Comments on: A Prime Example User Reviews Should Be ‘Asterisked’

By: Derek

Derek — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 19:59:23 +0000

Your probably right about the ‘hacker’ reference, but the point I was making was that if ‘hackers’ use it (highly paranoid, security conscious, and self-protective)then maybe the consumer might want to consider it…

I enjoy being a reseller for them too…. let me know if your interested in renewing Nod32

By: Vertimyst™

Vertimyst™ — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:55:38 +0000

Yea, I saw that article (didn’t read it though), and I just shook my head sadly.

And NOD32 is great, I used to use it myself until I reformatted. Although, telling them hackers use it isn’t exactly the way to say it’s good…

By: Derek

Derek — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 14:03:41 +0000

Here is a follow up to what I was talking about….

http://windowssecrets.com/2009/02/26/02-Reviewers-rate-Norton-the-No.-1-security-suite

is a great example of hype… here is how I responded to them…

“Is there a way to discuss the articles or leave comments, FYI, I disagree with the Norton Article and references used to support it. Norton causes many problems on MANY of our clients machines, despite the hype. I used Advanced System Care (freeware) to show my clients that Norton, McAfee, and the biggies miss stuff. I regularly clean Vundu variants off Norton ‘protected’ machines.

Personally, I always wonder why no-one mentions ESET (nod32 or Smart Security Suite) as a matter of fact… it is what most hackers use….

Finally if the company has to release a ‘removal tool’ it should also tell you something.

IMHO… I recently wrote about how pc mag, world, etc have affiliate programs and how companies purchase advertising through them so the default setting for the most part is endorse despite the problems to the end user level…”

By: Sherry Bartgis

Sherry Bartgis — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 12:59:27 +0000

If you are paranoid, we both are: I feel exactly the same. Also, sometimes the way the review is written sounds like a sound bite from a commercial.

By: Digerati

Digerati — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 17:17:07 +0000

Generally speaking, happy people don’t complain so user reviews typically start off slanted. I will look at user reviews, but generally don’t put much stock in them, UNLESS I see a trend in the complaints that point to a common fault or deficiency.

Sadly, even so-called professional review sites are often biased, or edited for sensationalism, often just for opportunistic bashes at MS. For example, note the title of the article from the highly regarded PCWorld, “SP3 Bug Makes Some AMD PCs Crash” (seen here: http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/006932.html)

Clearly PCWorld blames SP3 in the title to get your attention. You have to read the article to learn it was HP and other OEMs to blame – they put bad customized images on their AMD machines. Note my comment from May 17 – and their reply. Oh wait! No reply.

Note how titles of articles about IE8 compatibility issues point the finger at IE8. That’s funny. After years of complaints, IE8 is the first IE that actually conforms to Internet standards, and not Microsoft standards. So if IE8 conforms to Internet standards, and the sites don’t display correctly after upgrading to IE8, is that IE8′s fault? Not hardly! Fortunately, IE8 includes a compatibility mode.

Have insurance: buy from a reputable, authorized retailer.

By: Stacey

Stacey — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 05:28:03 +0000

I agree with LuisR, I tend to try to find negative reviews about a product or service especially if I see 20+ positive reviews. Not that I’m a negative person but I’ve actually bought products with negative reviews because I knew if I experienced the same negative that the reviewer did, I’d know how to resolve it.

By: LuisR

LuisR — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 22:53:19 +0000

User reviews should always be taken with a grain of salt. Actually I normally pay more attention to negative reviews.

By: Vertimyst™

Vertimyst™ — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 22:10:19 +0000

Actually, much of the ‘glowing reviews’ for Win7 are probably legit. I’m a Linux user, and I hate Windows, but after using Windows 7 I liked it. Mind you, I’m not about to suddenly start loving MS again, but it’s definitely a huge step in the right direction IMO.

By: Warren Fwy

Warren Fwy — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 20:42:30 +0000

I don’t think it’s too paranoid to think that there’s a lot of unethical behavior posting reviews for products in which the poster has a financial interest.

The one that concerns me most right now is Windows 7. The bulletin boards, chat rooms, and blogs have near unamimous glowing reviews for this product that’s sitll months from commercial release.

This just doesn’t fit with MicroSoft’s practice of unleasing crap on the public, and then gradually addressing crashes and complaints until a workable version can be produced — usually around Service Pack 3.

This is a company that’s still promoting Vista as easy for a 4-year-old to use — nevermind that it takes forever to load, tweak, obtain drivers, buy new hardware, and deal with pesty pop-up warnings and constant “updates”.

Based on MicroSoft’s shoddy past products, and their current misleading “Mojave” and Vista PR campaign, I am taking the early product reviews as a likely attempt to create a positive buzz.

By: Jordan

Jordan — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:35:44 +0000

I often wonder about the reviews I read, especially of technological products. I’ve seen products that have terrible ratings, ordered it and been 100% satisfied. This I attribute to people not reading the manual or understanding the product they are ordering (when related to technology). On the other hand, I’ve bought something with glowing reviews and been very disappointed. Perhaps these are the times that the owners post fake reviews (or maybe I don’t understand what I’ve bought ).

Excellent set of tips Derek – that comment is a blog in itself.