Online Reviewers Gaining Clout

Washington Post:

If you value your spare time, don't start posting comments and reviews on Amazon, Mark Espinosa suggests. It can be a hard habit to break.

Read the whole story: Washington Post

Comments

[Norak]

Reviews are a help but the Read Inside this Book tip is invaluable. Judge for yourself.

[Fernando]

I rely on reviews heavily before purchasing something. Some of the reviewers are extremely intelligent people.

Then again, I happened to find a copy of The Mastery of Love by Don Miguel Ruiz in my laundry room (a book on "Toltec wisdom") and was amazed at how deribative and downright simplistic it was. I went to check the reviews on amazon and it has an amazing rating, with 350 with only two one-star ones! Either people are saps or I'm somehow an extremely wise person not moved by Ruiz's wisdom.

[Tyrione]

You think that's impressive? Billions find the Bible of equally weightless dribble.

[JScott]

Ooohhh the (overpaid, pretentious) pundits and talking heads will be a thing of the past.

[queotic]

I always read the reviews before purchasing an item on Amazon, but I want to give a word of warning - Amazon scrubs bad reviews for certain items! A few years ago, Frank Herbert's son, Brian Herbert, released a continuation of the Dune series. It was horrific. I posted a one star review and it was deleted (before it was deleted, I had 11 out of 11 "helpful review" votes). When I saw that it had been removed, I went to the book's forum page and there were numerous postings from users about how their review had also been taken down. Looking through the 5 star reviews, a great many of them had new users whose only review was that book. Also, most of the 5 star "reviews" weren't reviews at all....they just said generic things like, "what a great book!" I posted my review about 5 more times. It got through one more time, then was deleted the next day. I attempted to get around that by posting my review in the "comment" section of other people's reviews, but those were also erased. I counted around 20 people on the forums whose reviews were removed. At that time, the book had a 3 star review and a week or two later, after more scrubs, it went up to 3 1/2. Without the obviously fake 5 star reviews and the removed 1 and 2 star reviews, the book probably would've probably only had 2 stars at most.

[vff]

Thanks for the heads up.

After buying some mediocre books that were highly rated, I now ignore the stars and just focus on the commentary.

[Samalabear]

I read consumer reviews on just about everything I buy, and not just on Amazon. I did this with a Bissell Little Green machine for pets about a month ago. I read them at the Target website, Amazon and Wal-Mart, made sure I checked out the few negatives, but was especially interested in multi-pet households, since this is what I have. Then I did quick price shopping and I bought one. It was worth the approximately 20 minutes this took me.

I learned about the Sansa Fuze on Amazon in searching for reviews and prices on IPods. The Sansa Fuze was hands-down the right choice. Most of the reviews were from people who had owned both and that was extremely valuable. I had to see if there was a justification for supporting the Apple price tag for getting so little -- and, of course, there wasn't.

The only drawback on these products is that the box said Made in China:(

[Charity]

i also research anything i am considering to buy at any reputable site i can think of - i find the consumer reviews a valuable part of that research. amazon is only one of the sites i will read in doing that research.

another good site is epinions dot com, a place where a multitude of things can be reviewed by consumers.

btw, i bought a sansa at best buy on sale at xmas for $14 - 4 megs! (last time i checked, they're $50 now with less megs.) one of the few total impulse buys i've ever made (no research involved), and i couldn't be happier with the product (or the price!).

presently i am researching an IPOD Touch, but the consumer reviews i am reading continually mention "moisture" issues and how apple will NOT repair or replace the unit due to "water damage." the apple genius will claim the consumer dumped it in water, when the real problem is a hyperactive moisture sensor at the base of the headphone jack - and the problems with not completely sealing IPODs.

so yeah - i can't live without consumer reviews. don't leave home without 'em!

[marrig]

I always read the reviews before purchasing a book, and I generally find them helpful. One can get some sort of feel by how many reviews there are. I look for "plants" and negative "rants" and see how they fit into the overall picture. I read the NY Times Review of Books as well and have read "rave" reviews of books which I found not to be that good. Notwithstanding the flaws, I like to see what the average reader thought.

[readingfool]

Considering Harriet Klausner has been posting these "reviews" over a period of 10 years, did the writer of this article stop to wonder how one could read 6-7 books a day, every day, year in and year out, and then take the time to review those books? If one checks through many of these "reviews", you would find countless instances where people have left comments showing that Ms. Klausner did not in fact read the book, getting key facts wrong, using incorrect names. In one instance on a book I read about domestic violence, she called it a "light-hearted comedic romp".

