4 ms·

who would pay money for angieslist? The whole point of review sites is to see negative reviews, so why would you want to get reviews from a site that only a tin

by vaksel 16y ago

who would pay money for angieslist? The whole point of review sites is to see negative reviews, so why would you want to get reviews from a site that only a tiny portion of people are willing to participate in?

sstrudeau 16y ago
Finding a reliable contractor for homeowners is very difficult. Traditionally, you found them via word of mouth (your neighbor hired a plumber who did a good job; your cousin the carpenter recommended a roof guy; etc)... you don't need a large network to get some useful information, but AngiesList helps you expand that network by providing more reliable reports from real experiences (i.e., not so easily gamed by sock-puppetry on "free" review sites). Also, finding a contractor is often about avoiding bad vs. discovering the good.
MartinCron 16y ago
I've paid money for Angie's list, because I was more interested in the quality of reviews over the quantity of them. Seeing reviews from people who self-select to be part of a community that cares enough to pay (a little) adds value to me. I've essentially given up reading reviews on Amazon and Yelp, as there's so much noise. Maybe I'm just an elitist snob, but reading semi-literate "this place sux" reviews doesn't help me. Note: I'm just explaining the motivation. I'm not affiliated with or evangelizing for Angie's List, I'm a former customer who find a few decent referrals that way.
bokchoi 16y ago
If someone is motivated enough to pay money to write a bad review, perhaps it has more weight than a free drive-by bad review. All I know is that the for-pay internet dating sites are usually a better place to find potential dates than craigslist.
- vaksel 16y ago
  yeah but the problem is that 99% of the places won't have any reviews because there is just not enough angieslist members. and those that do will have 1-2 reviews tops.

by vaksel 16y ago

sstrudeau 16y ago

Finding a reliable contractor for homeowners is very difficult. Traditionally, you found them via word of mouth (your neighbor hired a plumber who did a good job; your cousin the carpenter recommended a roof guy; etc)... you don't need a large network to get some useful information, but AngiesList helps you expand that network by providing more reliable reports from real experiences (i.e., not so easily gamed by sock-puppetry on "free" review sites). Also, finding a contractor is often about avoiding bad vs. discovering the good.

MartinCron 16y ago

I've paid money for Angie's list, because I was more interested in the quality of reviews over the quantity of them. Seeing reviews from people who self-select to be part of a community that cares enough to pay (a little) adds value to me. I've essentially given up reading reviews on Amazon and Yelp, as there's so much noise. Maybe I'm just an elitist snob, but reading semi-literate "this place sux" reviews doesn't help me. Note: I'm just explaining the motivation. I'm not affiliated with or evangelizing for Angie's List, I'm a former customer who find a few decent referrals that way.

bokchoi 16y ago

If someone is motivated enough to pay money to write a bad review, perhaps it has more weight than a free drive-by bad review. All I know is that the for-pay internet dating sites are usually a better place to find potential dates than craigslist.

vaksel 16y ago
yeah but the problem is that 99% of the places won't have any reviews because there is just not enough angieslist members. and those that do will have 1-2 reviews tops.