In fact, I’ve been joining blogger-PR networking sites in hopes that I can become more awesome. I’ve joined SheBlogs, BlogHer, Blog Friendly PR (forums) and The Product Review Place to put out feelers for companies who might like to work with me. I’ve made contact with 3 companies (CSN Stores, Skin Free and Arm & Hammer) that will be providing me with product in exchange for review and I hope that number increases as it allows for this site to be better than evar, really!

And yet, I’m still not worried about the FTC coming after lil ol’ me. For the record, they do not intend to seek out individual bloggers but rather the companies who are promoting sleazy PR moves. You can read more about how the FTC guidelines may or may not blog you at Marketing Roadmaps (the author breaks down the guidelines in a way everyone can understand!) and you can read more about sponsorship on Reviews by Cole on my brand new Sponsorship FAQ page (which is also linked in the sidebar).

A while back I blogged about Activia, the yogurt which helps regulate your system. I liked it well enough but it was a little strange. The texture is different from regular yogurt and I’m not a huge fan of actual fruit chunks in my yogurt. It liked to separate, too. When I opened it, their was always water on top and I would have to stir it up. So while Activia worked and I sort of liked it, I wound up wasting more than I used because it was just kind of weird.

Almost all of these not-quite-deal-breakers have been remedied with their new Activia Drinks. They come in tiny bottles which are easily gulped down and are available in several flavours: Strawberry, Peach, Vanilla and Mixed Berry. However, I’m pretty sure Wal-mart is only carrying strawberry and peach. I went with the former.

There’s not strange texture or separation and I don’t even notice the fruit pieces. It’s like some prepackaged smoothie drinks. Since I have switched to the drinks, I haven’t missed a day and I feel a lot better. The active ingredient in Activia products, Bifidus Regularis,well, unfortunately. It does seem to work best when taken around the same time everyday and after or with a meal as opposed to first thing in the morning.

Activia Drinks definitely improve upon a good product.

I’m a big fan of foaming hand soaps, for whatever reason. I guess they’re just fun and I enjoyed using this one. It was easy to lather, left my skin feeling (probably the Vitamin E and Aloe Vera) and smelling good. In fact, the scent is wonderful. It’s very true to life, unlike some scents, and definitely apple-y. The scent was also very strong, making my entire bathroom smell good.

I was also fond of the design of the bottle. It was tall and cylindrical in shape, tapering toward the top. The clear bottle was wrapped in a clear label, except for pictures of luscious apples and a little product information, so the pink soap shone through.

I’m not one who cares too much about the ingredients list but it’s Triclosan which gives Bodycology soaps their anti-bacterial properties and not everyone is fond of it. I could go either way until there’s more affirmative testing. Another plus is that it isn’t tested on animals.

Bodycology has made an absolutely wonderful smelling hand soap with their Apple Orchard Foaming Hand Soap but I probably won’t buy it every time; it is a little more expensive that similar products.

First up – KatieDidItGlass has been a wonderful and understanding seller. I bought one of her amazing candle flowers, in amber and I loved it. Unfortunately, the cats love to chase eachother under the decorator table it was on and knocked it over a few too many times. It basically became flat as the candle holder is not meant to be cat-handled like that. I contacted her about a new one and agreed to send the pieces back for her to fix at a discounted price. The candle flower as arrived and is still in its box, unopened until I clear out Halloween decorations. I see no reason to subject it to abuse just yet. I cannot recommend KatieDidItGlass any higher! The glass art is beautiful (right now she has candle flowers, ornaments, earrings and more all made of gorgeous stained glass) and functional and, as a seller, I am highly impressed!

I also purchased some Vanilla Almond Amaretto – Fluffy Whipped Body Frosting from Etsy seller ScentedLuxuries. I had gotten some whipped body lotion from another company but it was kind of lame smelling. It did make me realize that I love whipped lotions so I hopped on to Etsy. I wanted something Cherry/Almond scented and settled on the Vanilla Almond Amaretto. It’s super fluffy and whipped and actually a bit thinner than I expected. The stuff I had been using was almost hard. OF course, this light formula is not greasy at all and the smell is not quite what I expected but good nonetheless. It’s a bit heavy on vanilla with undertones of Almond and Amaretto. I would probably use a bit less vanilla so the smell is a bit more balanced. ScentedLuxuries carries many more items that are scented like body mists, candles, essential oils, lip gloss and body wash, just to name a few!.

Both of these Etsy sellers have a lot of unique offerings and I would buy from them again.

