TestFreaks Product Information Aggregator

Profy was recently invited to try the invitation only beta of TestFreaks , a new product information aggregator brought to you by the creators of the original PriceRunner (now owned by ValueClick). I have been a long time user of Web 1.0 product information and recommendation behemoth, Epinions. That made me excited to try out the “new kid on the block” and see how times have changed.

Although I was underwhelmed by the overall experience, I do have to give them kudos for using a late 1970s color scheme (orange, yellow and avocado green) instead of the incessant “Web 2.0 Teal and Green” combo. That was a refreshing change. When you review as many Web 2.0 applications as we do, your entire bookmarks list can run together in one long uninterrupted streak of blues and greens. It's good to be different.

At first glance, TestFreak looks like a great idea. It presents all of the available information on a product gathered together in one place, plus a chance for users to add their own orignal reviews. Unfortunately for TestFreaks, it isn't the only site that offers this service or a variation on it. When a field is this crowded with sites like Epinions, Shopping.com and PersonalShopper, you really have to stand out from the crowd.

One of the most basic needs of a product aggregation site is content. If you don't have enough products on your site, you won't be able to compete adequately in this arena. While you don't expect them to have the sheer number of products that an older site like Epinions does during their beta test, you should have more than what amounts to a handful of electronics and gadgets, and more than a handful of projected categories. The current scope of the site's content is flat out not enough to float the site in an ocean of picky shoppers looking for information, and that is disappointing in light of their goal to be the largest product aggregation site out there.

The ranking system on TestFreaks is fairly easy to understand. You give the product a ranking on several different spectrums simply by clicking your mouse. Each product is ranked on various points, including User Score, Expert Score, Design, Value for the Money, Features, Ease of Use, and Performance. Users can also write their own reviews of a product.

One interesting aspect of TestFreaks is how it aggregates from all sources, not just shopping sites. This means you get lists of posts from blogs on products as well as pricing, shopping and product review information. When an ad filled site scans the Internet for blog posts, then posting all or part of the entries on their site, the blogosphere calls it splogging. I'm not sure if TestFreaks sets itself apart by getting permission from the blogs it quotes or not. Let's hope so.

Another issue I forsee in TestFreaks' future is its use of the eBay site family in its aggregation pool. It draws much of its content from eBay and Shopping.com, one of the eBay family. Epinions is also an eBay site, but seems to be absent from the aggregation pool so far, as does any association with PayPal, another eBay site. eBay tends to keep an iron fist over use of the content on its sites elsewhere, so I would be interested in finding out if TestFreaks had a partnership agreement with them. I was unable to find the information disclosed in the current FAQ or TOS of TestFreaks, but you can clearly see in the Shopping.com TOS that this practice is at best frowned upon and at worst not legal:

[Shopping.com] Policies:
While our API program is open, Shopping.com is accepting applications based on the below policies.

* We require that you have a live website.
* We require that your site contains original content, we do not support mirror sites.
…
Any other content that is illegal, promotes illegal activity, or infringes on the legal rights of others

Surprisingly, this Web 2.0 application is less social than its Web 1.0 counterparts. It offers a forum, but the forum is not a simple a way to find like minded consumers on the site. I'm not sure the social aspect is important to the TestFreaks vision, but if it is, a way to make contacts and bookmark fellow users' right from the product site would be ideal for me. I tend to return to Web 2.0 sites that are comprehensive and that make everything simple and easy to find. The ones that fall short see my usage fall off over time - there are simply too many Web 2.0 apps out there competing.

Is TestFreaks a site to go back to again and again? The creators hope so. For me, they have lost credibility by apparent splogging, aggregating from blogs without any reference to getting permmission (including using content from established tech sites and other shopping sites against the TOS of those sites), culling prices from one source (eBay), and more. I think for now you'll do better to stick whatever current site your are using for product reviews, even if it is a Web 1.0 grandpa like Epinions or a lesser-scope new site like PersonalShopper.

Note: Article edited to fix a visual problem with one of the screen shot sizes on 11/26/07.