[brynnrose thorn]

In the article, it stated she prefers Romance so fortunately I doubt I'll ever encounter one of her reviews. Books are subjective anyway. I relied on Amazon when I bought my new coffeemaker and bean grinder, and a lot of other things, but rarely read the reviews on books unless it's an instructional book of some kind.

[zannamar]

Harriet Klausner, the # 1 reviewer has been criticized by authors like Anne Rice saying the review is false because they get the entire story synapse wrong

[marijam]

According to the article, one thing they haven't bothered reviewing is a kindle. Well, I have one and I absolutely love it. It's very convenient. Fits in my shoulder bag and has dozens of books on it that I got at a lower cost than the hardbacks, or the paperbacks for that matter.

[brynnrose thorn]

I want one badly, but just can't afford it. I understand why it costs as much as it does and don't begrudge the price. My bookshelves are groaning and two deep. Oh weil, someday. :)

[CorkiDeCat]

I always go to Amazon for reviews on just about every purchase... Haven't been let down yet..

[Lleah]

I am addicted to reading the Amazon reviews on every book I read ......I find it alot of fun to read others opinions and interpretations of what I have read. I also enjoy occasionally writing a review. However...I have learned to use these "reviews" as a source of recreation and not as reccomendations.I am very careful with them because if reading them before reading the book I constantly run across annoying SPOILERS ......people just cannot grasp that these are reviews and not "Cliffnotes". I have also been scammed more than once by what I am sure are a plethora of the authors well meaning friends and relatives inundating the forum with glowing 5 star reviews. The fabulous Pat Conroy, who has a new book coming out next month was recently personally slandered by a reviewer who clearly had not yet read his book but had a personal / political problem with him. Amazon eventually removed it after many reader complaints, but who knows what damage may have been done. I am a book lover and an open minded free speech supporter.­.......but as in all things people must carefully sift through all the information that is now so amazingly available.

[marijam]

try www.goodreads.com

[Charity]

interesting you should mention the fact that "well-meaning friends" jump on amazon to post good reviews.

as a facebook user, not long ago one of the celebrity authors posted a status line about his/her book (won't give away the gender) that asked all of his/her facebook friends to run over to amazon and post glowing reviews of his/her book because there were too many negative reviews. on cue, a large number of his/her friends began to comment that they were going over there "right now" to post good reviews.

later, when i went to check, yep, there were at least 10 brand new five star reviews of the book (which actually is a rather good book for the genre - though i didn't post a review for it.)

[Mickey7]

I see this as part of the unfortunate pseudo-expert issue we currently have and it explains exactly what is wrong with our 'online expert' culture. The average person is no longer able to distinguish between bona fide expertise and the pseudo-status of online bigmouths whose absolute conviction in the correctness of their opinion and their right to blare it all over the Internet now replaces decades spent trying to thoroughly understand a subject so you can speak with authority. Now posters 'speak with authority' on myriads of topics without doing the hard work to really understand any of them. The rise of the online lay expert has real-life negative consequences in medicine, politics, science, etc. where any rube who has read a single book and devised a 'personal theory' can expound at length on dangers of vaccines, the coming socialist new order or any of a litany of semi-literate populist causes. This sort of 'clout' is not something to celebrate.

That said, I have looked at online product reviews prior to a purchase and sometimes they are helpful. Often, though, they are clearly written by either someone with a personal grievance or by 'ringers' set up by the company. Because of this, I would never use online reviews alone to guide an important decision. Remember, The Celestine Prophecy, worst piece of phony mystical drek ever written, became a best seller based on 'word of mouth.'

[EmberOfTruth]

I concur.

[learntofly]

Even the 'experts' can appear to be influenced in their reviews at times - Look at Rolling Stone's in house reviews lately.

[queotic]

When it comes to things like book or game reviews, why is a "bona fide expert's" opinion any better than an average person's? Regardless of their expertise, it's just their opinion, which is no more valid or invalid than an average person. I like Amazon's system because people can vote on how helpful the review was, which is a good way of weeding out those who have "personal grievances" or are ringers.

[JScott]

so was it any different in other media, I think not, look below the surface and you find a lotta shills.
Pundits and talking heads are too overrated anyway (oh and include televangelists in that too)

[LetsGetToWork]

10 hours on a review???? Wayyyy over thinking the content.

That said, I do regard the reviews as a credible and reliable.

[formerbeliever]

Amazon is my Go To resource for reviews on EVERYTHING except cars.

[discourse jockey]

If you value your spare time, don't start posting comments on HuffPost, I suggest.

[myoungholt]

You have too much spare time?