Beware Of Biased Reviews
Hi there. I want to talk about something that has been on my mind lately. The topic is on biased reviews.
The motivation behind this topic was based on me searching for good places to eat in the Toronto area and finding another workout gym / martial arts training center. I currently get my fitness from a fitness kickboxing studio in Toronto. When I look at a few reviews of my kickboxing place, I have noticed that some of the reviews are from some of the employees themselves! I get that you want to speak favourably of your business but to upvote your own is biased (and sneaky)!
Image Link Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-of-text-247708/
Look Past The Rating Scores
When I mention reviews, I refer to mostly Google reviews, Yelp reviews and TripAdvisor reviews. Some reviews contain the score only, some reviews contain scores and detailed reviews and some reviews do not contain much insightful information.
Martial Arts Schools & Fitness Centers
Choosing a fitness center / martial arts school that works for you is very difficult. You want to choose something that is enjoyable which fits your budget, your location and schedule. A high average rating score looks good but it is recommended to look at the detailed reviews.
Reviews which mention a friendly, fun, welcoming environment for a fitness place is good. Safety is another factor to consider. Other positive words and phrases include:
- top notch
- great
- amazing
- helpful
On top of looking at reviews, take advantage of (free) trials if they are available. See if you like the facility, the people, the staff, the classes, the location and the pricing. Just because someone else likes something, it does not mean you will like it. Strongly consider the (free) trials.
Food Joints
Eating is a part of everyday life and there are a lot of food joints out there around the world. In the Toronto area for example, you can find various foods and dishes from a large variety of cuisines.
When I look for something new to eat, I consider Google reviews and Yelp reviews. If a food joint has at least 3.7 stars out of 5, I would give the place a try. If I liked my first visit, I would likely return again.
Some recommended restaurants may not be for you. Recently, I had a friend recommend a Noodle soup place in Toronto's Chinatown. The noodle soup dish that I tried had a good soup (at first) but the noodles were bland for me. I ended up with a salty tongue afterwards as the soup was salty. The place had a 4.4 / 5 stars rating but I did not have a good time there. (Maybe I need to order something else).
Image Link Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/vegetable-food-cooked-on-frying-pan-76093/
Censored & Missing Information
Something that is overlooked by many people is the idea of missing or censored information. This idea does relate to the statistics concept of sample size. Not every customer leaves a review (for whatever reason). The reviews that are posted on Google reviews, Yelp, etc. are a sample of all the customer's opinions.
When you look at reviews, remember that the amount of reviews is a small amount compared to the actual number of customers. In addition, some of the reviews contain either biased scores or biased information that is in favour or not in favour of the business.
Short Summary
The main idea is that reviews are not 100% right in the sense that you have limited information (non-perfect information) and that everyone likes different things. Be aware of biases in scores and in reviews.