Question about Heatware

Status
Not open for further replies.

slugl1fe

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 4, 2008
Messages
379
So I just had a FS transaction fall thru primarily because I don't have Heatware (I'm a longtime [H] member but I just don't buy that much used hardware).

Coincidentally, I'm the creator of Glowrep (glowrep.com) -- a service similar to Heatware that actually links a person with their various social media accounts (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc). You can rate people the same way, etc, but there are ways in which the service actually verifies that you're a real person.

In an effort to better understand potential users (you guys), I want to know why you all seem to readily trust Heatware? Heatware is a completely anonymous reputation system, one that you could game the hell out of if you really wanted to scam someone.

Is there something I'm missing? Appreciate any input.
 
Last edited:
I'd rather just check someone's Heatware feedback than go look at what someone had for dinner on Facebook. People build up reputations on forums through years of posting and through many sales. Doesn't matter to me is they are a one legged dwarf or a Smurf.

Also you mobile site doesn't explain anything or have clickable links for more information. They're are no examples of what it looks likes and no information about your company. Your rep site doesn't even include reputation information for you, so why would I trust the site? Think of how hypocrital the whole thing is. I would never give that site my information.
 
Those are good points, but the reputations you're looking at could be completely faked.

Also -- I agree, it's not about looking at what they're doing on facebook. Glowrep doesn't actually do that -- a secondary part of the service just links to their public facebook and linkedin profiles so that you know it's a real person (rather than a faked profile -- hard to fake a comprehensive work resume or 500 friends on quick notice). The main part of the service is a reputation system (like heatware), but rather than being able to post on anyone's profile, you can only post on someone who has given you access for the purpose of a trade.
 
Last edited:
Whenever somebody provides you heatware as reference, do at least
1: verify the person you are dealing with is indeed the owner of that particular heatware, usually by matching user names, emails, address, and heat registered aliases.

2: Make sure the heat ratings were not manufactured. This can be done by looking at those who gave the heat, AND look at the dollar amount of transactions. If all small ones, especially are done within short period of time, ask yourself that this guy may have been trying racking up some heats for something bigger.
 
Whenever somebody provides you heatware as reference, do at least
1: verify the person you are dealing with is indeed the owner of that particular heatware, usually by matching user names, emails, address, and heat registered aliases.

2: Make sure the heat ratings were not manufactured. This can be done by looking at those who gave the heat, AND look at the dollar amount of transactions. If all small ones, especially are done within short period of time, ask yourself that this guy may have been trying racking up some heats for something bigger.

That's interesting -- it makes sense that you'd do a little detective work.

How confident are you in a person's Heatware as an indicator of their trustworthiness (assuming you did that bit of detective work)? Would you want more information, if you could get it?
 
I am not sure what you meant by "bit of detective work".
#1 is easy.
For #2, it is very effective as well. I mean one should not be trading on forums if he/she can't spot a manufactured heat, given there is enough of the ratings to make such probabilistic inference.
Say you have a guy w/ 20 heats, and most of them are left from heat users w/ 10+ heat ratings, and those users can also be name matched to their forum account, which should also have reasonable amount of forum activities. If it does not convince you, just go even further to those guys' heat.

How confident? It is hard to say, it depends on lots of things, like if your buying or selling(they are very different, thanks to Paypal and CC chargebacks); does the other party have good heat, in terms of dollar amount, trading frequency, amount of heat and who gave those ratings, etc...

For example, if I am selling something $100(tangible goods, codes are trickier).
A minimal requirment for me to take Paypal (non-gift payment) would be a forum user w/ 6+mos of history, reasonable amount of posts, 5ish heats(preferably as a buyer).

Of course i'd want more information, but how much help if it really can be? I actually prefer a old forum user account w/ good heat much more than a copy of driver's license from someone new(assuming it is his DL)
 
Last edited:
That makes sense. It's interesting that Heatware is useful if you have history, but not that useful for the vast majority of potential buyers/sellers (cache 22 -- you have to have history to get history). I suppose you could "game" it yourself to get started.

What would accept in lieu of a user's transaction ratings? In theory, would credit and criminal history increase your willingness to trade with someone (I realize this may seem like overkill, but I'm curious nonetheless).

Do you ever trade on craigstlist? If so, how do you verify trust there?
 
I don't want a reputation system integrated with social media. I just think that's a terrible idea (no offense). I take heatware seriously and I review the person carefully and I don't think I've ever seen "gaming" going on. I understand that may be possible in theory but I don't think it's widespread.

I could make a fake Facebook account or Linkedin and post some b.s. the same way. I think people value the anonymity. I'd like to think that if I ship something and it's damaged in transport that someone isn't going to show up to gun me down.
 
Yes, its kinda a tricky.. you gotta have history to get history. I remember when I started it, I did not remember it was too hard.
At start, mostly using Paypal, and I did some gift payments(voluntarily offered it) because I knew I was new, but only to selected sellers who seem to be reputable users w/ long forum history, frequent activities, & good heat, and kept the dollar amount not very high.

Yes it is some risk I took initially, but thats the price you have to pay for 1: trading on forums, 2: being new user w/o reference. In fact, even today, I would not be too hesitate to gift the payment to cut down some prices or as a token of trust, assuming the person who I am dealing with has good enough reference to convince me (i.e. forum activities, heat rating(both quality & quantity), etc).

As for craigslist, yes I did buy or sell on there. But I only do in-person transactions on there, unless, if im seller, the buyer offers to mail dollar bill to me first.
Reason being that there are way way way way way many scammers on craigslist.
For these PC forums, I'd say the percentage is much much smaller.

Craigslist is full of every day people, while at here, we got lots of tech savys and been dealing w/ internet shopping/trading for long time. So it attracts less scammers than craigslist.
 
Thanks for the feedback. A lot of people use LinkedIn as the "trust clearing house" -- people who obviously don't use Heatware. That's the thinking behind it.

I agree that some folks may value anonymity. You don't "have" to link your public facebook and linkedin profiles, it's just that it helps build your credibility. Your glowrep profile itself is only seen by those you permit to see it (someone you want to trade with), and it's found via a token that you provide (think of how your social security works). But point taken.
 
I don't want a reputation system integrated with social media. I just think that's a terrible idea (no offense). I take heatware seriously and I review the person carefully and I don't think I've ever seen "gaming" going on. I understand that may be possible in theory but I don't think it's widespread.

I could make a fake Facebook account or Linkedin and post some b.s. the same way. I think people value the anonymity. I'd like to think that if I ship something and it's damaged in transport that someone isn't going to show up to gun me down.

And yea, I would not link my social media to things like heat as well... You can't please everyone but you do your best, which may or may not be enough for some people.
 
I for one don't use any of the social medias. Heatware still works for me. I have an account and is the way sellers can check me out.
 
As stated above the problem with any social media is that those are all free to setup. I can setup an entirely fake profile and just spam-friend invites because some people are simply friend-whores who click accept to just about anyone or anything.

Heatware is good for me for a few reasons. One - it's free but at the same time it's donationware so they are not likely to fall prey to the problems of other review systems like Yelp (buy ads, get better reviews). Two - it's a very vertical / niche system that focuses on tech / geek / nerd sales. It doesn't try to be everything to everyone and then fail miserably at all of them. It's just for buying / selling tech and that what most of us are here to do when we do it.

It's the simplicity and non-intrusive answer to our particular needs and that is why people use it.
 
Last edited:
This post is less about Heatware and more about trying to promote and or improve your own site...this is not what this section of the forum is intended for.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top