Re: 2019 Vendor List
Posted: Fri May 03, 2019 3:54 pm
i totally see the appeal to something like this, and it doesn't bother me that some people want to avoid searching far and wide (lots of research, asking lots of people for their opinions, sampling teas from 20 shops, ...) to find reputable vendors. this is probably the best way, but it takes time and effort, and it can be hard to know where to start.
however, i still hesitate to maintain a vendor list. i don't want to be a gatekeeper telling people where to shop. i have my own personal preferences and buy stuff that works for me. i'm happy to make personal recommendations for whichever tea, but i haven't tried everything from every vendor. my experience is limited. and just because i had a great experience from a vendor a couple of years ago doesn't mean it guarantees reproducible happiness. also, what would omitting vendors from the list imply about them? is there something wrong with vendor X, or do we just not know much about them? it's hard for me to think of how to do it fairly.
the /r/tea User Choice Vendor List is probably the best possible approach to an impartial vendor list. sure, it's susceptible to being spammed by sock accounts, but it's arguably more fair than a few TF admins maintaining a list. but of course fairness does not guarantee utility either. that list is long but also bears little resemblance to what my personal vendor list would be -- almost none of the top 10 vendors on that list would be on mine. however, people are all at different stages of tea consumerism, and people have different tastes as well. that top 10 list is imo a very accurate reflection of the typical preferences of /r/tea which further signals to me that it was a fair process.
however, i still hesitate to maintain a vendor list. i don't want to be a gatekeeper telling people where to shop. i have my own personal preferences and buy stuff that works for me. i'm happy to make personal recommendations for whichever tea, but i haven't tried everything from every vendor. my experience is limited. and just because i had a great experience from a vendor a couple of years ago doesn't mean it guarantees reproducible happiness. also, what would omitting vendors from the list imply about them? is there something wrong with vendor X, or do we just not know much about them? it's hard for me to think of how to do it fairly.
the /r/tea User Choice Vendor List is probably the best possible approach to an impartial vendor list. sure, it's susceptible to being spammed by sock accounts, but it's arguably more fair than a few TF admins maintaining a list. but of course fairness does not guarantee utility either. that list is long but also bears little resemblance to what my personal vendor list would be -- almost none of the top 10 vendors on that list would be on mine. however, people are all at different stages of tea consumerism, and people have different tastes as well. that top 10 list is imo a very accurate reflection of the typical preferences of /r/tea which further signals to me that it was a fair process.