Complaint re MyBB Author: Derrick Cramer

[nanonyous]

(I'll no doubt receive more flak for this than I'll have people agreeing, particularly since I'm not planning on sugar-coating anything about this post, but please read in full before voicing your opinion on the matter.)


I take issue with Derrick Cramer's articles posted on MyBroadBand. I have long-since stopped visiting MyGaming for the same reason, and removed MyGaming from my list of Facebook 'likes' so I'd stop seeing links to articles posted by him, largely because I couldn't see the author's name without first opening the link, and so couldn't easily 'ignore' them. I have recently done the same for MyBroadBand for the same reason.

I take issue with his articles because I feel they have the following attributes

• Post Quality
  The quality of Cramer's articles do not live up to that of the articles posted by any of the other authors for MyBB. The formatting cannot even be called 'unique' or 'characteristic of his style', as it essentially amounts to Computer Lit 101 standards. Practically every post follows the same text-book crappiness in terms of formatting, layout and style you'd find taught at schools in this country, or on sites that would be best ignored by the general populace of the world that supposedly teach you "how to write editorial pieces for the internet".
  
  In terms of the breadth of information covered, more often than not, grossly incomplete information (and sometimes even misleading information) is provided. For one of his most recent examples, see this article. One of the big issues with this article is that he states, to quote;
  
  

  The PCIe form factor is perfect for an enthusiast who wants ultimate performance. Since PCIe is natively faster than SATA 6Gbps, it removes a key bottleneck in drives and allows manufacturers to push greater speeds. These are often coupled with large capacities, thanks to the larger form factor of PCIe cards over 2.5 inch drives.
  
  OCZ offers the RevoDrive X2 960GB version consumer offering. Larger capacity PCIe drives do exist, but these are enterprise class devices dealt with below.
  
  Targeted at PC enthusiasts who are looking for a fast, high capacity boot or storage drive, the RevoDrive X2 is capable of 730Mb/s read speeds, and 700Mb/s write speeds. 120,000 random write IOPS round off the package, making the drive faster than many new mainstream SSDs.

  PCI-E of all versions, (v1.x, v2.x and v3.0, for those currently available) comes in 5 different classifications in terms of port;
  PCI-E 1x
  PCI-E 2x
  PCI-E 4x
  PCI-E 8x
  PCI-E 16x
  
  Every version classification has two 'lanes' times its multiplier, one lane going in each direction and each lane supporting xGbps of throughput. Motherboards today can still come with PCI-E 2.x ports as opposed to the newer PCI-E 3.0 standard, so taking these into account is imperative for an article like this.
  
  For PCI-E 2.x, this throughput is 500MB/s (megabytes/second) per lane. This means a PCI-E v2.x 1x port has only 500MB/s read and 500MB/s write performance in duplex
  In contrast, PCI-E 3.0 has 1GB/s per lane
  
  So in other words, in order for the RevoDrive to achieve its full speed it would need a PCI-E v2.x x2 port as the bare minimum, or a PCI-E v3.0 x1 port. In the card's case, it actually comes in a PCI-E x4 port format - not many motherboards actually have x4 ports, let alone the bandwidth to support it, as not all controllers for the PCI-E bus on a computer are equal.
  
  So in essence, the point is that there is a lot of information that is crucial to determining whether or not a particular device being talked about is suited to the reader's applications; without the information being listed, it's not unlikely that someone may mistakenly think the card is in fact able to slot into a PCI-E x1 or even x2 slot, decide to buy one, receive it and then find that it needs a PCI-E x4 slot, of which their motherboard may have none.
  
  This kind of issue, one of incomplete or poor quality information for his articles, is not uncommon. On many of his articles you will see people (not only me) complaining about these things.

• Post to Category relevance
  Most of Cramer's articles are nothing but (poorly constructed) comparisons of 5 items of x category with some very basic information that tells the reader little to nothing of note. An example of these articles can be found here and here, for two of his more recent ones.
  
  
  In the first, a few bold claims were made that were quickly called out by those commenting on the article. More importantly, the article completely ignores the fact that various well-known component and 'Complete' PC manufacturers have various All-In-One computers available that would be a far better match-up for an article such as this that focuses on the iMac and "competitors".
  
  Furthermore, the pricing of the PC components he found is atrocious, hardly indicative of what anyone that spends a few minutes of searching for themselves would be able to find.
  
  He also claims, as a differentiating factor,
  

  Note that the iMac display uses LED back-lighting rather than the LCD back-lighting found in the Dell monitor.

  While it isn't explicitly implied, I assume that he took the time to point it out on the assumption that it's something that makes the iMac's display better than the Dell listed. Aside from a quicker 'to set brightness' on startup, which for anyone besides a particularly picky photographer/graphic designer/video editor is generally inconsequential, there is no good reason to list LED backlighting as a special feature of the iMac's display. Information as to why it might be relevant isn't provided, so there's no context for the statement.
  
