How to Find Reliable Reviews Online - Part 2

The next step in determining reliability is to evaluate the information in the opinion with respect to other reliable sources on the web. The goal is to determine the accuracy of the information. Again, I would suggest a sort of “Trust Test” to evaluate the accuracy of the information:

1) Is the writer offering contradictory facts from what other authors have written?

There’s no quicker way to spot a shady writer than to compare their facts to other, reliable reviewers on the web. If the opinion writer completely misstates or misrepresents the features or performance of a product, there is no way you can trust them.

2) Does the person focus solely on the advantages of the product, without even mentioning the downfalls?

This is also a very easy way to spot an unscrupulous writer. If a review only focuses on the positive aspects of a product, and does not even discuss the possible negative aspects, you should look elsewhere for a reliable opinion.

3) Did the writer have actual hands-on experience using the product?

This is often more difficult to determine, but an important point to consider when you are reading through a product review. Pay close attention to the reasons behind the recommendation to determine whether the reviewer actually used the product. Trustworthy authors will always describe the details for how the testing was performed in order to explain how they arrived at their conclusions. Untrustworthy writers will gloss over, or completely disregard, actual testing details that were used to arrive at their conclusions.

4) Does the writer have experience with other similar products to use in comparison?

This is relatively easy to determine, but requires more time to read through other reviews from the author. It is important to consider how much “domain experience” the writer has gained through evaluating similar products. If this is the first time they are writing about a TV, for example, they may not have enough experience to give a dependable recommendation on whether to buy that particular TV or a competing model.

Another piece of advice --- when in doubt, you can always request further details and clarification by using the ‘Contact Us’ page. A trustworthy author will always stand behind his worth and provide explanation on his or her opinions. If a site does not have a ‘Contact Us’ page, or another easy way to contact the author, that is a huge red flag that the author is not willing to stand behind their writing.