Shopping at ThinkGeek is easy. It’s a clean and well designed site. If you like one item, you’ll likely find more that you like. Another benefit of shopping at ThinkGeek is their Geek Points – a system which rewards customers with different items. One must enroll into Geek Points because the system is not retroactive so I suggest doing that before you make your first purchase. ThinkGeek also allows you to enter coupon codes which I did to get a free Annoy-A-Tron (a neat little device which you can use to annoy people with its random beeping).

Because there are multiple vendors who use different producers for the shirts, it’s important to check the size charts and these charts are provided for everything. Some of the designs are also printed on different cut styles which is something I didn’t notice when I ordered. Despite checking out these charts, I was still surprised at how different the three shirts I bought were. They all had slightly different cuts and fabrics and are made by different companies. For instance, I bought this cute “I [heart] My Geek” shirt which is a super silky 100% cotton blend that has an incredible amount of stretch and feels cool to the skin. The classic cut OMG Pwnies shirt is printed on a basic Hanes cotton while the last shirt I bought, which features Bender from Futurama and is no longer on the site, was very slim cut and long. Unfortunately, that one is the most unflattering so I will probably only wear it under something else. Although this means that sizing will differ between the shirts you choose, it also means variety and you get entirely different products.

Of course, there is a plethora of other product for sale on ThinkGeek that range from interactive shirts run on battery packs, cute USB gadgets, stuffies, lights and clocks, candy and kids’ stuff. There’s really something for every geek on ThinkGeek.

Generally, customer service drags you through trouble shooting steps that will have no effect or that you’ve already taken. When I explained my problem, the representative quickly confirmed that there was nothing else to be done about a hardware failure and that, because the warranty was up, they wouldn’t pay for repairs.

However, she invited me to join their loyalty site where I could buy a new printer at drastically discounted prices. Although I’d still be out money either way, the prices on Epson’s loyalty site were better than any I could find retail. Silly me forgot to buy a printer before those prices expired, unfortunately.

Even though I have a giant paperweight on my desk, I felt that the experience was as positive as it could be. The customer service representative didn’t lead me around in useless circles and I felt like I was rewarded for my patronage. I have had several customer service experiences which have been more negative so it was refreshing.

Professorial Communication: Now, I know that as reviewers we are technically asking for free product to review but that does not mean we deserve any less courtesy regarding communication. Whether you communicate through letter, phone or e-mail, you are expected to act in a professional manner, as long as you are representing a business. This includes courtesy e-mails (with greetings and signatures) in a timely manner or returning calls only during appropriate hours and getting our names correct. Furthermore, we may say things you do not necessarily like things you have to say but you should always remain calm and return our messages. It’s only courtesy.

Realistic Expectations and Appreciation: I know I’m not every blogger but just receiving a product for free does not guarantee a positive review. A quality product is the only thing that gets you that. If your reviewer has a valid criticism you should take it in stride and be thankful, yes thankful, for their thoughts. If you don’t know how you can improve, how can you make a better product? Furthermore, if you don’t want to improve upon your product, someone else will. And when it comes to appreciation, recognize that all bloggers are unique and have something different to offer. We are individuals.

Specific Instructions: Let us know if you want specific links or a certain characteristic of your product highlighted. As long as you don’t want us to lie, most bloggers are more than happy to help you out. If there is something about your product that makes it really appealing, chances are we want our readers to know, too.

Packaging and Delivery: Reviewers don’t expect products to be hand delivered, tomorrow by George Clooney (but, you know, I wouldn’t complain). We do like to be kept in the loop with shipping numbers and prefer that items will ship within an appropriate amount of time. Furthermore, packaging should be complete enough that products arrive in usable condition. Having to return products (especially on our own dime) tends to sour those consumer relations that you’re working so hard to build.

Honesty: This is a biggy. At the end of the day, all those corporate giants are made up of people just like you or I. I know that, everyone does. Ultimately, those people are as imperfect as you or I. I know that, too. Mistakes will happen. Products will not be perfect. Misunderstandings occur. The list goes on. I understand that and I can even accept it as long as a company is forthright about it. Glossing over those little mistakes is a big mistake when people find out about it and word of mouth in the blogosphere can easily reduce your company image. The same goes for facts about your products. Your product may not do everything and the laundry but I’ll be much happier to know what it does do than some unfounded claim. Misleading advertising does no one any good. Just tell us the facts, please.

I think you’ll find that when both bloggers and companies follow some common sense guidelines, the result is a smooth working consumer relation based on trust which can help everyone involved.

Head on over and list your site. Also, I’m always interested in similar sites.