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OUR MISSION OF
RADICAL TRANSPARENCY
Why We Exist
Our commitment, our big why, our BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) is to expose the fakers and reward the makers. There are lots of review sites out there claiming to have authority. Some are great, but many are just a house of cards. We’re here to blow them down and help our audience make the best choice when buying the products they want.
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SO WHAT IS THIS ANYWAYS? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Gadget Review is independent consumer journalism ideally at its best. We save people time and money by helping them make better choices around the products they buy. Through trustworthy, up to date reviews, uncompromised ratings and consumer advocacy, we’re fighting for people by flipping the information pyramid and putting the power of knowledge into all of our hands.
OUR FIGHT!
Our mission is to shine the light on a system that makes us believe it’s OK to live in a game rigged against us. From shady sites peddling fake reviews, to brands that use their power to influence their ratings, to fake reviews on e-commerce sites and scam e-commerce sites, we expose the system for what it is. Then we hand the information back to the consumer so you can make better decisions. Our readers save money, time, buy the best stuff, and learn about ways to protect themselves from predatory behavior. We are consumer advocates, fighting for access to information, the right to repair, and brand transparency in the market.
OUR ROLES IN THE FIGHT FOR CONSUMER RIGHTS:
Publishers/Gatekeepers
As citizen journalists, we publish trusted, credible reviews for thousands of products and expose fake reviews and shady review sites.
Data Aggregators
We scrape the web for product data, then test that data against the mean to understand which sites actually serves the consumer and which don’t.
Consumer Watchdogs
We hold brands accountable to fairness, transparency, and practices that benefit the consumer.
OUR CORE BELIEFS!
TRANSPARENCY
The rigged system relies on hidden information and backdoor deals between brands and publishers. When publishers skew toward profits vs. honest journalism, the consumer loses. We believe the best way to create change is through total commitment to transparency. That means that everything we do is 100% exposed. Our readers know exactly how we work, what we’re doing behind the scenes, and how we make money. Brands reach out to us all the time trying to influence the information we publish. We remain and always will be a completely independent resource not swayed by power or influence.
CONSUMER ADVOCACY
In this world, it’s not enough to passively abstain from doing the wrong things. You have to actively participate in doing the right things. We are committed to speaking truth to power by pushing brands and publishers to act in the interest of their audience and customers. Our greatest power comes from how we use information and our reach to shine the light on those that seek to deceive and expose them. By rating the raters and keeping brands accountable we seek to influence their decisions and make them think twice about their business practices.
ENDING THE SEARCH
The average person spends over 30 hours researching a single product before buying online. Why? Because there’s simply so much conflicting information out there – you have to read a thousand reviews before getting an intuitive sense of what might be right for you. And with prices always in flux (what’s this practice called?), how do you know when the right time is to buy so you don’t get ripped off? Our goal is to provide the most accurate and up to date information, scoured from around the web to create the best experience for our readers that means they have to search less and spend more time enjoying their lives. It’s simple, less time searching, more time enjoying life and the things you love.
THE PROBLEM WE SOLVE!
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“SURE I KNOW HALF THE RATINGS ARE FAKE, BUT WHATEVER THAT’S JUST HOW IT IS, RIGHT?”
We call bullsh*t on that. We don’t think it’s ok to have to navigate a sea of sharks every time you want to buy something online. I shouldn’t be ok to live in a game rigged against us.
We’ve been in the review publishing game a long time and we see conflict of interest everywhere we look. From brands flying reviewers to Hawaii, to sites pushing the products with the highest affiliate prices, and product reviews rising to the top just because someone’s really good at SEO.
All of these things distort the information pyramid and tilt it away from the consumer – away from us and toward the clever or the well funded. This costs people time and money and it rewards the wrong people..
We want to turn the tables on these practices. By acting on our insider knowledge. By creating a space where truth and transparency reign supreme. By reviewing the reviewers and holding brands accountable. By fighting for “Right to Repair” and exposing recalls…
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“WELL ISN’T EVERYONE JUST TRYING TO MAKE A BUCK?”
We don’t think money is evil. We think making money is a great thing. But we want to make money by creating great value for our readers and creating a better experience. By providing the right information and doing it in an honest and fun way.
We want to change the review game and we’re putting our money where our mouth is. We’re investing a significant portion of the profit we make into utilizing data to shine the light on the rigged system. And we’re going to continue to do it until more brands follow suit.
There are lots of sites out there claiming to have authority. Some are great, some are just a house of cards. We reward the ones doing it right and expose the fakers. That’s our commitment, our big why, and the reason we exist.
THE FOUR QUESTIONS!
The four questions are the core concepts that inform our product review methodology.
1
IS IT QUALITY?
2
DOES IT DO EVERYTHING I WANT IT TO DO?
3
WILL IT LAST?
4
IS IT A GOOD VALUE?
WHO WE ARE!
We are journalists, technologists, futurists, philosophers, artists and activists.
We come from different backgrounds and are a collection of very different experiences. Where we come together is our drive to create meaningful change in our industry. We LOVE what we do and we think we’re pretty damn good at it. We love testing products, aggregating data and creating content around that. We love competing and cooperating in an open marketplace where the best ideas win and exploring the nooks and crannies of information infrastructure… But we live and die by our core values. We don’t want to create more internet fodder. We want to build things online that actually help people and make a difference in their lives and our world.
CHRISTEN DA COSTA (CO-CEO)
Born in a Boston suburb, Christen moved west and has never looked back. After all, sunshine, beaches and warm weather are too tempting when you’ve grown up in the cold. He’s traveled here and there, eaten his fair share of Sushi thanks to his wife and loves a good hack-and-slash game, albeit on the Playstation. He’s been building things on the web for longer than he can remember, Christen is the founder of Gadget Review. His day-to-day varies, but he’s largely responsible for overseeing the operations of the websites, along with helping to streamline what’s next in terms of content, SEO, development and so much more.
REX FREIBERGER (CO-CEO)
After teaching at Assumption University in Thailand in my 20’s, I became an entrepreneur (import/export) and fell in love with search engine optimization and digital media (after a few failed startups), founding my first successful company, Highly Relevant – acquired in 2014 by Wpromote. Today, I run a publishing media group that has millions of visitors each month, and we’re expanding into the political and entertainment space to reach a new audience. I’m a creative producer, actor, publisher, advisor, investor and entrepreneur and am grateful to share my journey with others.
The Team
We couldn’t do what we do without our team of hard working individuals. Our team is a mix of writers, developers, marketers and more. If you’re interested in working for Gadget Review, please apply here.