Gaming the System

Pretty interesting article here about the nature of online reviews. It's pretty amazing how much time and effort goes into the business of e-commerce. 


I enjoy maintaining a web journal in part because I have a small forum to offer my views on books and movies I enjoy. It's a treat to scroll through old posts and see a tangible record of the creative works that have touched me over the years.


I don't have a lot of reviews on Amazon, but I'm making a concerted effort to offer more of them. And I'll be honest--I typically stick to the old adage that if you don't have anything nice to say, you should just keep your mouth shut.


But my reticence in offering negative criticism is kind of mitigated by practices like the one mentioned in that article. I mean, how legitimate can a product review be if there are businesses out there stuffing the ballot box?


I sometimes hear a radio advertisement about a company whose sole purpose is to bolster cyber reputations. Wow. I mean, there's a local advertising agency that offers 3,000 "likes" in the first month or clients get their money back.


Strange times, folks. Strange times indeed...