:19 a.m.

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