Fake Review threaten UGC

UGSs jeopardised by fake review.

Let’s follow our first post and opinion on fake review in users generated content web site.
Starting from the power of confidence that this site have, they are perceived as very reliable by users, customer and tourist of course; simply for the fact that other people is wanting to share on web, their enthusiasm of their travel; posting opinions, recommendation, photos and may be videos.
In marketing the phenomenon is know as “air marketing” i.e. one to one word, mouth of mouth communication, but nowadays this phenomenon has become more diffused and more popular, thanks social media tools and networks, one of these is the UGCs.

Focusing on the deep reasons, we surely know from statistics, that in the past tourists have always considered friends’ experiences as the best source of information. On average, the experience of friends, affects more than 60% on motivations of travel choices by a potential tourist.
In front of a tourist made review , they feel more at ease and then tend to considers the information more accurate and reliable.
Reliability, Truth, Accuracy and “lack of ulterior motives” are the success of this kind of information.
So it is easily understandable, as the dissemination of fake reviews, is perceived as a threat to the reliability from users and UGCs webmaster. From here the salutary admonition of Tripadvisor.

It is my personal opinion that tourist information should be accurate, true, clear and easily understandable, without fraud, manipulation, ulterior motives etc., all the more so in a site made by and for users themselves. This is not the only parameter of success of the site but also the fundamental and logical step to develop business.

This is the only way…others are false steps.

Destination Manager
Dr. Omero Mariani

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