4 ms·

I wouldn't say ignore the stars, but use them as a filter. Read only the negative reviews. Any 5 star review is just a rabid fan, you can safely ignore those.

by warp 17y ago

I wouldn't say ignore the stars, but use them as a filter. Read only the negative reviews. Any 5 star review is just a rabid fan, you can safely ignore those. 4 star reviews might be more interesting, but the real content is in the 1, 2 and 3 star reviews. Whatever issues those people have with the product might be genuine issues which you would also not be happy about, or the issue might be something you wouldn't mind. I've bought products based on negative reviews purely because whatever the reviewer didn't like about it, it was something I know I would like. Usually though the reviews won't tell you whether a product is any good, but assuming there are enough reviews on a product the reviews will allow you to determine that certain products really are crap.

ugh 17y ago
This is exactly what I do. I just do that without thinking, so I didn’t even think to mention it :) 5 star reviews are usually boring. Not better than reading the PR blurb.
percept 17y ago
Me too, especially on Amazon. However you might discount the 1-star reviews for the same reason as the 5-star ones. Give me a good 2-star rating any day--1s and 5s are easy but it takes thought to come up with a 2. ;) Incidentally, I was thinking of replacing my old phone and started reading the negative reviews on Verizon's site. Apparently there's no such thing as a reliable phone that's good at making calls (wish somebody would invent one).
- chronomex 17y ago
  Apparently there's no such thing as a reliable phone that's good at making calls I have one. It's 50 years old and plugs into the wall. :)
  - percept 17y ago
    You mean while it's recharging? ;) My grandparents had this old rotary dial phone, it was black (available in one color!), metal and heavy, really built like a tank. The dial itself was metal and hard to move, and the finger holes weren't beveled so they were sharp and it actually hurt a little to dial the phone. Eventually they ordered some new service and Bell (remember?) made them turn in the phone.
dkarl 17y ago
Read only the negative reviews.... the real content is in the 1, 2 and 3 star reviews. I always feel sad rating a movie three stars for "Liked it" on Netflix, because I know that Netflix's rating system is incompatible with the way people assign ratings. Any rating system has to assume that less than half the rating system will be used for neutral-to-positive reviews, and the rest of the system is a big wasteland of varying degrees of "This sucks!" I know the recommendation system doesn't care whether I mean three stars to be positive or not, but it still bothers me. Is this just an American thing related to the hundred-point scale used in schools, where 69/100 is a failing grade? Or is it universal?
- imgabe 17y ago
  I think the great thing about netflix is that it's recommendations try to predict what you would rate a movie. So, if you consistently use three stars to indicate "liked it, reasonably good" and I use it to indicate "waste of time" then our respective recommendations from netflix will be different. The movies it predicts as 3 stars for me, will be movies I think are a waste of time, and for you would be movies you might find reasonably enjoyable.

by warp 17y ago

ugh 17y ago

This is exactly what I do. I just do that without thinking, so I didn’t even think to mention it :) 5 star reviews are usually boring. Not better than reading the PR blurb.

percept 17y ago

Me too, especially on Amazon. However you might discount the 1-star reviews for the same reason as the 5-star ones. Give me a good 2-star rating any day--1s and 5s are easy but it takes thought to come up with a 2. ;) Incidentally, I was thinking of replacing my old phone and started reading the negative reviews on Verizon's site. Apparently there's no such thing as a reliable phone that's good at making calls (wish somebody would invent one).

chronomex 17y ago
Apparently there's no such thing as a reliable phone that's good at making calls I have one. It's 50 years old and plugs into the wall. :)
- percept 17y ago
  You mean while it's recharging? ;) My grandparents had this old rotary dial phone, it was black (available in one color!), metal and heavy, really built like a tank. The dial itself was metal and hard to move, and the finger holes weren't beveled so they were sharp and it actually hurt a little to dial the phone. Eventually they ordered some new service and Bell (remember?) made them turn in the phone.

dkarl 17y ago

Read only the negative reviews.... the real content is in the 1, 2 and 3 star reviews. I always feel sad rating a movie three stars for "Liked it" on Netflix, because I know that Netflix's rating system is incompatible with the way people assign ratings. Any rating system has to assume that less than half the rating system will be used for neutral-to-positive reviews, and the rest of the system is a big wasteland of varying degrees of "This sucks!" I know the recommendation system doesn't care whether I mean three stars to be positive or not, but it still bothers me. Is this just an American thing related to the hundred-point scale used in schools, where 69/100 is a failing grade? Or is it universal?

imgabe 17y ago
I think the great thing about netflix is that it's recommendations try to predict what you would rate a movie. So, if you consistently use three stars to indicate "liked it, reasonably good" and I use it to indicate "waste of time" then our respective recommendations from netflix will be different. The movies it predicts as 3 stars for me, will be movies I think are a waste of time, and for you would be movies you might find reasonably enjoyable.