Slashdot Mirror
Should You Trust Website Customer Reviews?
crevette asks: "I was looking on Amazon for some gizmo when I got a review from G. Cooke, TX, who is in the top 10 reviewers. Out of curiosity, I checked her reviews... She has 658 reviews, many on the same day, which include everything from knife sets to a plastic duck! She reviews many books on the same day... She must be spending hundreds of dollars on useless stuff every month. Worst of all, most of her reviews are 5 stars. Do you think those people are paid by Amazon or some company? Do you trust them? If not (like I tend to think) what can we do about it?"
and so should you.
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
I'm going to go post an Amazon review calling into question the validity of "Ask Slashdot" responses.
Karma: Good (despite my invention of the Karma: sig)
We used to have fun reviewing a book called "body for life" on Amazon. Some of us put comments such as "I thought this was going to be great, I've been waiting for years. I was disappointed because of the Jar Jar Binks character wouldn't shut his mouth". The reviews were posted. There were hundereds of reviews. A cross between those those who loved the author, Bill Philips and those who were just having fun. Some reviews hinted that there was a lot of gay porn in the book, others said it changed their lives. The funny thing was that all these reviews were posted BEFORE the book even came out!
If you can't trust Amazon.com user opinions, what makes you think you can trust answers on Ask Slashdot? Many of us rattle off about every issue out of ignorance and get modded up despite that ignorance. Can you trust us?
I rate Amazon's reviews at five stars! Nothing could be better!
-G. Cooke, TX
Review * 1/2
I rate Slashdot at a star and a half. Definitely take anything you hear there with a grain of salt.
-G. Cooke, TX
The question makes me wonder if most /. comments are *really* posted by Taco, et al.
"Hey, 'Neal check out this MS bashing comment I wrote under the name Balbazare prince of darkness. hahaha" - Taco
"I'll mod that as +5 funny!" -CowboyNeal
Holy s-, it's Jesus!
I would not attribute a persons name to a living person with so little evidence. Now off to my date with Betty Crocker...
Check out Henry Raddick's stuff -- I think the guy's got a dry British sense of humor and he can be really funny:
Henry Raddick's reviewsQuick sample:
G. Cooke, TX! Why, just the name is inviting. I've found these reviews to be a mini treasure! After diving in once, you won't be able to resist going back for more. These reviews will make a treasured gift, and keep you on your toes.
Mutant Dog
Click on the Bil Keane icon for the archive.
If brevity is the soul of wit, then how does one explain Twitter?
eBay should extend an auction by 5 minutes or an hour or a day each time someone bids on an item. That'd get rid of "last minute bid services". (I'd suggest a 5 minute extension - because then there's a natural time for everyone interested in an item to "gather" together and do the final bidding.)
Shit, I should patent that.
.
Lots of good stuff here, just browse through them:
Henry Raddick's Reviews
Here's an example, for the book "Surviving Divorce: A Handbook for Men" by Gay Search:
A well-written and challenging book which I bought for my Uncle Sandy as he attempts to cope with the aftershock of divorce. Unfortunately he thought the author's name was a coping strategy being suggested and he refused to read it.
"Moderate drinking can help prevent amputated limbs" -- Abigail Zuger, NYTimes, 12/31/02
Obvious answer - Nope, don't trust Amazon reviews. I'm quite sure if there are too many negative reviews of an item, they remove them. How many items have you found with an average of less than three stars?
When the "listmania" stuff first came I made a couple of lists one evening when I was bored, one of them was "10 worst films ever", featuring Armageddon, Waterworld, Independence Day and so on. It was quickly removed.
Still, the filters and the reviewers sometime let through stuff, and people can still take the piss out of some products if they
are creative...
"What really makes David Hasselhoff stand apart from his contemporaries is his magnificent voice. Some critics have compared his resounding tenor to that of Mario Lanza or Johnny Hartman, but I would compare it more to a wounded jackal getting whipped by a screaming pornfilm fluffer.
So enjoy this comprehensive collection of Hasselhoff's greatest. You won't regret a moment of it!"
Check it out, there are 449 reviews in that style...
Being bitter is drinking poison and hoping someone else will die
"If you have a question, comment, suggestion, complaint, or personal request that we assist in the transfer of funds from a deposed dictator , please send an email to froogle-support@google.com."
(my emphasis)
Sparks:Gadget:Beer Maker
Oh no! And I bought that Segway based on their users review.. I mean, sure I will invest $5,000 based on what other people think!
Well, they tell you they aren't English teachers.
Okay, running Gail Cooke through an Anagram Generator, I get 'A GECKO OIL'. As we all know a gecko is a type of reptile, or should I say snake? We all know that selling 'Snake Oil' conjures up a marketing scam. So, Gail Cooke = Snake Oil.
Thank you. Is there like a prize or something for like the best post ever? I now kneel as you bestow thy Karma upon thee.
"This isn't a study in computer science, its a study in human behavior"
So there's this Slashdot user named "Anonymous Coward" that posts several thousand times PER DAY! Very little of what he or she writes is useful. I'm having a hard time believing that one person can generate this much garbage.
Amazon's "approvers" are probably on loan from the Patent Office...
Jaysyn
There is a war going on for your mind.
Slashdot's version:
Linux: Customer Review: * * * * *
Linux is the most advanced operating system on Earth!!! And I just loved figuring out how to compile the source code for my keyboard driver!!!
Macintosh: Customer Review: * - 1/2
Who the hell makes a computer with just one mouse button? And only 60 frames per second in Quake III? I require at least 850.
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Customer Review: * * - 1/2
I liked George Lucas' old stuff. You know, before he sold out to Hollywood.*
*Dow Jones/Australia disclaimer: No claim is made that George Lucas is any better or worse than other overrated sci-fi directors.
Step into a huge movement. Don't Tread In Me.
My wife is pre-med. I'm the one who's hoping to be driving the Lincoln SUV carting kids back and forth to soccer practice (pulling a Bass boat as well). You've just got to pick 'em right.
Ok, so I followed the link to G. Cooke's reviews and then out of sheer curiosity followed the link to Professional Clog - Polyurethane -- Blue and down at the bottom of the page found this:
Customers who wear clothes also shop for:
Rather than the ones who go naked, right? But it gets better. Look what they shop for:
Clean Underwear from Amazon's Target Store
Its funny how, by rewording and reposting a comment, you can once again be modded up. Slashdot is spectacular.
This lady is not an Amazon employee or on their payroll, she is just looking for validation for her meaningless life by publishing reviews and GIVING them to web sites. GIVE is the important qualifier here.
Take for instance an cd from david hasselhof, let's say this and others.
You'll find:
Really, I bet the people at amazon are laughing their ass of when they see something like that.
PS:The song Hot Shot City is particularly good.
Hmmmmm.. I guess they missed this one.
Not that I'm biased..., January 18, 2001
Reviewer: Kendra K. Hodges from Little Rock, AR United States
I think this is a wonderful book. Anyone interested in World War II information will find it to be very informative. And I'm not saying that just because I'm marrying the author. Really! It's a great book! I promise!
By the way, she gave the book five stars.
This gets my worst review ever, seven thumbs up.