So, this is kinda weird...

[lavachickie]

First let me state that I realize I have too much time on my hands—so no need to address that.

You raise an important issue: credibility. If those numbers are made up, then one has to begin questioning the integrity of ALL the information provided by that source.

Have you brought the issue to the site owner's attention? What was the response? Enquiring minds want to know!

 

[diver_doug]

I haven't. I thought about doing that and this is what I figured would happen: they'd either send me no response or they'd send me an email that says something like "we're not sure why that it is" or "we agree that is odd" or something generic that acknowledges the oddness of the consistent approval rating, but with no admission of fudging the numbers. Then, if I were to look at reviews a few weeks later, I'd probably find that the approval rating for a number of items magically changed (i.e. some approval ratings way lower than 40%, or way higher than 60%) so as to create the illusion that I simply must have been mistaken. I may contact them...haven't decided.

 

[elmer fudd]

Don't bother contacting them. It would probably only encourage them to produce a better deception.

 

[TJF]

So basically we should question most of what we read on "teh interwebs"? What a concept.

 

[The Chairman]

Don't bother contacting them.

Yeah, why would we want to hear the other side of the story?

Many of these reputation counters start the process at midpoint. Rather than just ASSUME malicious intent, why don't you ask them how their system actually works?

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

First let me state that I realize I have too much time on my hands—so no need to address that.

On the reviews posted by customers at scuba.com there is an approval rating for each review (e.g. 100 out of 210 people found this review helpful, 23 out of 40 people found this review helpful etc.). As I was looking up various reviews for products I noticed that every single review had an approval rating of about 50% (40%-60%). It didn’t matter if the review was in-depth, well-worded, comparing the many pro’s and con’s of a particular product and arriving at an intelligent conclusion; or if it simply said something like “Bitchin’ reg” or “I love my pink snorkel!” Regardless of how good or how lousy a review was, more than 40%, but less than 60% of people found it helpful. This stood out as being totally ridiculous to me (and not actually possible). I looked up a bunch of reviews just to see if there was an exception, but try as I might I couldn’t find one. As a sort of lame experiment, I made up 2 reviews for items I had purchased. Here they are:

Review 1:
Product: Highland in-line shut off valve
Title: Great Mask!
Review: No leaks, big FOV, and a world-class buckling system. A+
3 out of 6 people found this review helpful

Review 2:
Product: OMS regulator necklace
Title: I like pizza!
Review: Is there something you’d like to share with the rest of us Amazing Larry?!?
3 out of 7 people found this review helpful

So review 1 is helpful to 50% of people despite the fact that it is a mask review FOR A SHUT-OFF VALVE! And review 2 has been helpful to 43% of people despite the fact it is about pizza, and the entire review consists of nothing but a quote from “Pee-Wee Herman’s Big Adventure”. So, I can’t conclude anything other than that scuba.com makes these numbers up. I’m not exactly sure why they would do that; maybe they don’t want any particular review carrying more weight than another or something like that. Whatever the reason, if they are fabricating these numbers (it seems to me that they are), that seems kinda weird.

6 out of 11 people found this review helpful ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[warmwaterturner]

Thanks diver_doug. Monday was getting a little long until the watch review....may just make it til 5pm now.

 

[Trace Malinowski]

6 out of 11 people found this review helpful ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Bob beat me to the retort!

A philosophy major with too much time on his hands really should be given a job that rewards that kind of initiative. I actually did find the OP helpful.

 

[diver_doug]

Yeah, why would we want to hear the other side of the story?

Many of these reputation counters start the process at midpoint. Rather than just ASSUME malicious intent, why don't you ask them how their system actually works?

hmmm...I can tell you that of the several reviews I've written on Scuba.com (most of which were legitimate reviews) they started as something like 0 out of 1, then 2 out of 4, then 2 out of 5, then 4 out of 9 etc. They start at 0, then constantly increase, but always stay right around 50%...I would imagine it's that way for all reviewers since all the reviews are at about 50%

 

[elmer fudd]

Yeah, why would we want to hear the other side of the story?

Because in this case it does appear to be an obvious deception. Nobody in their right mind would give positive feedback to some of the reviews Doug listed and certainly not in the neighborhood of 50%. Plus, these gave actual numbers, like "3 out of 7 people found this review helpful", so they weren't just 50% approval with 0 reviews.

I don't know about you, but when someone is trying to baffle me with BS, I appreciate it when that BS is easy to spot and I'd rather not assist them in their baffling of other people.