Okay, folks. I know we try and prevent spammy messages/solicitations/advertisements as posts...but what's with the ads-disguised-as-safety-articles lately?
Take this landing simulator thing.
On August 15, 2008 (according to the timestamp - I could've sworn it was more recent, but maybe it just stayed on the homepage for a number of months), Alexander Shyrokov posted Canopy Flight Simulation for Education.
Both of these articles read like a brochure advertising a single piece of software. And as noted in the article, Mr. Shyrokov is the president and founder of the company that makes the software in question.
Call me crazy, but this just seems like blatant self-promotion.
Don't get me wrong - I think the software is potentially a good thing. I just somewhat resent people being able to write up an 'article' about the wares they're selling and get it prominently displayed on the homepage.
Same goes for Spot's reviews of things like the Hypeye D Pro. Don't get me wrong - it's an EXCELLENT review. But at the same time, it seems like reviews of this sort should be relegated to the reviews section, not the homepage.
OTOH, I recognize the value of in-depth reviews (such as Spot's various reviews of the Tonfly helmets, etc). But it seems like if Dropzone.com is going to be posting reviews on a whim, the editors should consider adding some editorial guidelines as to what constitutes a review, and what constitutes blatant promotion.
If you want to keep reviews on the homepage, then making an effort to secure a broader range of reviews would be advised. When all the reviews on the homepage have a positive note, it doesn't give the sense of journalistic integrity. It feels more like 'Hey, I liked this product, and want to help promote it.'
I dunno why this is bugging me so much...perhaps because the so-called 'Safety Articles' have degenerated into a collection of product promotions.
