sabato 25 luglio 2009

Fake Reviews, Achilles heel of Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor put red warnings on hotel pages with fake review to avoid the collapse of trust.

A forced countermesure for skip out distrust of users.

But let us explain our opnion from the beginning.



One of the most important web 2.0 tools in tourism are the new users genereated contents UGCs, such as for instance Tripadvisor, Tripatlas, Triponia, Tripwolf. Tripadvisor is the leader of these websites, and boast more than 25 milion reviews.












All these are more or less the same kind of websites, made by the review of customer, i.e users of the facilities and locations in which thew spent their vacation. Users can post in a social networking way, posts, opnion, report their experience, post photos and videos, and more. A very intersting idea at the begininning, and even me used it for the search of a restaurant in Amsterdam. An Air marketing tool, a mouth to mouth, advertising, very usefull because percieved as trustful by turist and users.

But what happenend.

In the short time users had a plain dealing, and I am convinced that mostly still do, but, someone thought to take advantge of this good faith and started to post own review to boost image, opnion, and sales.

This incorrect dealing, forced Tripadvisor to put a red warnings on the pages of the unfair users, so long as the incorrect dealing lasts out.

... part one ... to be continued ....

Destination Manager
Dr. Omero Mariani

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