Originally Posted by FarmerJohn (Post 1590748)

I like the idea.

How are you going to stay objective and unbiased with these videos? I'm sure you'd be approached by FRC distributors wanting coverage of their products (or trying to negate negative views of their products).

We would be happy to cover companies products if they ask us. I believe companies tailoring to FRC teams are not the type to manipulate reviewers. That being said, we would not tolerate such a situation and fail to be objective because we are asked by a manufacturer.

How much serious and in-depth testing do you plan on doing? Will you post your methods? If someone points out a flaw in your methods, how open would you be to redacting those results and trying again?

Reasonably in-depth. Using the product over a medium length period of time most likely. We would post our testing methods and would be fine redoing a review if we make an error the community notices.

In your reviews, if you come across an inferior product, how would you present it? Would you openly critique a product you thought teams shouldn't use knowing that the developers of that product would likely be watching your video? Would you censor negative opinions for the sake of GP? Is everything going to be "a great product?"

We certainly will not censor our opinions, but we won't go on outright rants either. Negative feedback/criticism, if present, will be presented in a constructive and helpful way so the manufacturer can improve their product.

How are you critiquing these products, and from what point of view? Are you focusing on their effectiveness for an FRC robot, their viability for a team? Their versatility in use? Are you focusing your reviews from the perspective of a specific kind of team? Are you planning to examine multiple perspectives?

Multiple perspectives, and certain perspectives for certain products.

How much experience do you have with these COTS products and effectively evaluating them?

With a robot that is mostly COTS, we have a lot of experience with such products and their use.

Overall I think this can be a great project. I ask these difficult questions because they help define the show and its values. This has a lot of potential, and with the right character can be a great hit.

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery (Post 1590753)

What type of products would you be unboxing and reviewing? Electronics? Tools? COTS components?


I'm a little confused as to the value here. For something like computer components, I get a lot of value seeing a video of a motherboard or CPU cooler (or whatever) outside of the box. I can learn about its fit into cases, accessibility of mounting holes, the experience of the YouTuber while installing the components, etc.

For FRC components, I'm less sure there's utility from unboxing and cursory reviews. There's not a whole lot of value added by seeing you unbox some new extrusion. I might be able to gain a bit while following along with a video reviewer assembling a new COTS gearbox per instructions. However, the type of reviews I really want for a COTS gearbox is how it held up to competition use. Seeing the form factor and mounting arrangement for a speed controller provides some moderate value, but once again, the real knowledge comes from teams really putting a speed controller through its paces in the heat of a build season and subsequent competition.

That's the problem with virtually every new FRC product. Until it's been tested in the shop and then on the field, reviews need to be taken with a grain of salt. That's why many teams shy away from being "early adopters" of technology, and why FIRST has "beta teams" for control system updates.

Originally Posted by Sperkowsky (Post 1590712)

As some know I have extensive experience in this area of Youtube.

I am not interested in participating but, if you have any specific questions I can help.

Originally Posted by droneexpert87 (Post 1590858)

https://www.youtube.com/user/perkowsky5 Is this you?