ratings

media type="custom" key="27172414" align="right"Ratings
related: communication ratings


 * Ratings** = A classification or ranking of someone or something based on a comparative assessment of their quality, standard, or performance.

Essay by Ron Mader
(also [|blogged online])

We have nearly two decades of web-based travel information and it has always been a tricky situation.

If we are seeking greater clarity, then we should look at this from multiple points of view. Visitors often have difficulties in getting tips that are relevant. Business owners either do not know or are charged to update information online. And rarely do locals have a say in how local businesses are presented online official tourism portals.

Speaking as one who has hosted a website for 20 years, I don’t think we’ve had the proper conversations -- warts-and-all -- that acknowledge the challenge of connecting locals and visitors in ways that provide mutual benefits.

The conversation that we should have -- and which the hangouts are organized to initiate -- is one that takes a candid look across the social web, specifically how rating and review sites are or are not working for visitors, locals and entrepreneurs.

Peer-to-peer sites change the equation in that anonymity begins to disappear as not only are the businesses rated but so are the reviewers. It’s an interesting development to see TripAdvisor reviews filtered by one’s Facebook contacts, but certainly this is just the beginning.

In January [|Planeta.com] invites you to start 2014 with a series of conversations about travel ratings, reviews, endorsements and testimonials on the social web.

We encourage friends to check out how their local communities are presented and whether the review sites do an adequate job of informing visitors of things to do, places to stay and where to eat. Travel - and in particular responsible travel - requires constructive criticism. These hangouts are intended to provide some needed tips for locals and visitors alike as we navigate peer reviewed sites together.

Those interested in appearing on camera are asked to download the Google+ hangout plug-ins (if necessary) and to test this out beforehand. Please let Ron know ahead of time if would like to join on on screen. Everyone is welcome to provide specific examples via the individual event pages on Google+ or via Twitter by including [|@ronmader] in your tweet.


 * January 14, [|830am PST]:** [|Ratings, Reviews, Endorsements and Testimonials]
 * January 21, [|830am PST]:** [|How powerful is the influence of peer review travel sites?]
 * January 28, [|830am PST]:** [|Storytelling on the Social Web: making your presence felt]


 * Social Web Channels: ** Facebook, Foodspotting, Foursquare, Google, Klout, LinkedIn, Outbounding, TripAdvisor, Urban Spoon, Yelp, Zagat


 * Buzzwords: ** Anonymous, Constructive Criticism, Digital Echo Chamber, Endorsement, Feedback, Friends, Influence, Like/Dislike, Peers, Privacy, Rankings,Ratings, Recommendation, Reputation, Reviews, Social Web, Storytelling, Testimonials, Top10, Trust, Undorsement, Vortex, We Story

---

One of the lessons learned is how to make use of the social web channels in tandem with one another. Using TripAdvisor with one's Facebook friends changes the outcome of results.

Thanks to these conversations we are learning A LOT about being social on the social web.

So much depends on whether one has an account or not, whether one has a 'smart' device that allows checkins and whether the establishment (restaurant or hotel) is equipped with a strategy for dealing with best and worst case scenarios.

During the conversation we talked about a number of social web sites. TripAdvisor was a major focal point, but we also talked about Amazon.com, Facebook, Foodspotting, Urban Spoon, LinkedIn, Outbounding and Foursquare. In regard to Foursquare, I mentioned that I've been curating favorite places from my South African friends. This is a work-in-progress you can view here: https://foursquare.com/ronmader/list/south-africa

The key take-away message for me is that there is no one size fits all approach as the social web sites each have different rules or protocols for liking, favoriting and recommending. Among the participants some were keen on TripAdvisor, others much less so. It all depends on what works for you, and 'you' being a local business owner or a traveler. Afterall, we're all wearing different hats at different times!

We need to be aware of what's easy and what's useful. Consider the difference between writing testimonials or endorsements on LinkedIn. It's easier to give an endorsement (click here!) and a timely endeavor to write a thoughtful testimonial. What carries the most weight are the testimonials. Likewise on TripAdvisor, it's easy to give a 1-5 star rating, but the reviews are often what carry the actual sale.

This dovetails nicely into the focal point of week 3 of our discussion: storytelling on the social web. The social influence sites carry implicit and explicit stories. As we develop our digital literacy -- http://planeta.wikispaces.com/literacy -- we are learning how to tell stories and how to read (or view or listen) to stories told by others who previously were unconnected to us.

Honestly, if I see a conversation emerge among a business owner and her or his clients, my interest will be piqued. To what degree are all parties satisfied? If there is constructive criticism, is it considered and acted upon? When we see product complaints and the business owner apologies and makes things right, this strengthens not diminishes the reputation in my eyes.

---

I have mixed feelings about food review sites. Living in Oaxaca, Mexico, many review sites simply don't exist, including Yelp and Urban Spoon. When global apps to cover rural Mexico, they rarely have information about the places my friends owned, so I used the opportunity to document the Sanchez Pascuas and Pochote Xochimilco markets, Comala and Grupo Lula'a, to guide visitors to these places. And it worked!

Next Tuesday we are picking up the discussion of peer reviewed travel sites -- https://plus.google.com/b/117694449145790663688/events/cumn4bk20uro2cs2fqm7c3dne9g - and we'll look at practical strategies for local business owners and travelers. #1 on my list would be to cultivate positive word of mouth among locals. With that locked in, the positive and more trusted ratings and reviews follow. Signage helps to inform clients that an establishment has presence on the social web. Let customers know if they can check in on Foursquare or follow the business on Facebook.

--

Without relevant information the visitor is often directed to places that are not appropriate. Of course a hungry vegetarian will have a negative experience at a Brazilian steakhouse the same way a seafood-allergic diner would at an oyster bar. It does not matter how well these places are rated. If they are inappropriate for the visitor, the experience will be disappointing or disastrous.

I have been called in as a ‘character witness’ on several occasions after friends’ travel businesses got the short of the end of the stick from anonymous reviewers seeking to cause specific damage to competitors.

---

'Rate this Recipe' asks [|Food Network]

My apps constantly ask for reviews on my smartphone.

Wikipedia
[|Rating]

Rating Doctors
http://www.healthgrades.com More US Adults Choose Physicians From Rating Sites==

Rating Movies
http://www.imdb.com Example: []

Rating Recipes
http://www.foodnetwork.com Example: [|German Chocolate Cake]

Rating Restaurants
foodspotting: http://www.foodspotting.com Example: [|Grupo Lula'a]

urbanspoon: http://www.urbanspoon.com Example: [|Lindo Michoacan]

zagat: http://www.zagat.com Example: http://www.zagat.com/las-vegas

Rating Travel Services
tripadvisor: http://www.tripadvisor.com Example: [|34 South]

Rating Greeting Cards
http://www.someecards.com Example: [|Birthday]

Consumer Service Reports http://hellopeter.com (South Africa) Link: [|This Tourism Week]

media type="custom" key="27172418"

peeple
http://techcrunch.com/2016/03/08/controversial-people-rating-app-peeple-goes-live-has-a-plan-to-profit-from-users-negative-reviews Peeple

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