Social Search Blog

With the popularity of online marketing soaring, the lack of internet policing has never been more obvious. The internet is a magic and wonderful place for most of us, making our everyday tasks quick and effortless. The ability to search for things online and get customer feedback from sites like SearchWiki has been an amazing tool that many of us enjoy.

It’s hard to imagine how generations before us figured out what restaurants to eat at, nightclubs to party at, or hotels to book. Sure, we could ask friends or family, but sometimes they lack the experiences or knowledge we desperately need. Maybe the internet has made us less self sufficient, but now that we are so dependent on the internet, what do we do when our fellow users abuse it?
The Supreme Court rules over the country through federal courts. Laws protect us when we move from one state to the next. But the court has yet to get a strong hold on the Internet, an ever-expanding ever-changing place that has an easier way of escaping the law dogs than Johnny Depp did in Public Enemies.

Recently, certain websites have made the news for enabling users to post fake reviews and help promote shady business practices. Amazon.com made the news recently when it was discovered that a flaw in their system made it possible for companies to post advertisements offering money to those who wrote positive reviews about their products. The fake ads were discovered when a customer purchased one of the items and discovered that it was completely flawed. In his frustration he visited Amazon.com only to discover the item had earned positive reviews. He questioned the reviews, and sure enough they had been falsified by consumers looking to be paid.

Yelp.com also made the news recently when a California, Mel’s Diner location was caught bribing “yelpers” for reviews. On the wall of the restaurant they have an advertisement for customers who are willing to write yelp reviews. Those who write reviews and bring the printout to the restaurant are promised a 20% discount. Many bloggers, critics, and restaurant patrons are enraged by Mel’s advertisement. Jay Barnhisel, the restaurant’s general manager thinks that offering a discount to reviewers is no different than offering a discount to customers who fill out comment cards. Only a handful of customers have brought in reviews for a discount in the month that it has been offered. He also argued that the advertisement does say that discounts will be given for both good and bad reviews in order to keep the reviews fair and honest.
We find two problems with this theory: first, if you did have a bad experience at Mel’s chances are you wouldn’t want to go back and eat there again, even with a discount. Second, if you did have a bad experience and wrote a bad review, would you really feel comfortable handing it over to a manager and still expect a discount?

At SearchWiki.com we want to ensure our users that we are doing everything possible to avoid falsified and/or bribed reviews. Our staff works rigorously to edit reviews and make sure they are as legitimate as possible. We would also like to speak to those who are in the business of falsifying reviews. Falsifying reviews or bribing customers to write reviews is a bad idea. As was the case in both the Amazon.com and Yelp.com situations, the brands were blasted by the media for taking part in shady business practices. The public and the media don’t look kindly on such practices. In conclusion, falsified reviews earn bad press, upset customers and prevent you from receiving all of the benefits that come along with advertising on SearchWiki.com. So don’t mess with reviews!