Issues with user reviews & ratings
I know it is the era of social networking, community participation and user generated content…while I quite like the democratic nature of the web with active involvement of everyone concerned, I can’t help but be apprehensive of certain aspects. These are not new issues by any means; nor do I have any ready solution to the same [which is the unfortunate part], but I had to write these down anyway.
A new study commissioned by American Express and reported on Netimperative states that Brits are increasingly swayed by online reviews. In a nutshell, it seems that almost half of those who researched hotels online did not book a particular hotel because of a negative review. The question is, how legitimate is that kind of influence?
The same article points to a small proportion of users who actually bother to write these reviews– which potentially skews the reviews all the more. There are two distinct groups that have a vested interest in manipulating such reviews and opinions: marketers who would like to get a favorable opinion out and competitors who’d like to use such ‘user generated content’ to their own advantage. Can the end user who is being swayed by these opinions really be sure that they are not being manipulated?
I just hope there will be greater checks and balances that will enhance the credibility of these reviews/ratings so that they really serve the purpose they were designed for.