  What's otherwise overlooked is that in the 27" monitor PC example, specifically, one is afforded the utility of a height and pivot adjustable monitor - this means one can raise or lower the screen's height and turn it into a portrait orientation, if you want to.
  
  There is also no mention made of the (extremely) reflective surface of the iMac's screen, which is a 'feature' you have to pay a premium to have 'removed' by way of having an anti-glare film installed on the monitor - a service I'm not sure they even offer at the registered stores selling iMacs in South Africa. Because it's something that can be important to many considering an iMac, it's something they'd inevitably have to go out and get afterwards - now they need to go do their own research all over again anyway, because a particular article facilitated an uninformed purchase.
  
  And why is Thunderbolt a 'major loss of functionality'? What is it good for? What devices run on it? Is it something readers won't ever be able to get for their desktop PCs? What's an "Intel Ivy Bridge Chip"? In what context was the statement made?
  
  As far as apples to apples comparisons go, the monitor choice in the 21.5" case was also terrible.
  
  This is not news. This isn't even an informative article.
  
  
  For the second article, stating as a weakness for the iPad 2
  

  Can’t run full x86-based software

  Will mean nothing to a hell of a lot of people that might read the article. What is a "full x86-based software"?
  He doesn't take the time to point out that unlike the laptop and netbook, which both run Windows, the iPad2 is limited to its own App Market. He also, seemingly, completely neglects to take into account that there are tablets that do not run iOS nor Android, that have 'normal' processors in them and can thus run Windows, that slot into the R4k price point he had prescribed for the article.
  
  This is evidenced by
  

  Consumers who want a portable device in order to consumer media on the go should consider a tablet PC. While tablets are not as powerful in the traditional desktop PC sense when compared to the laptop and netbook, they offer versatility of their own in the form of mobile operating system apps. They are great for consuming content, and are even more portable than netbooks while staying in the same screen-size and resolution class.

  There is nothing to a Windows running tablet that makes it any less functional than a netbook, besides the exclusion of a built in keyboard and trackpad, the former which one can get as an accessory, should you need it, while the latter can be replaced by the tablet's touch-screen functionality or can be supplemented, again, by a mouse.
  
  

  Notably there is no optical drive, and it comes with Windows 7 Starter, which has less features than Home Basic found on the Samsung RV511 laptop.

  What features? Who would those features matter to? How would it affect their use of the device?

[nanonyous]

• Subject Matter
  I'm seeing quite often when I happen to click through to an article of Cramer's (which is accidental 9/10 times, mind you), that in the comment section there is almost always someone complaining about the article. These are people that are complaining that the articles give no good information, are not interesting, have content that is poorly written; in essence, these people feel that "any idiot could have written this and it would've been just as crap". These are people that would rather go to a different site to read tech news, that could get better information on 'great tech deals' or their next tech-related thing to spend money on by viewing just about any site on the top10 results of a search engine when looking for 'tech news', with these results including a few South African sites.
  
  Many of Cramer's articles start with 'we take a look at', 'we look into', 'we compare', 'we review', or the like. These articles are generally, seemingly, the ones that Cramer came up with themselves, and so I feel they shouldn't have the 'we' added to them; not unless MyBroadBand as a whole wants to be associated with poor articles, which seems to be what a lot of guests are deriving from those very same articles. This used to be how I spotted one of his articles and knew to avoid them. The ratio of articles that begin with this title vs his other articles has dropped significantly, but the articles that concern unoriginal writing are often almost nothing more than paraphrasing of a paragraph or two, then a link to the original article.
  
  Anyone can do this. I could do this. I'd be willing to wager that, if I were to be paid for doing so, I could do this better than Cramer. If nothing else, I'd do a far better job of ensuring there aren't spelling mistakes in my articles, that the grammar is more sound (though even I can't have perfect grammar, even if I'm a self-absorbed ass), that all necessary bases (and then some) are covered as far as information is concerned... Hell, I'm perfectly happy to go do some (partially) original research for articles on genuinely interesting and relevant news topics - not just more crap about case modding and gaming accessories. Why are MyGaming oriented articles even bleeding over to MyBroadBand if not for increasing his post exposure and/or padding?

• Research Quality
  This has essentially been covered by the above, but needs its own bullet point so that those not reading the tl;dr knows it's been covered.

• Information Accuracy
  Same as for 'Research Quality'.

• Bias
  When pricing comparisons are made, Cramer cites very few sources - seemingly only from a limited pool of online and walk-in retailers. Online retailers the likes of Takealot and Nivo are completely ignored. On the other hand, an importer like WantItAll is often listed (along with their absurd prices), completely ignoring the fact that they are an importer and not a retailer, and as such, warranties are not honoured by local distributors/manufacturers of most imported goods and, should a warranty return need to be done, the shipping costs may have to be covered by the buyer.
  
