Do you trust online reviews? Now that Amazon is
suing more than 1,000 people who allegedly offered to write glowing
product reviews for cash, you might reasonably be concerned.Deceptive
reviews are commonplace online. Fortunately, there are a few good
techniques that can help you tell truth from fiction.
A team of
researchers at Cornell University created a computer algorithm for
detecting fake hotel reviews by analyzing the language used in
legitimate and phony write-ups. The computer programme, Review Skeptic,
is accurate about 90% of the time, but humans alone performed poorly at
determining the truth teller.
"People are terrible," said professor Claire Cardie, who helped develop the system. "I was very surprised. We just cannot tell the difference much more than chance."
Beware of
extremes -- overly enthusiastic or negative reviews are red flags. False
reviews tend to use more extreme language to get their message across.
So if someone says "It is the most comfortable bed ever," perhaps in all
caps, take pause.
Additionally, the Cornell researchers found that when it comes to hotels, fake reviewers tended not to talk about the spatial details -- such as the floor or bathroom. Instead, they focused on the reason they were there, such as describing a recent fake vacation or business trip. In practice, this makes sense because someone who has never been to a location might have a tough time describing it accurately.
On the flip side,
beware of recommendations that read like product manuals. Reviews that
repeat the full product name or model number may be an attempt to game
the search engine system. And if they use excessive technical or
marketing jargon, odds are they aren't providing a genuine review --
most real people don't talk like that.
Check out the
profile of the person providing the review, said Louis Ramirez, senior
features writer with online deal site DealNews. If they only write
reviews for a particular company, that's a huge warning sign they could
have a vested interest in that business. Some sites let people upload
pictures of the item they bought, which can help add credibility.
Amazon verifies some of its reviewers, indicating they actually bought the product (although some of the people it's suing allegedly found ways around that). Some other sites only allow posts from people who've made a purchase there. Look closely on the site for their review policies.
Don't trust yourself
"People are terrible," said professor Claire Cardie, who helped develop the system. "I was very surprised. We just cannot tell the difference much more than chance."
Listen to thr language
Additionally, the Cornell researchers found that when it comes to hotels, fake reviewers tended not to talk about the spatial details -- such as the floor or bathroom. Instead, they focused on the reason they were there, such as describing a recent fake vacation or business trip. In practice, this makes sense because someone who has never been to a location might have a tough time describing it accurately.
Junk the jargon
Review the reviewer
Amazon verifies some of its reviewers, indicating they actually bought the product (although some of the people it's suing allegedly found ways around that). Some other sites only allow posts from people who've made a purchase there. Look closely on the site for their review policies.
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