Since Yelp lets businesses pay to revise reviews and advertise for top results, I was wondering if there were any good open source/non-monetized review sites or apps that people have tried out? I usually compare to google reviews and read some of the top reviews to try and filter out the junk, but I know I’m still getting weighted star ratings and promoted content.
A quick search revealed https://lib.reviews/ but I didn’t see a ton of content.
It’d also be great to find an alternative to the shitshow that is amazon product reviews. It would be great to find non-manipulated user opinions. Obviously every review system is going to have bad actors but it’s nice when the site itself isn’t the one in charge and there’s some transparency.
Any recommendations or ideas for how to find feedback on stuff to buy?
From my experience, nothing beats your local community, be it a blog, forum, whatsapp/discord etc groups. This is especially true for local restaurants and services (plumbers, electricians, roofers etc). Join your neighbourhood online groups, if only to lurk for info.
+1. Any public reviews are prone to pay-to-play influences and it’s only a matter of time. Smaller communities, groups are the way to go.