I Got The Last Word

The article ran today in the Poughkeepsie Journal. Linking to it will only work for about 8 hours so I'm just gonna paste it here. They sent a photographer, too. I'd say he did about as good a job as anybody has when it comes to making me not look under the influence in a photograph.


Karl Rabe/Poughkeepsie Journal

Monday, March 5, 2007
Comparison shopping is made easier
Marist Web site reviews products


By Sarah Bradshaw
Poughkeepsie Journal


If you are looking to buy a product locally, but you don't know which store to go to, you may want to take a look at a new Web site called ConsensusBest.com.

The site contains information on 350 products available at 300 stores in the Hudson Valley and it's growing.

Looking for a new diaper bag? Click on baby accessories, then type in your ZIP code. The site's search engine will compile information on diaper bags available at stores in your area, including the description, a product review and cost.

The catch is you can't buy the products online. Consensus Best wasn't set up that way. It was designed for the consumer who likes to do product research online but buy offline.

According to Consensus Best Project Director Greg Cannon, the Web site is for the majority of shoppers who want to see, touch and try out products before they buy them. Also, Consensus Best is different from a lot of other product review sites because it includes many mom-and-pop type retail shops, to try to give them a presence on the World Wide Web.

President's suggestion

The original concept came from Marist College President Dennis Murray, who wanted the college to launch a Web site that would promote the local business community, so he put a team of staff and students together, Cannon said. However, there's no clear ties to Marist on Consensus Best except one line written in the "About Us" section that reads: "ConsensusBest.com is an independent product research site ... based on research conducted at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y."

It's an extension of the relationship the college has with the community already, Cannon said. That's why the site's store locator is one of its core services. For example, a search for diaper bags in the Poughkeepsie ZIP code will generate results that include products sold at No Sugar, a boutique in Rhinebeck.

No Sugar owner Monique Heeremans doesn't have time to pour into the upkeep of a Web site.

"To be able to sell on the Internet could be incredible, but it's a lot of money, a lot of time," she said.

Heeremans said a Web site that gives stores like hers additional exposure is a great idea.

"Times are tough," she said. "Between Poughkeepsie and Kingston, you have the big malls. They take away from us. As a boutique you try to offer something unique, but that means there's a different price tag to it, and when times are tough, people are more likely to shop at a department store."

Team works on service

A team of Marist students have been writing the computer code and maintaining the Web site, including Jay Gagnon, a computer science master's degree candidate, and Matt Savona, a junior studying Internet technology. They have tried to make the site user friendly, by focusing on simplicity and speed.

Another feature of Consensus Best is it allows shoppers to compare a diaper bag at a boutique such as No Sugar with a diaper bag at a national retailer such as Babies "R" Us in Poughkeepsie or Kmart based on a ranking system. The rankings are "premium" for top quality, "high-end" for products that don't require trade-offs between price and features, "mid-range" for products offering ideal compromise between price and features and "cost-conscious" for the best product for the lowest price. The research is based on online and offline product reviews, ranging from consumer publications to niche Web sites to government trade standards.

Former Times Herald Record journalist Cannon said when doing reviews, he tries to target a wide variety of audiences and he says he is an unbiased source.

"Too often, 'professional' reviewers have a vested yet undisclosed interest in the products they push," he writes on the Web site. "Too many 'user' reviews read suspiciously like marketing copy or the grievances of someone with an axe to grind."

Help through honesty

Honesty is the way to truly help people, said Rich Gottlieb, the owner of Rock & Snow in New Paltz.

"There are all kinds of periodicals telling you where to shop. Sometimes I wonder where they get that information," he said. "If this is site tailored to what people experience, I only have good thoughts." Camping products sold at Rock & Snow in New Paltz are mentioned at Consensus Best, though Gottlieb was unaware of the site's existence.

There are some kinks that Consensus Best still has to work out. For example, No Sugar doesn't carry a Kipling Baby Nursery Bag, like the Web site says it does.

Cannon acknowledges the Web site is in its infancy. It was launched in the fall, with improvements and additions happening every day. He also urges consumers to "Call ahead and make sure a store is currently stocking the product(s) you want," because inventory fluctuates.

Right now, Consensus Best staff have a lot of promoting to do to let people in the mid-Hudson Valley know the Web site is available. It has generated about 1,000 page views total and has a future that is undetermined. The students designed the site so there could be more versions with product reviews and store locators tailored to different regions around the country.

There are no ads on the site currently, which is the traditional method used by sites such as Consensus Best to generate income. Its goal isn't to make money, said one of its student designers, Gagnon. First, it's to see if the concept is a success, he said.

"YouTube and MySpace made their sites popular first," the Marist student said. "Then they made money from them."

As Nina pointed out, the worst thing is probably that they listed Matt's major as Internet Technology, as opposed to Information Technology. She actually caught the mistake before I did. Also, they totally closed with my quote. Now I'm totally famous.