Any Experience of Visual Design in Stafford?

[expert]

I am due to publish a page in The Staffordshire Newsletter in the next few weeks with information and reviews on 6 businesses in Stafford. One of those businesses will hopefully be the Visual Design.

Have any of you been? I need a positive review (a couple of sentences will be fine) along with some scores, your name will not be printed in the Newsletter (unless you want it to).

Can you provide three separate scores from 1 -5 on quality of the work, time (if applicable) and the cost.
1 = Very Poor
2 = Poor
3 = Average
4 = Good
5 = Excellent

 

[FooFighter]

I think someone has been on a cut and paste-a-thon

 

[My Name is URL]

You gotta love lazy journalism....

 

[Toble]

207 - The Larch

 

[tek-monkey]

If you want us to do your job for you, at least be bothered to write something different for each request!

 

[expert]

Thank you for some of your comments so far. When starting the thread I am trying to keep it as simple as possible so once you have read one you do not have to keep re-reading similar information. The information is provided for those who have not read other threads.

To clarify I do this to try and identify the best businesses in Stafford. I do not work for any newspaper get paid or make money from doing this, I am new to this and still finding the best method for people to find out about great businesses in Stafford. I welcome any feedback and will change the way the threads are started.

If we can get this right it will lead to good publicity for the forum and encourage more members. In future I will start threads with the 6 businesses that will be featured in the Newsletter, this will stop numerous threads.

 

[tek-monkey]

If you don't mind me asking:

You say you get no money for this, and do not work for a newspaper. Why then is it only the newsletter that you will be publishing this in? You also stated in an earlier post that businesses will pay for their advertising slot, so who gets the money? Forgive me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like you are selling advertising space to companies, and guaranteeing a positive review, then asking us to write it?

 

[expert]

We need to see it working in one paper before expanding to others. To run the feature the Newsletter charges for the page, the businesses paying to advertise covers the cost of the running the page. Businesses can only advertise if they get a positive review from the Stafford forum members.

The way it works; businesses express an interest, I ask for reviews for the forum, if forum members say they are good, then the businesses pays for an advert. They are not guaranteed a positive review, if the forum say no then they can not get on the newspaper page.

 

[My Name is URL]

So what is in it for you if you aren;t getting paid for doing this?!? Sorry to be nosey, but i'm unacustomed to people doing something for nothing.

Also, if you want reviews (especially of restaurants) why don't you let forum members be mystery shoppers and arrange for them to have a free meal (by refund so no-one knows they are a mystery shopper) in return for their reviews rather than people providing their reviews for nothing (see what I mean in teh first sentence )

 

[expert]

A good idea on the mystery shop, as it is all businesses some kind of discount scheme or cash back could work. I will see if I can come up with something where every review used in the paper qualifies for a discount or cash back to the forum member possibly using something like Paypal.

On the something for nothing I have asked myself the same question. It all started when I had a leaking shower picked up the yellow pages but didn't know which plumber to contact (no way of knowing who was any good). That is where I came up with the idea of what if there was somewhere you could find out which businesses where any good. Hence what I am trying to do. If this works we will be able to go to one place find out who is good. At the end of the year I might be able to roll up all the reviews and produce a local business guide for Stafford.

 

[Astro Boy]

good luck to you then!

 

[Admin]

I think I'd better stick my ore in here, as expert seems to be coming in for a lot of hostility from you regulars!

Before he made any posts at all, expert contacted me and asked if it would be alright for him to do some market research for his advertising features on local businesses. I gave it my full blessing, because as he says he will bring The Forum's name into these advertising pieces, which is helpful all round

As he has previously stated, he is not fabricating or falsifying opinions - he is simply asking if anyone has genuine good experiences of these companies. If this isn't the case, and you want to voice your concerns about a given business, by all means go ahead! They won't be used in expert's Newsletter feature, but they will definitely be useful to other Forum members. Furthermore, if any new users arrive at The Forum after reading expert's feature, they will be made aware of the bigger picture as a result of your comments, and perhaps will even feel compelled to join in the discussion themselves

So if you have any positive experiences of the businesses expert is interested in, please respond to his requests. With you permission, the comment will be used in his features, and he will make it clear that the information was gleaned from www.staffordforum.com

Thanks

 

[tek-monkey]

I wouldn't call it hostility, just needing more information. You have to admit, the way it came over to start with was as if he was a journo for the local paper wanting us to do his research! Now we know more, fair enough. I still find it hard to believe there is no financial compensation for him, but I'm a suspicious bugger!

 

[Admin]

I wouldn't call it hostility, just needing more information. You have to admit, the way it came over to start with was as if he was a journo for the local paper wanting us to do his research! Now we know more, fair enough. I still find it hard to believe there is no financial compensation for him, but I'm a suspicious bugger!

Of course, you are correct. I should have stepped in far earlier to give expert my blessing, but it kept slipping my mind until now!

On that note, I have to say it is commendable that you lot try and avoid people using this site to obtain free advertising and, I suppose, dragging The Forum's good name into disrepute! The only person who's put a foot wrong here is me, so please accept my apologies