As a tech reviewer, I get to see some neat stuff. It’s no secret brands are willing to send you products to review in lieu of coverage. It’s not necessarily to gain favorable press. Instead, they want exposure and, hopefully, to garner attention, positive or negative. Having spent my time writing for several outlets, I’ve had my fair share of opportunities to review products. At one time, I was often promised the chance to review a robotic pool vacuum. Although they’re less expensive than they were back then, they’re still pricey. So, I always looked forward to the chance to try out a unit, any unit really.
Back when I was writing for a bigger outlet, I was actually told many times that my chance would come. Several contacts, inside the company and out, said as much. I was frequently promised the opportunity and for a myriad of reasons, it never panned out. And so, when I set out to manage my own site here at Techigar, my one metric for success was to get that chance once and for all. In my mind I mistakenly — and negligently I might add — tied my overall success to that particular achievement. But since Techigar is relatively new, and traffic is not as high as a major site, my opportunities dried up quickly. Some brands, understandably, are not willing to expend resources on a smaller site such as this.
Ever fortunate in my opportunities, ever grateful
None of this is a complaint. Allow me to back up a little and explain that my thoughts on this are not rooted in entitlement. I don’t and never have felt that I “deserve” to be sent any products. When I am, I’m eternally grateful. Don’t worry. It doesn’t skew my opinions or experiences during a review. I stick to candid assessments and approach them as someone buying a product on a limited budget. No, I am not rich or well-off. I understand the importance of investing in quality products that not only last but work as advertised. The point I’m trying to make is I never expected nor approached these opportunities as something I was guaranteed, and I never will.
Enter the robot
Recently, I purchased a renewed Aiper Scuba S1, a smart pool vacuum that is capable yet affordable. On paper, or on the product page anyway, it’s everything I was looking for. You can drop it in the pool, set it to cleaning, kick back and enjoy a beer and a cigar while it scrubs the floor, walls, and surfaces. It dawned on me while I was watching it clean, I finally achieved what I set out to do all those years ago. Yes, it’s silly. It’s by no means a solid metric to use, but I must admit, it feels good.
It’s unfortunate the world is in the state it’s in. That can make it challenging to enjoy your free time. There’s so much going on and so much on my mind. I know many are suffering, who don’t have a place to call home let alone a pool, and are struggling just to just survive. That’s not lost on me. So if you’re reading this and having a rough go of it, know I’m not sharing with the intent to rub anything in.
Finding motivation in a new goal
Most likely, I will sit down and write a proper review for this thing after I’ve spent some time with it. Someday, I hope to share these fortunes with others, possibly through giveaways and sponsorships aimed at giving back.
Unlike what I managed previously at my past outlets, which were profit-forward for said companies, I don’t place a huge emphasis on affiliate marketing or affiliate links at Techigar. They’re added when it makes sense. A majority of the links I provide to products are not affiliated. Frankly, it’s a pain in the ass to manage all the different affiliate networks as a one-man and independent site, so I don’t bother most times. That has, admittedly, held back some of the ideas and plans I’ve had especially when it comes to actually giving back.
What’s next
For now, I’ll continue writing, sharing, and doing my best to grow this site and see where it leads. It’s not a financial success, yet. It doesn’t make money to sustain my career and certainly doesn’t make enough profit to focus on this site, or my other sites, full time. But mainly because my success was linked to a trivial event, I do feel I’ve made it. Now, I need to set a new goal.
With these thoughts in mind and my, quite dippy, robotic pool vacuum achievement complete, I’m writing this. Sharing some experience, discussing some plans, stewing in my triumph. I hope that many of you can achieve a small win, or a big win, and that prosperity comes to everyone. Would that the world were a different place.
For anyone out there reading, thank you. Onwards and upwards.
