Take Scathing Product Reviews at Half Value for a More Accurate Rating

We recently discovered Yelp's hidden "filtered" review section, and reader DragonPhyre lets us know another good method for making an informed decision: take angry, negative reviews at half value.

I take bad reviews at half-rating...and I take good ratings at slightly more than normal. Why? It has been my experience that I am far more likely to leave a scathing negative review than a positive one because if I am happy or content, I forget to tell anybody online about it. If I feel slighted or I feel that people should know about a particularly negative aspect of something, then I leave reviews.

Now, everyone's different of course, but if anything, I've found that scathingly negative reviews?especially when there are only a few reviews to pick from?tend to be less trustworthy. Plus, a lot of people seem to think that if a product has any cons, it deserves a one star rating...which makes no sense (see the image above for an example).

Of course, you could expand this tip to include positive reviews that seem fake or planted, too, or anything else you generally want to filter out. If nothing else, it'll help you get a better idea of which reviews you trust and which ones look like baloney.

Take Bad Reviews at Half Rating

Every week, we receive tons of reader tips, often in response to tips we've posted. Our Tip of the Week showcases our favorite tip from you that improves upon something else we've shared, shows us another way to do something, or otherwise deserves more attention than our regular tips roundups. Got a tip to share? Post it over at our tips forum or send it to us at tips@lifehacker.com.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/M0Yy5NwNU4U/take-scathing-product-reviews-at-half-value-for-a-more-accurate-rating

bobby rush supreme court justices 19 kids and counting danny o brien alicia silverstone park slope food coop anchorman sequel