Amazon Killed The Book Reviewer Star - Page 5

Fbone · 05-18-2012, 04:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LuvReadin

Just curious - how do you know it's the same person?

By looking at their other reviews. Two people reviewed the same 3 books. Identical reviews different names.

Other things I've noticed recently-
Amazon let's you review the same title more than once. Post one in Feb and again in December.
Altering their name for each account (?) Rachel Smith, RachelSmith, RSmith, R_Smith, R Smith.
Start review by saying "I never write reviews but just had to ..." (Liar liar pants on fire.)
Reviewers will give 5-stars to every title by a particular author. And review nothing else.

Also noticed (reason unknown) that certain titles attract suspect reviews while others do not.

andyh2000 · 05-18-2012, 05:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fbone

...
Start review by saying "I never write reviews but just had to ..." (Liar liar pants on fire.)
...

I just wrote my first ever review on Amazon (5 stars), starting it with "I think this is the first time ever I've reviewed a book on Amazon. I just had to share how good this book this..."

People can be genuinely moved to write a review, especially if they think it's worth 5 stars (or 1 of course).

Andrew

kennyc · 05-18-2012, 07:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by andyh2000

I just wrote my first ever review on Amazon (5 stars), starting it with "I think this is the first time ever I've reviewed a book on Amazon. I just had to share how good this book this..."

People can be genuinely moved to write a review, especially if they think it's worth 5 stars (or 1 of course).

Andrew

I tend to review when something is particularly good or bad not the run-of-the-mill...

andyh2000 · 05-18-2012, 07:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kennyc

I tend to review when something is particularly good or bad not the run-of-the-mill...

I think that's typical of most people.

Andrew

HarryT · 05-18-2012, 08:01 AM

That's human nature. Same reason that "Trip Advisor" is full of dreadful reviews of hotels - most people only go to the site to complain when something's gone wrong.

kennyc · 05-18-2012, 09:10 AM

Yep, more likely to have the negative come out than the positive. Something to be kept in mind when reading reviews.

MV64 · 05-18-2012, 10:35 AM

Amazon's rating system is flawed, because all editions and versions of a title are included. This is especially problematic for DVDs. Special Editions can be drastically different, as well as Director's Cuts, but you can never tell what the reviewer is actually reviewing.

Ninjalawyer · 05-18-2012, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MV64

Amazon's rating system is flawed, because all editions and versions of a title are included. This is especially problematic for DVDs. Special Editions can be drastically different, as well as Director's Cuts, but you can never tell what the reviewer is actually reviewing.

Can't you though? Amazon marks reviews of "Verified Purchasers".

Ekaros · 05-18-2012, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MV64

Amazon's rating system is flawed, because all editions and versions of a title are included. This is especially problematic for DVDs. Special Editions can be drastically different, as well as Director's Cuts, but you can never tell what the reviewer is actually reviewing.

Sometimes atleast on UK site there is small text(fourth line, after how many agreed, rating, reviewer) about which product is reviewed, yeah different versions can have huge differences like audio, hard cover and paperback

HarryT · 05-18-2012, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ninjalawyer

Can't you though? Amazon marks reviews of "Verified Purchasers".

That doesn't help. If there are several editions of a DVD, Amazon will tell you that a reviewer has bought a version of it, but what's being said is that it may be a very different version to the one that you're considering buying, and there's no way to know which version the review is referring to.

AnemicOak · 05-18-2012, 10:57 AM

They also mix blu-ray reviews in with DVD reviews and it can be a real pain sorting through hundreds of reviews looking for the blu-ray reviews.

Joykins · 05-18-2012, 01:22 PM

That's why if there's some difference you can mention in your review what edition you're reviewing...Usually this makes no difference for books, but if there are formatting issues with the ebook I would say so (e.g. "several chapters of the ebook slipped into italics for no reason at all, which was distracting")

Fbone · 05-18-2012, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by andyh2000

I just wrote my first ever review on Amazon (5 stars), starting it with "I think this is the first time ever I've reviewed a book on Amazon. I just had to share how good this book this..."

People can be genuinely moved to write a review, especially if they think it's worth 5 stars (or 1 of course).

Andrew

Absolutely, but it is easy to click on their name and see all their other reviews.
----------------------------------------------

Today 671 free titles appeared on Amazon. Much more than normal. If I see something interesting and rated positively, I'll try to post them in the Deals forum. I posted six titles yesterday.

wizwor · 05-18-2012, 04:42 PM

Formal reviews are the opinion of one reviewer. They are a great tool for prejudging a purchase. Crowdsourced reviews are also a great tool. The sheer number of reviewers and overall opinion is just one aspect of analysis. 'Most Helpful' reviews usually get a closer look from me. The content of reviews is also meaningful.

I don't think Amazon killed the professional review. We simply have more data to work with. Each of us weights data differently. Some will always trust this reviewer or that while others will go with popular opinion.

kennyc · 05-18-2012, 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wizwor

Formal reviews are the opinion of one reviewer. They are a great tool for prejudging a purchase. Crowdsourced reviews are also a great tool. The sheer number of reviewers and overall opinion is just one aspect of analysis. 'Most Helpful' reviews usually get a closer look from me. The content of reviews is also meaningful.

I don't think Amazon killed the professional review. We simply have more data to work with. Each of us weights data differently. Some will always trust this reviewer or that while others will go with popular opinion.

Very well said.

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05-18-2012, 08:01 AM	#65
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,560 Karma: 93980341 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	That's human nature. Same reason that "Trip Advisor" is full of dreadful reviews of hotels - most people only go to the site to complain when something's gone wrong.

05-18-2012, 09:10 AM	#66
kennyc The Dank Side of the Moon Posts: 35,930 Karma: 119747553 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Denver, CO Device: Kindle2 & PW, Onyx Boox Go6	Yep, more likely to have the negative come out than the positive. Something to be kept in mind when reading reviews.

05-18-2012, 10:35 AM	#67
MV64 Addict Posts: 271 Karma: 2000000 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: Sony PRS-505	Amazon's rating system is flawed, because all editions and versions of a title are included. This is especially problematic for DVDs. Special Editions can be drastically different, as well as Director's Cuts, but you can never tell what the reviewer is actually reviewing.

05-18-2012, 10:57 AM	#71
AnemicOak Bookaholic Posts: 14,391 Karma: 54969924 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Minnesota Device: iPad Mini 4, AuraHD, iPhone XR +	They also mix blu-ray reviews in with DVD reviews and it can be a real pain sorting through hundreds of reviews looking for the blu-ray reviews.

05-18-2012, 01:22 PM	#72
Joykins Wizard Posts: 1,612 Karma: 9211856 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: kindle Oasis 2018, kindle 4 NT, kindle PW2, iPhone, iPad mini	That's why if there's some difference you can mention in your review what edition you're reviewing...Usually this makes no difference for books, but if there are formatting issues with the ebook I would say so (e.g. "several chapters of the ebook slipped into italics for no reason at all, which was distracting")

05-18-2012, 04:42 PM	#74
wizwor Wizard Posts: 1,068 Karma: 23867385 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: kindle, fire	Formal reviews are the opinion of one reviewer. They are a great tool for prejudging a purchase. Crowdsourced reviews are also a great tool. The sheer number of reviewers and overall opinion is just one aspect of analysis. 'Most Helpful' reviews usually get a closer look from me. The content of reviews is also meaningful. I don't think Amazon killed the professional review. We simply have more data to work with. Each of us weights data differently. Some will always trust this reviewer or that while others will go with popular opinion.