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I understand his point, but I think he supports it poorly. Of course a product that has 1 review is not likely to benefit greatly from that single review. But w

I understand his point, but I think he supports it poorly. Of course a product that has 1 review is not likely to benefit greatly from that single review. But when I buy a product, or book a hotel, I look at dozens of reviews from other people and I get a good sense of the pros and cons of what I might buy. I can then gauge those perspectives against what is important to me. And I find that overall they are almost all correct -- in aggregate.

adamdoupe 19y ago
I agree, when I purchase something I look at what other people have complained about. If enough people complain about a particular problem, then I'll evaluate if I think it would bother me.
tx 19y ago
The point he's making is that the process of aggregating still takes alot of time. The guy simply wants to live his life and spend less time in front of the computer. In that regard this new wave of Web 2.0 is not solving anyone's problems. Online reviews have been around forever, he is aking us to build something new, better, something more useful, in a sense that it won't take you a day of research to buy a new camera, for instance. Speaking of reviews, I also agree with him that "wisdom of crowds" is overrated. Movie reviews are an excellent example: crowds generally have no freakin taste. Similarly, crowds do not know jack in photography, computers or politics. Dig deep and long enough and you will always disagree with the crowds. In fact, when someone is unable to conduct his own judgement, asking for the opinion of others is the easiest thing to do, In that regard Web is 100% focused on helping you with the easiest thing. "Not that helpful" he argues, and I agree.
- Jd 19y ago
  100% agree with you. However, one can frequently assess the quality of any given review by the quality of the prose it is written in. This is especially true for Amazon, IMHO.

adamdoupe 19y ago

I agree, when I purchase something I look at what other people have complained about. If enough people complain about a particular problem, then I'll evaluate if I think it would bother me.

tx 19y ago

The point he's making is that the process of aggregating still takes alot of time. The guy simply wants to live his life and spend less time in front of the computer. In that regard this new wave of Web 2.0 is not solving anyone's problems. Online reviews have been around forever, he is aking us to build something new, better, something more useful, in a sense that it won't take you a day of research to buy a new camera, for instance. Speaking of reviews, I also agree with him that "wisdom of crowds" is overrated. Movie reviews are an excellent example: crowds generally have no freakin taste. Similarly, crowds do not know jack in photography, computers or politics. Dig deep and long enough and you will always disagree with the crowds. In fact, when someone is unable to conduct his own judgement, asking for the opinion of others is the easiest thing to do, In that regard Web is 100% focused on helping you with the easiest thing. "Not that helpful" he argues, and I agree.

Jd 19y ago
100% agree with you. However, one can frequently assess the quality of any given review by the quality of the prose it is written in. This is especially true for Amazon, IMHO.