Meet Julie of CigReview.net, a Site about Electronic Cigarettes

CigReview.net is a website focused on news and technology related to electronic cigarettes. The blog covers both sides of the e-cig debate. The blog's founders have used e-cigs for help in quitting tobacco cigarettes, and they built the site to share educational information, special offers, and more. You can also keep up with the site on Facebook and Twitter.

1. Why did you decide to create a site focused on e-cigarettes?

The idea behind the e-cig site is that we could help others quit smoking tobacco cigarettes. We tried everything, and after all of the gum and patches, e-cigs were the only thing that worked. CigReview.net is a window to those trying to quit cigarettes using e-cigs and is meant to educate those who want to know more about them.

2. In reviewing different products, what factors are important to you in rating an item's quality?

In reviewing different e-cigs, the most important factor is value. Also, we know from experience that some foreign and even some domestic companies will use substandard ingredients. We focus on making sure a company is known for quality hardware and ingredients. We try most of the e-cigs or consult those who have to get a measure of flavor. We also look at aspects like what are included in starter kits and what warranty is included, etc.

3. What sort of educational material do you plan to include on your site?

Great question! We plan to start with the basics of how e-cigs work and move on to the more advanced aspects of the atomizing technology, etc. We also plan to post many articles related to studies done to measure effectiveness and safety of e-cigs as a whole.

4. Do you think there are any common misunderstandings about e-cigs?

We agree that e-cigs are not as healthy as quitting cigarettes altogether. However, we do believe they are a much healthier alternative. Many people seem to attach a stigma to them because they are not well-studied or regulated by the FDA or other institutions. Unfortunately, it may be the case that they are not as good of an alternative as we once thought, but we know from experience that they help people to quit. Also, they do not hinder short-term strenuous physical activity as smoking cigarettes undoubtedly does. Further, tobacco cigarettes have thousands of ingredients, many of which are known to be harmful to humans. Most e-cigs have under 10 ingredients, which are well-documented a majority of the time.

5. How do you see your site evolving over the next few months?

We hope to build our readership through different guest blog posts at first. Then we hope to get to a point where our blog is a place to share experiences and success and failure stories related to e-cigs and quitting cigarettes. We hope readers will bring us new insights that we can share with other readers as well.

Thanks, Julie!

Meet Patrick of FlavorPuff.com and VaporKnowledge.com

Patrick has always had an entrepreneurial spirit. He sold his first website on eBay when he was in the 9th grade, and hasn't looked back since. Most recently, Patrick is the creator (along with his business partner, Matt) of the electronic cigarette e-commerce site FlavorPuff.com and the electronic cigarette user review site VaporKnowledge.com.

1. How did you first become interested in the world of electronic cigarettes?

I was out with some friends, and saw that over half of them had made the switch from traditional tobacco cigarettes to electronic cigarettes. I myself smoked, so I became interested in what they were. After making the switch to e-cigs myself, and seeing even more of my friends switching, I realized that this market was something that I wanted to become involved with.

2. How do your websites help educate consumers about electronic cigarettes--and why is there a need for getting information out on this topic?

VaporKnowledge.com exists since my business partner, Matt, and myself saw a void in the marketplace. There are heaps of websites that sell e-cigarette hardware that also allow their customers to review the products, but how much can you trust that? We developed VaporKnowledge.com as an unbiased, user-submitted site where anyone can go on and review most any electronic cigarette product, from the popular to the exotic. Users need this information to make an informed choice in where to spend their hard-earned cash.

3. If people are looking at electronic cigarettes for health reasons (because they are trying to quit smoking), what do you think are the main things to consider in choosing a product?

The FDA has mandated that electronic cigarettes are not stop-smoking aids. Therefore, I can't say that e-cigs help people quit smoking. What I can say, however, is that I have personally had one traditional tobacco cigarette since starting to vape, and it was horrible. My main considerations in choosing an electronic cigarette are price, e-liquid flavor, and the reviews it has gotten. Finding the right balance of cost and personal aesthetic preference, and the tastiest e-liquid, is of utmost importance when it came to me not "relapsing" on traditional cigarettes.

4. When it comes to building a successful website (either for one's own business or as a website to sell), what advice can you share based on your own experience?

I had some website experience while building both FlavorPuff.com and VaporKnowledge.com. In building these two sites, though, I've learned a lot. I think the most important lesson is to outsource what can easily be done by someone else. Fiverr, Freelancer.com, and oDesk are great resources to find virtual assistants (VAs) to do the rote work that comes with running a business.

5. What are some other projects you'll likely be developing over the next year or so?

Looking out over the next year, we're hoping to develop our own product line for FlavorPuff.com. We're also taking steps to establish VaporKnowledge as an authority site for electronic cigarette hardware and e-liquid reviews. It will be interesting to see where we are in a year from now!

Thanks, Patrick!