Consumer review websites are data ranches
February 6th, 2008One of the more specialized forms of data ranching is the consumer review website where users are asked to post their opinions about various subjects and items. Everyone has an opinion and it is quick and easy for members to add their thoughts and ratings to consumer review websites.
Consumer review websites use the wisdom of crowds to create a resource that simply could not exist without the internet. Forums and IM simply offer new ways for individuals to communicate; e-commerce websites are catalogs with a few new bells and whistles; blogs are simply magazines produced by the masses. But aggregating opinions and packaging the group consensus is a new idea altogether, made possible almost entirely through the distributed nature of the internet. Consumer review websites add transparency to industries that were previously closed to outsiders, tap the powerful wisdom of the crowd to create new knowledge, and give a voice to previously unheard consumers.
A base of information is needed to kick start any consumer review website. That is, the basic info about which your users will be adding reviews will need to be in place
