What's the deal with flightsim.com?

[Guest AJ]

I am just curious if I am the only one who has noticed this. Most other major flightsim sites and magazines have given the Queen a great deal of coverage. Yet for some reason this site, still has yet to put up a reveiw or even an announcement of its release. Is there some kind of funky politics going on here, or is it just a major oversite on their part? Just curious.Andrew

[Guest saudi_777]

I thought that I was the only one who noticed this!!!! :-lol :-lol :-lol :-lolCheers,

[CODY614 6]

Did you read the full list?Flying club?....The Baron....O-kay thats a given...Some of that stuff is old news...Slightly bias?....Me thinks so!Oh well....We all know truth! Here lives the Queen!

[SwervR1 1]

I spotted exactly the same thing! I also noticed that every product that received an award was one that was already being sold through their online shop. Not that I'm being cynical in any way....

[flyerboy 114]

Doesn't pmdg have to send a press release to flightsim.com. Perhaps they just sent it to avsim and fsnordic?anyone wanna clear it up?

[Guest phil]

>I spotted exactly the same thing! I also noticed that every>product that received an award was one that was already being>sold through their online shop. Not that I'm being cynical in>any way....Not quite true, the Dreamfleet Baron link is to the Dreamfleet site, but every other link on the "awards" page isn't to a review of the "winner", it's just a link to the product at the flightsim Pilot Shop. I don't got to flightsim.com as much as I used to, but when I do go I tend to see ads for many of the winners. I'm sure there can't be any connection between advertisers, products available in the shop, and the awards, can there?phil

[lefteris 70]

We send press releases to all major news sites. Flightsim.com is one of them. What they choose to do with their content is their business, so we cannot assume responsibility for what they print or not print :-). I think that says it all.

[CODY614 6]

SAD!

[Guest AJ]

Whether they like it or not is their business of course. It just surprises me that they did not even review it. They have a fellow over the by the name of Andrew Herd, who often writes some very competent reviews. Just seems strange that they are ignoring one of the major releases of the year. I still remember the golden age of that site (5-6 years ago), when Peter James wrote for them. It really went downhill after that and never fully recovered.Andrew

[rsrandazzo 6,353]

Gents-I've deleted a couple of posts from this thread because I saw a few "strong personal opinions" voiced that I thought were a bit unfair to the folks at FlightSim.Com...Just to clear the rumors/innuendo to ensure that nobody feels PMDG is being slighted:I think it's pretty common knowledge that FlightSim.Com operates under a different business model than most of the other sim-related sites out there. According to Mike at Flightsim, they are so busy with the growth of commercial addons and freeware offerings that they decided it was necessary to place an economic descriminator into their handling of news/articles/reviews.According to Mike, FlightSim.Com works hard to put emphasis on the freeware community first and formost. After the freeware community, they provide news/announcements/reviews only for those commercial outfits that advertise with flightsim.com.Since PMDG has not take up an advertising contract with Flightsim.Com, our product accouncements do not receive the main page billing that advertisers receive, nor do they review PMDG products like the 747-400- and our products are not considered for their annual product awards.Currently PMDG coordinates our advertising with our CD publisher, Aerosoft- and while we certainly enjoy having our products reviewed by competent reviewers, we do not feel that the market currently supports us advertising with any specific site solely in order to get access to news/reviews/promotions and awards....I'm sure there will come a day when you see PMDG advertising at flightsim.com- but not at the moment.... So in keeping with their policies our product announcements are generally downplayed.You can always see when we release product announcements/updates/news here in our forum, or on the main page at AVSim, SimFlight.Com, Flugsimulation.com and many others- so if you are like me and tend to scan around a bit- you shouldn't miss anything from us.Besides- it just gives you reason to come back and spend time with us here!

[Guest Andrea]

Just to mention the last announcements concerning PMDG, published on the Flightsim home page:PMDG Previews Some 747-400F LiveriesDecember 29 2005 @ 22:42:42 UTC PMDG 747-400 Service Update 1.1 ReleasedDecember 01 2005 @ 23:06:15 UTC PMDG 747-400, Service Update 1.1 soonNovember 30 2005 @ 11:25:35 UTC PMDG 747-400F World TourNovember 27 2005 @ 14:30:28 UTC Engravity Teams Up With PMDGNovember 20 2005 @ 15:27:54 UTC PMDG Latest AnnouncementsNovember 13 2005 @ 14:02:03 UTC Aerosoft Announce PMDG 747-400 CD-romNovember 11 2005 @ 18:48:30 UTC PMDG's Beech 1900 Now Boxed By AerosoftOctober 27 2005 @ 19:01:07 UTCAndrea

[rsrandazzo 6,353]

Andrea-Thank you for making my point even clearer. The references you pointed out are all located in the small section of Flightsim.com that is reserved for "non-advertising" entities. You have to search to find these very small references, so the original poster wasn't even aware that they were present and was left to assume that Flightsim.com wasn't providing any coverage of PMDG.The main portion of Flighsim.Com's site is dedicated only to their advertisers. To receive main page news/reviews/awards, you have to be a sponsor... Those of us who do not advertise with them receive very small billing in the lower corners.... But we do receive SOMETHING...So some users feel that they offer no coverage or are somehow being political when this is not the case. They are merely supporting those who support them economically- and those of us who do not receive a lower billing.It's important that users understand this and not assume that Flightsim.com is treating PMDG unfairly! We are being treated fairly as a company that fits into their "non-sponsor" category, contrary to a few comments that were made in this thread originally.

[Bob Scott 7,716]

I don't think fairness is the issue, Robert. I think that bias is more the issue, and you've done a terrific job, in an unemotional way, of highlighting for us the bias inherent in a site that only seems to do reviews for products that they have a stake in selling.Hence, their "reviews" are really advertisements, and that fact needs to be considered by the public with respect to the underlying bias that is inherent when the reviewer has a profit-motivated vested interest in the product being reviewed.I've seen Andy Herd put lipstick on a pig too many times to believe his reviews are free of profit-motivated bias.Glad to see that PMDG can remain clear of what looks to me to be something similar to the Payola that corrupted the music entertainment industry in the 50s and 60s.RegardsBob ScottATP IMEL Gulfstream II-III-IV-V L-300Santiago de Chile

[michal 44]

>I've seen Andy Herd put lipstick on a pig too many times :-lol :-lol

[Guest andyman]

Why is this dumb thread stickied. sheesh!