Wayne Parham Messages: 18789 Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)
I'm not so sure. If I write a review, I'm usually either really disgusted and have nothing good to say or I'm super-impressed and have nothing but praise.
But I do agree with the sentiment that there are lots of fake reviews out there and people shouldn't necessarily believe reviews on the web. It's just that I think the "sniff test" is more than just looking for absolute praise.
I'm more inclined to look at way to identify whether or not the people doing the reviews are actual customers or shills. So I like ABtoJayZ's approach. I also like forums like this one, where you can see all the posts from any user to get a feel for their experience level and where they're coming from.
If I can find evidence that the person making a review is genuine, I'm much more comfortable with their reviews. If I can't find some way to trust the identity of the reviewer, then I don't trust their review.