Since I run an internet business, I’m very much in need of good information about marketing on the internet. There’s certainly no lack of information out there, and the vast majority of it appears to be completely useless.
If you run into something that seems like it might be worthwhile and you do some googlage to try and get information about it before you spend any money, you find boatloads of reviews and comments…and it appears that 99% of them are affiliates of the business you’re trying to check out and they are telling you how great it is so you’ll buy it. All very Ponzi.
The flip side is complaints to consumer sites or sites that have an axe to grind and are on a campaign to trash everything.
But there’s got to be some legitimacy out there, some good information, some nuggets of usefulness, something that isn’t total shite.
All I’m asking here is: do you know of any reliable, genuine websites that make an honest and sincere effort to find any kernels of wheat in all that chaff? That are not part of the Ponzi, but are also not on a mission to demonstrate that no one on earth can be trusted to offer anything of value? That try to be the net equivalent of Consumer Reports by actually investigating the value and usefulness of the things being sold and evaluating them fairly?
Cnet and engadget are usually my goto places when it comes to small expensive electronics. I think they both do a pretty good job of doing what I think you’re looking for. I should add though that most of what I’ve used them for has been more or less high end smart phones which typically get good reviews to begin with, but you might want to check them out.
It might help if you told us what you were researching in general. I go to different places for cell phones vs cameras (stevesdigicams.com) vs washing machines.
It sounds like this isn’t exactly what you are looking for, but for services I often use Angie’s List. The reviews are from actual users and seem to be sincere and genuine. Businesses have a chance to respond to bad reviews and to make it right for the reviewer if they are so inclined, or to explain their side of the case. I found a house painter from that site, and was very satisfied.
The site is good for finding a plumber (say) if you don’t have any candidates and you want to find one or more to try out. It’s not so good if you already have a candidate, because chances are you won’t find them on the site. There are just too few businesses reviewed.
For products, I agree there are a lot of junk reviews out there.
Roddy
I like Amazon reviews, but you usually have to discount the few highest and lowest reviews. Some people get a product and use it for 2 minutes and post a great review, some people use a product for 2 minutes or don’t read the instructions and post a bad review.
If a product has a large number of good reviews and hardly any bad ones you can be confident the product works as described. And you can learn from reading both the good and bad reviews.
Or the ones for similar products. That is, you’re looking at reviews for space heaters and someone gives the one you’re looking at 2 stars but then you realize that they’re talking about a different model or even a different brand that just looks similar or a just space heaters in general. I like that now they put “verified purchase” above the review. I try to look for that.
Also, no matter what site you’re looking at (other then a 'professional reviewing site like Cnet or Consumer Reports), most people, when they’re happy with something don’t do anything about it, it’s the people that are mad about their purchase that go looking for a place to vent that anger. So, if something has 30 terrible reviews and 5 great reviews, in reality maybe 500 people hate it and 10,000 people like it.
What would be interesting is if, after buying something Amazon waited a certain amount of time, say 3 months and then offered a small credit for you to write a review and/or give it a rating. That would give you time to get used to it and not give it a bad rating because it’s new and and different and it would get things more positive reviews since people that are happy with things tend not to review them. But if you got an email from Amazon telling you that you’ll get a 1 or 2% credit on the item for a short review and a rating, maybe that would change things.
FTR this is the first time I’ve ever thought of something like this so I haven’t worked out all the details.
That’s my take on Amazon, as well. It amazes me when people post either 5* or 1* reviews and admit they’ve owned the product for 10 minutes and have no support for their hasty opinion.
I like consumersearch.com. They are a compiler of expert and consumer reviews.