My Single Mom Life

I have been awake for hours now, reading various blogs and stuff, random surfing. I have a lot to say but I also have a lot to do.
I need to clean the house. Tina will be here around 5pm, and I have a sink full of dishes and dust bunnies galloping across my carpet.

I think about random things and some not so random things. I tend to go off, and on and on about stuff.
I'll try not to do that right now.
But I was thinking about shopping and consumerism, and word of mouth, and it's role in what in people buy.
I truly believe word of mouth is better than any straight forward press release on specs.
Why? Because the guy who is just talking about specs and capabilities, more than likely hasn't bought the product, just knows what it can do based on it's system specs.
But a consumer, a person who bought that new tv or computer for their home, or ipod for their kid or themselves, actually has it, knows all the pros and cons of the product.

As a mother and home maker, I have that cake pan and reported back that it called for two boxes of mix when in reality, you only need one. I reported back how well it worked, it's ease of use, and talked about the end product.
I bought power jett clog remover and it sucks. I don't care how great the companies press release said it was, it sucked.

Which type are you more than likely to pay attention to? The specs or people who bought it?
I tend to listen to people who buy the items, I'm sure most of you do to, and while we do check out specs, we also ask around because we want to know if something is truly as great as the company is telling us it is, or if it's a piece of crap wrapped in a shiny bow.

I personally think the best ways to find out about a product is to ask around, my friends and family, other parents, other consumers.
Companies want to hype it's product to you, they want you to buy it, but if 7 out of my 10 friends say it's garbage, I'm going to save my money.
The same can be said for movies.
We all wanted to see Ghostrider, and it's been hyped to hell and back by the studio. But the truth is, it's a piece of crap wrapped in a shiny bow according to many, many regular people who went and saw it.
Music?
Same thing. I'm still head over heels in love with TOOL's 10,000 days cd months after it's been released, and every person I've spoken to about it agrees 100%, it's a kick ass cd with some of the most amazing lyrics ever heard.
My sons have the game Gears of War, and while it's definitely not for everyone, it's an awesome game. The graphics are mind blowing. I often sit and watch them play because it's spectacular. I could totally do without the chainsaw noises, but that game is incredible and everyone who owns it agrees.
How did I know to buy it for them?
I asked around after reading what the company had to say about it. It's a $60.00 game and before I plunk that kind of money down on something, I want to make sure it's going to be played more than once.
Every person I asked gave me great details on it. The graphics, the language from other players, the capabilities of the characters may not be suitable for certain kids and adults. The real feel of the game. Over 80 people answered my call for information and only one person said they didn't think it was suitable for my sons based on how the characters interact with each other, and the language from other players during game play.

So while I do appreciate the specs on products, they play a very minor role in my reasons for buying something.
What about you?

shopping
gears of war
TOOL
ghost rider