Although most consumer review sites and reviewers participating are on the level and do contribute a wonderful service, there are, as in any other arena, those that game the system. Keep your eyes open and back away if things don’t ring true. If the tent reviewer doesn’t really seem to know much about camping, he or she may not, in fact, camp or know much about tents.
Most review sites screen content. This means that you, as the consumer, may not see some of the harsher criticisms of products or more interesting reviewing characters. On the other hand, those sites screening (most do) weed out idiots simply taking up space and not providing anything of value. When you’re looking for quality office tape, a rant about using tape for sex play probably is not what you had in mind. A ramble about why you should buy American made goods in a space intended to provide information about the web site Made In American.com is a waste of time.
Some of the rankings and designations at review sites are quite helpful. Amazon notes “top reviewers” while Epinions tags the best (or most popular) writers with blue bullets. These designations help sort content and when effective push the best material to the top of the lists. Do know that some of the top reviewers, so marked on many sites, are not really the best available at the site. They simply learned to play the game better using a variety of tricks to reach the top. For example, some top listed reviewers trade off reading and top rates to fellow members of the review community in exchange for similar back scratching. A few also use computer programs to rack up hits or write huge numbers of reviews including waxing not so eloquent on topics where they have no expertise or experience.
Another interesting trick on the review sites is when vendors (owners or employees) log in and try to stack the ratings and reviews. If most buyers give the thumbs down to a product or service and a small group usually giving few details go against the grain, then know that employees (or even a single employee with multiple accounts) can join up and attempt to stack the deck. Most review sites or members are quick to catch such activity and correct the problem, but it’s certainly possible to click in and get a very skewed view following a flood of biased postings.