Do you often read reviews and do your research online before you travel, buy products, call a certain service company, and other goods and services? Nowadays there are people who plague the internet with fake reviews and falsifying information with different usernames and post reviews from unknown areas, and we should be careful when reading reviews. Some people get paid to write them, some people who have never even traveled or experienced a product or something, they try to find review sites and go with what other people are saying and they do research online before writing a review and some are so good with their craft of fooling people who you do not know the difference between fake or real.
There are ways to detect a fake review. If people exaggerate too much, drag on, and come up with very strange usernames and the way people write. You have to really read between the lines. To me personally I do not trust online reviews and I barely and rarely even read them, why? because in the end everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and I would rather go experience something on my own or when I buy a product to experience it and to try it for myself. If I am going to listen to every person, and read all these reviews, I won’t go anywhere, I won’t try anything. It is so important to try to stay away from reviews. You don’t know if you are reading a real or fake one. Some you cannot even detect on it because they wrote it so well. Some get paid and some go over the top because they are asked to. Some are so good at what they do and they persuade you so much, and do you often read online testimonials? A lot of these reviews come from a lot of researchers online, there are people who do all sorts of things to get some money, but I think it is wrong to give false reviews, and praising companies that should not even exist, and praising and giving a good name to places that should not even be in our world, but they are and they fool people with false advertising.
Have you ever been a victim of it? Do you read reviews and determine whether or not to purchase or to fly anywhere or to go to a resort or hotel? Do you believe in everything you read on review sites? I personally don’t and I don’t take them seriously. Yes although some can be real by individuals who write it, but in my opinion, I would steer away from those things. I am a person who likes to experience and give my own opinion, rather than listening to so many others who can be lying about something. Remember the internet can be misleading, it can be misinterpreted and so many people can understand things differently. I guess that is how it is in this life right? Prevent yourself from being fooled and just try it and experience it for yourself. There is nothing wrong in that. All the best to you.
Talin Orfali Ghazarian 
I totally agree, there are definite give aways when it comes to bogus reviews. sometimes you just know that this person…probably isn’t a real person haha
It helps to have sources you trust. Ones where you know their tastes, strengths and weaknesses.
My wife and elder daughter are very good at doing extensive research before we make a major purchase, but even then, you run the chance of the rare lemon.
Your cautions about phony reviews are well taken.
I completely agree! I’m always wary of reviews, especially when they’re particularly horrendous! Beth
Great thoughts, Talin. A common technique is also for people to post articles proclaiming something is a “scam” only to come to a conclusion at the end that it’s actually not…They’re also kind enough to provide a way for you to join them. This technique is horrible, in my opinion, for my industry specifically (MLM) because most people never even read their silly article and walk away with a bad perception of the product/service.
Taline it seems a little paradoxical that you are a blogger yet you don’t like reading reviews yourself. I do agree in trying something for yourself concept but most of the time you want to try what others rave about. As for fake reviews that’s pretty easy to spot. The devil is always in the detail. Or in this case lack thereof.
Those are some good points. Usually what gives away a fake review is like you stated the use of exaggeration. You can tell if a review was written by an ordinary person or by someone who uses marketing keywords. Personally, I do read reviews, but that does not influence my decision in making a purchase. Everyone has a different taste and will either like the product or will hate it. I look for reviews that include keywords such as “defective” or “broke in a month”. Then, I know if the product is low quality or not, I am not judging the product based on how much people like it – because like I said, everyone has their own preferences.
When I did a bit of freelancing awhile ago some of the most regular paying jobs were reviews for products. They never asked the writers to use the product, they just wanted good press.
I don’t hold much weight in online reviews. A group of friends are small business owners and they get bad reviews for the stupidest reasons sometimes. Also there are studies verifying that if you read too many reviews the mind will be let down
I always try it out myself and then form my own opinion. If I really like something, I will review it. If I really dislike something, I try to be subjective.
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I never read reviews. This attitude comes from a different place though…
There was this movie critic. Everyone loved what he had to say and would agree with his views. I happened to catch a movie he gave a very bad rating to and ended up thoroughly enjoying it.
I was rather put-out! How many “good” movies had I missed because I took this critic’s advice?
I realized then that it was all about taste and as much as the critic’s view was popular, his subjective taste wasn’t mine.
So, yes. Bad of me but I never read reviews.