[theme-reviewers] Question: Someone Want to Take Benefit From a 'Top Reviewer of the Month'.

[Chip Bennett]

Mel, we agree with respect to transparency/full disclosure. If it's under
the table, it's unacceptable - from individuals or from Theme shops.

Where I'm really struggling, though, is the issue of bribery/abuse. Themes
have multiple layers of approval before being listed in the Directory, and
only Themes getting listed in the Directory count toward the incentive.
Now, if someone were to contact an admin, and offer money to "grease the
skids" on marking approved Themes as "Live", *that* would clearly be abuse.

But as it is, we have someone offering to pay a reviewer to conduct full
and thorough reviews to the point of approval and being marked as Live by
an independent admin. More Themes get approved and listed in the Directory.
A volunteer gets paid for time and effort. All else equal/taken in a
vacuum, I have no inherent problem with that.

Any opportunities for abuse beyond that already exist in the system, and
can already be exploited.


On Wed, Jan 29, 2014 at 10:09 AM, esmi at quirm dot net <esmi at quirm.net>wrote:

> on 29/01/2014 14:44 Chip Bennett said the following:
>
>  For the sake of discussion: how is this any different from commercial
>> Theme
>> shops paying their employees to perform Theme reviews, with the expressed
>> intent of ensuring that one of the Theme shop's Themes gets listed as
>> featured?
>>
>
> 1. Theme shops are upfront about this. I know just by looking at a review
> ticket where the reviewer "pagelines"[1] is from. I understand that there
> may a commercially-orientated agenda in such a reviewer aiming for one of
> the top reviewer slots but that's OK. We all are aware of it. The same
> cannot be said for this "arrangement".
>
> 2. I think it would be safe to assume that the reviewer "pagelines" gets
> paid irrespective of whether s/he is a top reviewer or not. The same
> presumably would not be the case for anyone working under this "scheme".
>
> If this theme shop is so keen to get involved in reviews, why aren't they
> being upfront about it and getting involved in theme reviews themselves? or
> hiring someone and letting them review themes part -time like the other
> theme shops?
>
>
>  In other words: why is it acceptable for commercial Theme shops to engage
>> in this sort of financial transaction to gain a benefit from
>> WordPress.org,
>> but not for non-commercial developers?
>>
>
> Because it's far from being transparent. Given the basis of the offer and
> the way the proposed scheme would work, it's tantamount to bribery from
> where I'm sitting.
>
> Mel
> --
> [1[ And please forgive me, pagelines, for using you as an example. It was
> the only one I could think of off the top of my head. :-)
>
> http://quirm.net
> http://blackwidows.co.uk
>
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