this kind of apps resurfaces every few years... first one that springs to mind is Honestly (formerly known as Unvarnished). it also sparked a huge public backla

this kind of apps resurfaces every few years... first one that springs to mind is Honestly (formerly known as Unvarnished). it also sparked a huge public backlash when it appeared in 2010, but went nowhere. where these kind of services fall apart is basically numbers: how many people do you know well enough (and care for/hate enough) to write a review for? 5? 6? And how many people would care in what you wrote? 10? 15? Unlike a restaurant, which is frequented by thousands of customers each of which is a possible reviewer, people don't generate enough "traffic" for the system to work (not to mention the overall negative social sentiment, as evident from the backlash - the public reacted just the same 5 years ago). pity really, as I think some kind of a "reputation" system would really benefit people in general, both for professional and personal reasons. If quantified it might even replace money in the future (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whuffie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whuffie). I am certain that one day the whole concept of a "stranger" will be obsolete - we shall know everything we need to know about somebody upon meeting them (which is probably going to be the reason we are meeting them in the first place). Of course there will still be jerks but they'll just no longer be able to hide it from unsuspecting others.