Slander vs. Opinion

What do you think? A user writes an opinion about a doctor or a plumber they have used in the past. You would think that the review would be an honest depiction of what actually happened, or is it.

This is a case where a user's review on Yelp has come back around to bite them in the ass:

http://tinyurl.com/cg7cw9

Take a look and let me know if you agree that user's (and Yelp in this case) should be held accountable for what seems to be obvious misconceptions on both sides...

Getting back to our roots

The company here is a cool place to work. Not only is the internal culture fun, savvy, and cutting-edge, but we never forget where we came from. In fact, one line that always resonates with me is "get it out there and get to failure faster."

We collaborate, we listen and we welcome criticism. We feel it is the only way to get better and improve rather than resting on our laurels . I can continue to preach or just let you watch a video from our CEO that gives a good example of what we strive for - passionate transparency.

Check it out:

http://vimeo.com/2933786

And enjoy...

Andrew

Out with the old, In with the new

If you are a jazzed about yesterday's events as we are, they you'll really enjoy these pics:

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/01/the_inauguration_of_president.html

Now is a good time to think about what you want to change and how you can make an impact. We would love to hear what those changes may be. Feel free to comment and share some of the changes that you foresee.

Can user content bring down review sites?

Check this out:

http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2009/01/why-a-single-yelp-user-could-bring-consumer-review-sites-to-their-knees.html

I came across this article while perusing my Reader and it brought up a very good point for discussion. Can negative reviews from a customer come back to bite them in the ass?

I think this is ironic because my initial thoughts on consumer review sites were this - you see reviews if the service was spectacular or terrible, but rarely do you get feedback if everything was just okay or even just good. I say that because consumer reviews are love/hate. There is very little gray area when a consumer who has made up their mind about whether they liked your service (or not).

This then begs the question of whether reviewers are just trying to be dramatic solely for the reason of appeasing their own sentiments about the provider. Do we do it because we want people to really hear what we are writing? The more enthusiasm or aggravation that is detected in the tone of the writing, the more people will pay attention to what you write, right?

The link above gives an example where a dissatisfied customer may have taken his review a little too far. Maybe you were ignored by the receptionist, but can you say that she emotionally abused you? Maybe a plumber farted while working on your kitchen sink, but should you say he assaulted you?

All in all, I think our app will be okay. You're able to read and write reviews within Peerviders, but those reviews will be seen by your friends, not strangers that may be salted by the wrong tone. Our thinking is that some reviews will be good, some will be bad, but all will be authentic and understood by peers within the context of a user's friendship with the reviewer. I for one said some pretty nasty things about the last provider that I felt had left me in a lurch, but my friends know who I am and they can interpret my review keeping all that in mind.

Oh, and my bad review did come back around...