  This kind of behaviour for articles specifically outlining price differences between different sources for a given item looks sloppy and biased - as though he's being paid to only mention selected retailers and/or brands.
  
  In contrast to pricing bias, there seems to be a lack of definition in what Cramer will talk about when it comes to specific items' branding, particularly when it comes to monitors or televisions. A television of one model will not be the same as another television of the same size (and type) from another manufacturer (for a given price point), let alone from the same manufacturer when considering different models of the same size television. No time is taken to talk about the features (or lack thereof) of these items, nor of their performance/quality vs their competitors at a similar price point. Diversity is important here so readers have a better picture of what is available to them and for how much, and why A might be better or worse than B.
  
  If someone wants to see a randomly picked special on a TV from Game, Makro or Hi-Fi Corporation, we all receive the flyers.

So if you've read this far, I have the following proposals that I'd like your opinion on in the form of a poll. Polls aren't supported by the phpbb rules selected for this board for posters such as myself, so it'll have to be text-based for those that would like to take part. If you have any, please add comments with your choice. If you'd prefer not to make a specific choice but have an opinion on what I have said or have comments regarding Cramer, yourself, please post those.

1. Cramer needs to stop posting articles for MyBroadBand, as they're bringing down the quality of MyBB articles as a whole
2. Cramer can stay, but needs to stop cross-posting articles that belong on MyGaming onto MyBB
3. Cramer can stay, but needs to pull up his socks and improve his articles' quality to be in line with the rest of MyBB
4. Cramer's articles are fine, sometimes interesting and I have no problem with them

Other items can be added to this if someone has a relevant 'option' for it. There is an edit function for people to edit their posts at a later stage with a change of choice, after all.

[jdjoubert]

With regards to the above two posts by the OP........

I dint read it.

[Mephisto_Helix]

Could I offer you a remover perhaps? Because that is one huge stick you have up your arse!

[McT]

With regards to the above two posts by the OP........

I dint read it.

I too did not bother.

@OP, instead of creating an insensitive thread to air your gripes, would it not have been a better idea to liaise with the management of MyBB?

Ever heard of a "PM"?

[Mephisto_Helix]

I too did not bother.

@OP, instead of creating an insensitive thread to air your gripes, would it not have been a better idea to liaise with the management of MyBB?

Ever heard of a "PM"?

^ This x100 ....... would have been the mature thing to do.

[murraybiscuit]

get some balls and address your grievances with the appropriate parties.
while your points may be valid, your course of action is less than constructive.

[Toitjie]

I read the first two paragraphs and stop reading....

I can't say I agree or disagree with the OP...

but I have seen many a times where sending a PM resolves nothing, and thats why the public exists.

[marine1]

I too did not bother.

@OP, instead of creating an insensitive thread to air your gripes, would it not have been a better idea to liaise with the management of MyBB?

Ever heard of a "PM"?

Agreed.

[Pixual]

Very poor job application.

Another person who failed to get more than 10% into your rant.

[ToxicBunny]

TLDR....

[nanonyous]

This is a public matter as it's something that concerns all readers of MyBB's articles, and many have voiced their opinion regarding the quality of Cramer's articles within the comment sections of those articles over the past year+.

The idea of this thread is for those that have actually read his articles to contribute their opinion, whether in agreement or disagreement, regarding the points highlighted, or to raise their own concerns.

Once the thread's had a while to sit, assuming no response from the 'heads' of MyBB make it known that they have looked over the posts and will consider the opinions of those that have posted, I PM them to bring the thread to their attention.

It may, to the minds of some, be 'the more mature thing to do' to send a PM to someone specific, but there's a reasonable chance that Cramer is in fact friends with those I may send the PM to and so may not concern themselves as much with what I have to say, or may feel defensive about it. By having this thread for a pool of opinions instead, they can (ideally) see that I'm not the only one that has an issue with Cramer's articles.

[twicode]

If you had to submit multiple articles per day working part time doing it for little pay I am sure your article quality would suffer and you would also turn into a copy and paste journalist.

Why do you not volunteer writing tech stories for this site?

[joelus]

You left out option 4 in your poll:
Cramer's articles are fine, sometimes interesting and I have no problem with them.

Tbh, it seems like you have a giant chip on your shoulder and an ulterior motive or agenda in posting this rant.

He is not writing to tell you what to do, what to buy, where to buy or what to think, you need to do that for yourself. He provides interesting info and a starting point but you still need to do your own research. You also need to get a life. Seriously.

[SinghDude]

Does OP want a job @ MyBB ?

Classifieds are a good place to start !