Comments on: The Complicated Ethics of Reviews & Ratings

By: Technology Is The Drive, Humanity Is The Touchdown | OnliGence™

Technology Is The Drive, Humanity Is The Touchdown | OnliGence™ — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 17:36:13 +0000

[...] The Complicated Ethics of Reviews & Ratings [...]

By: Scott Saxby

Scott Saxby — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 21:59:00 +0000

I have found that incentivising reviews for smaller businesses is key to achieving results. Customers leaving a negative review tend to be emotionally fuelled and motivated to leave a less than glowing review. On the other hand, customers that have had an adequate or positive experience are less likely to make the effort of pushing through registration barriers to submit a review.

The incentive should be provided to balance the customer’s effort in leaving their review, not reward them for the review’s sentiment. Most review sites have several barriers resulting in customers giving up mid-process unless they are truly angry and are motivated to endure the registration and submit the review.

By: JasonFalls

JasonFalls — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 01:03:00 +0000

Well said, Craig.

By: JasonFalls

JasonFalls — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 01:01:00 +0000

Exactly how I would approach, Mike. Unfortunately, there are some sites out there that won’t even let you do that without paying for the privilege. That’s what we’ve got to get rid of.

By: JasonFalls

JasonFalls — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 01:01:00 +0000

Great add, Chris!

By: Lisa Sullivan

Lisa Sullivan — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 19:10:00 +0000

For me personally, I do not use Yelp because I simply don’t like their practices thanks to the negative stories I have heard about their business model. My idea of “reviewing” a business or product is usually leaving a tip within my Foursquare check-in (or via Foursquare “tips” too). The only in-depth online review I’ve ever left is one for the owners of the vacation home we stayed at in the OBX last summer. We had SUCH a wonderful experience, we had to write about it so others would get a chance to enjoy that house too. Other than that, I might write a blog post of a positive experience every now and then too.

Why don’t I personally leave reviews? Eh. For me, it’s time. I don’t have the time at that moment to write one (nor do I have a keyboard; hunt & peck doesn’t work for me on the smartphone). So, I’ll either leave a quick tip (“Try the cheese dip. It’s out of this world!”) or I’ll blog about it later…maybe.

With that said, I say this because while I may be in the minority, it would still behoove businesses to encourage reviews of their products and services by those that will take the time to write the review. And I really like your TOS above. That pretty much covers all the basics. I love the idea of “hey, if you (business owner) agree to our TOS, we’ll even provide promotional materials to help you encourage your customers.” Brilliant. If a business can’t provide incentive to their customers for providing a review – positive or negative – the least the review site could do is provide a way to help that business promote for the review. It’s a win-win for both the review site and the business. Although, I still think customers should be rewarded for taking the time to make the review, good or bad. But anyway….

Today’s businesses have to monitor their reputations beyond “At the Chamber event last week, I overheard so-and-so talking to so-and-so about that awful massage they received at our business causing them bruising. I wish we had known. We could’ve rectified that sooner (with an offer to return for a free 30 minute massage, facial, etc. for a future visit).” What customers/clients say online now is so crucial. Businesses need to prepare for it.

Another GREAT post, Jason…and my long-winded response. Oh well.

By: Hunter Boyle

Hunter Boyle — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 18:42:00 +0000

Really like your take on this subject, Jason. I’ve dealt with this from a few angles — from working with a large company that wanted to gin up fake positive reviews, to being blackmailed by a review site (at the same company), to trying to help friends’ single-location independent businesses get a fair shake and seeing the filtering and sales pitch in action.

I’ve been on Yelp for years, and understand the fine line they have to deal with when it comes to fake reviews, but I’m not a fan of how they’ve handled some legitimate issues, like hiding sincere reviews for a business with a small, long-term client base that’s not your typical Yelper. Once those reviews are filtered, there’s no recourse, so real fans who want to spread the word and support a small biz get shut out.

No system is perfect, but if a biz can back up its claim, it should be able to set the record straight. The current system has too many holes. Let us know when that King of Ratings and Reviews nomination page goes live. You’ve got my vote.

By: Dara Khajavi

Dara Khajavi — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 18:36:00 +0000

I believe that having real and honest reviews and ratings is very important for a business. How else can you improve? This being said, I completely agree with your posts. Your list of suggestions are very helpful.

By: Craig Kilgore

Craig Kilgore — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 16:42:00 +0000

Great post, Jason. There’s been a lot on this topic as of late and I predict we will only hear more about it as time goes on. As marketers, we focus a lot on protecting businesses and their reputations on the web (by nature) but I feel more needs to go into educating consumers and the impact they can have on a business.

By: Chris Syme

Chris Syme — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 15:58:00 +0000

Review sites . Your TOS are very straight forward, but I think one thing is missing–only from my personal experience. The emphasis is usually on fake positive reviews, but fake negative reviews can kill a company. Yelp, for one, has an awful policy in dealing with negative reviews. I had a client that had trouble with Yelp and after several interactions with them, they decided to just kick out every review posted by a first-time reviewer. My client’s fans, who were true users of the product, went to Yelp trying to post positive reviews, and their legitimate reviews were filtered while fake negative reviews were left up by “experienced reviewers”. Frustrating. How about something like this:
Should we discover evidence that any individuals are posting fake negative reviews, we will post a disclaimer alerting viewers to the fact that all reviews during this time period may not be legitimate.

By: Mike Poynton

Mike Poynton — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 14:19:00 +0000

Nice post, Jason. It caught my eye in my RSS feed. 90% of my clients are in the tourism industry abroad. TripAdvisor.com is their “Holy Grail”. I, too, have been asked repeatedly about removing negative reviews by panicky clients. In most cases, I recommend they leave them as they are and turn them into something positive (“Turn that frown upside down”). If the reviewer truly had a negative experience, that negative review can be an opportunity for a business to show it’s real mettle and integrity. Acknowledging the error, apologizing and offering to compensate for it can be an incredibly powerful marketing tool because it’s a win/win for everyone. The business looks good for paying attention to its customer and not trying to sweep something under the rug. The customer feels good because the business is paying attention to them. It’s inevitable that bad days will occur, mistakes will be made. While that can’t be a frequent occurrence, everyone surely can identify with having an occasional bad day. It’s how one goes about making up for it that will win the hearts, minds and advocacy of your customer(s).