We’ve Got O.A.T.S!

Hello Readers,

You may have noticed the O.A.T.S. logo that we recently added to the right-hand side of the site. I just wanted to take a few moments to explain O.A.T.S and tell you why I thought that it was important that AppAddict.net be a part of this fine organization.

Essentially O.A.T.S (The Organization for App Testing Standards) is an alliance of iPhone app review sites bound by a common set of ethical standards. The goal of O.A.T.S is not to pass judgment on other sites, but rather to set a good example of editorial ethics. With so many review sites out there, it’s difficult to know who to trust and who’s reviews are being bankrolled to drive up App sales. When you visit AppAddict.net and read our reviews, you put your trust in us, that the content we are providing is unbiased and is not influenced in any way by the app developers, PR companies, or publishers. Joining O.A.T.S is hopefully one way that I can show you that we take that trust very seriously.

Even before the new FTC ruling, we have always openly admitted that we do accept promotional and/or adhoc copies of games for review purposes. As is stated in the ‘About’ section of this site (which you probably haven’t read…it’s okay I never do either.):

By submitting your application to our site for review, developer’s are agreeing to have an honest assessment of their App presented on this site. Giving us an application for free to review, DOES NOT BUY YOU AN AUTOMATIC GOOD REVIEW!!! We are as fair as possible with our reviews and will always attempt to present both the good and bad aspects of the App, as well as offer our suggestions for improvement.

There is no sense in us compromising our integrity to put out glowing reviews of apps that do not deserve it. Sure, this could be a profitable venture in the short term, but all credibility with you, our intelligent readers, would quickly be lost after you picked up a couple of our “5-star rated” boob or fart apps only to realize that they are really nothing more than just your typical “1-star” boob or fart app. No doubt there are probably some shady sites out there that participate in this sort of behavior, but consider the number of times you’ve actually been back to visit them since getting burned. This kind of practice would only breed mistrust and an eventual drop in our readership and is certainly not worth it.

At the end of the day, our goal is to help you save money when purchasing games on the App Store and avoid wasting it on junk. Since AppAddict.net can offer but just one opinion, I felt it was essential that my site align itself with sites which share my values and sense of moralit, like 148Apps, Slide to Play, TheAppera, and TouchGen (all of whom founded O.A.T.S). I feel quite honored that this little one-man show has been so graciously accepted into a group with such esteemed company. As a whole we are able to offer you a variety of opinions to help you make a more educated decision on where to spend your App Store dollars. We are also able to share ideas and find ways to use O.A.T.S to improve the way that we each deliver content on our individual sites.

I thank you for both your support and trust and encourage you to visit the other O.A.T.S affiliated sites for some fantastic and trustworthy content.

-Brett Nolan
Founder / Editor In Chief – AppAddict.net