Statistics Unmask Phony Online Reviews

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Dec 31, 1969
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Who needs all these stats to spot phony online reviews? Just look for the glowing reviews, with impeccable spelling and grammar, from a user that has reviewed 2,453 items....today. ;)

Choi admits that, because it's so difficult to be sure which reviews are actually phony, the approach is imperfect, but the fact that her results are significantly better than chance means it's working. "It's really unlikely some random strategy would achieve 72 percent accuracy," she says. Pavou, who was not involved in the research, says the approach seems valid.
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My method is to look at all the negative reviews. Chances are you're going to spot a repetitive problem, and that's the signal to bail. Isolated cases are just not enough to deter me, unless there's a lot of them, then I bail.
 
I didn't read the article, but I'm commenting anyway. :D

Why do people read product reviews and trust them? Most of them are either top ratings reviews done by fakes or people trying to justify their spending money on something to themselves and others or they're bottom rating reviews written by raving idiots who can't spell words that have more than six letters.
 
People get annoyed and complain. So it's a good spot to look for possible problems.

I'm like Ashbringer up there, I mainly read negative reviews for problems. But it doesn't work so well on books. Most of the time, if not all, it's just people complaining about frivolous things or that it's not teaching what they're expecting it to teach.
 
Ashbringer said:
My method is to look at all the negative reviews. Chances are you're going to spot a repetitive problem, and that's the signal to bail. Isolated cases are just not enough to deter me, unless there's a lot of them, then I bail.
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Me too. Best way to do it.

On the positive reviews, you need to deduct the author’s disposition too.
 
For videogames I simply stopped reading all reviews.

Literally *every* review is a canned advertisement that either
A. Ignores blatant issues
B. Ignores the end-game content, which can be 90%+ of the game
 
Like many others I look for common issues and complaints. I also will skim all reviews, there is usually one or two that are really good reviews with features and setups similar to what I have planned.
 
lilbabycat said:
For videogames I simply stopped reading all reviews.

Literally *every* review is a canned advertisement that either
A. Ignores blatant issues
B. Ignores the end-game content, which can be 90%+ of the game
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Steve did some of the best game reviews for console that you have ever seen. BUT, the problem was that no game companies would advertise. We were "too critical." :(
 
like others, i mainly skim over the reviews looking more for repeating issues. then occasionally, LOL, you come across funny and odd reviews like this one for a garlic press

http://www.amazon.com/OXO-SteeL-Gar...8&qid=1340114387&sr=8-1&keywords=garlic+press

I'm afraid I've developed an unhealthy relationship with this garlic press. It's so shiny, and has such lovely heft. Most important, it presses garlic with an incredibly smooth and powerful action. I've started to add way more garlic than normal, just so I can keep using the press.
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seems almost sexual in nature LOL
 
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Highwind said:
Were they published anyway? I'd be interested in reading them...
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You can go to the Misc. menu...

Then use the drop down list to find game publishing company names, then sort that way is likely the easiest way to find that old [H]Console content.
 
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When I am researching something I am thinking about buying, I usually read the three star (or egg) reviews, as. I find them to be the more realistic reviews. They also seem to be more reasonably written as well.

I also feel the same as kattana, your reviews are what brought me here so long ago. When I wanted the straight dope on a product, I came to the [H]. It was always straight and to the point. No bs, not rude.
 
The owner of the company I used to work for came and told my department to write positive reviews of the product we sold on Amazon. Most of the people did and I refused. I thought I was going to get fired and I didn't care. So much for those ethics courses they teach in college.
 
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