Kokuyo NeoCritz Transformer Pencil Case Winner

Congrats to comment #113 from Kai Zhang for winning the Kokuyo NeoCritz Transformer Pencil Case:

count me in too, hope i get betterluck this time
thanks!

Posted by: Kai Zhang | January 21, 2009 at 08:55 PM

Here is what I need you to do:

1. Leave a comment on this post.
2. Email me your shipping address using the email link in the sidebar

There is a one week deadline to claim your prize.

Review: Platinum A-Pen Gel

One of the last of the batch of pens from Pen Addict friend Bryan in Okinawa, the Platinum A-Pen Gel is an average pen at best.  I had a very difficult time in finding any ink consistency as I was writing.  The line would go from wide to thin and back again, sometimes in the same sentence.  I could rotate the pen, but that didn't help much either.  The tip also seemed to hold a few little ink globs from time to time, which I don't usually seen in gel pens.  It was just rough writing all around.

It's too bad the writing experience left much to be desired, because the barrel is very nice.  If I picked up this pen with my eyes closed, I would think it is a Pilot G-2, which is a pen I find to be very comfortable.  In fact, the Platinum barrel is very close to being a straight knock-off of the G-2 barrel based on looks and feel.  But that isn't enough to keep this pen in the rotation - it is way too inconsistent for my liking.

How not to get your companies product reviewed by The Pen Addict

I received an interesting email last night from a "fan" of a product who also happens to have a "fan" site for said product, and who would like to send me some product from this manufacturer for review.  The email rang hollow immediately, and after about 30 seconds of Internet 101 sleuthing, I found everything I needed to know about this "fan" and his relationship with the manufacturer.  I am not posting this to embarrass or call out anybody, so I am not mentioning names, but rather as a reminder that real world values still come into play in the online world.  Here is a snippet of one of the emails I sent this "fan":

The web is wonderful, and social media is a great tool, but real world values such as being honest and direct about what you are trying to accomplish still hold value.  I get many requests from PR/Marketing firms to review products from companies they represent, and the best tact is to be clear with what your are trying to accomplish.  "Hi, I'm Jane with Acme PR.  I represent Bob's Notebooks, and I am wondering if I could send you some product for review and possibly giveaway on your blog".  It's really that simple, as I'm sure you already know.

The one thing that really gets under the skin of many internet users are fake fan sites, or hired shills spamming message boards and review sites trying to pump up a companies product.  Luckily, they are easy to snuff out, but leave a bad taste in everybody's mouth.  Why not just be open about your relationship with the product, and tell everyone how great it is and why they should use it?  I think it allows for a lot more social interaction if you are a representative of the company - people will come to you with questions and thoughts knowing that you have the backing of the company and have access to get them answers.

I know I'm not breaking any new ground here, and this is really common sense type of stuff, but many people still don't get it.  I'll be glad to talk to you about reviewing your product, but let's have an open and honest discussion up front, ok?