Consumer review networks are social networks in which users find, review, and share information about products and services.
These networks are growing in importance to businesses and consumers, as positive reviews serve to enhance a company's brand, resulting in new customers, while the public tends to give more significance to ratings and reviews from actual customers than to company advertising.
Several companies have incorporated customer reviews into their websites, such as Amazon. Consumer review networks take this idea and build networks around the review, making it a core part of what they provide to the public.
Among the more common consumer review networks are Yelp and TripAdvisor, both of which include social networking features.
With networks based in the United States and the United Kingdom, Yelp is a customer review site that uses crowd-sourcing to review restaurants, heating and air conditioning companies, and home services. Customers rate these businesses on a scale of one through five, and may leave comments regarding the products or services received. Members may also ask or answer questions.
Registered members of TripAdvisor rate and comments on restaurants, hotels, vacation rentals, flights, cruises, attractions, and other travel services, in much the same way as in Yelp.
Consumer review networks differ from other consumer review sites in that they look to the community to provide the reviews rather than to paid reviewers and experts. While the amount of social interaction on these sites tends to be somewhat limited, as compared so many other social networks, they do include some of the same features, such as member profiles and the ability to follow or to interact with other members.
The focus of this category is on consumer review networks, as defined above.
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The consumer advocacy site has been online since 2009. While users of the site are encouraged to create accounts on the site, reviews and other postings may be submitted anonymously. Despite its name, the network does welcome positive as well as negative reviews, and businesses are also free to reply to postings. Registered users may create profiles, and may also opt to use a pseudonym. Anyone may browse business categories and read reviews.
https://www.pissedconsumer.com/
Founded in 2008, Sitejabber pattern itself after Yelp, but for websites and online businesses. Registered members of the consumer review site rate and review online businesses for such criteria as value, quality, service, shipping, and returns. Members are divided into contributor levels, which is an indication of their activity on the site, with points given for reviews, comments, answers, forum posts, and other actions. Businesses may be browsed by category.
https://www.sitejabber.com/
Headquartered in Massachusetts, TripAdvisor focuses on restaurants, guest accommodations, and other travel-related businesses and services. Established in 2000, TripAdvisor was one of the first consumer-oriented sites to adopt user-generated content, in which members review hotels, motels, and other lodging facilities, restaurants, cruises, flights, and attractions. Registered members may create profiles, post photos, engage in interactive forums, and write reviews.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/
Online since 2004, Yelp is a business directory and consumer review company, in which registered users are asked to review restaurants, various home services, auto services, and other service-related companies, while Yelp sells ads to local businesses, who can post photos and interact with customers. In addition to the reviews, Yelp members can interact with other members, view events, and lists. Mobile apps are available for iPhone and Android devices.
https://www.yelp.com/
The multinational company gathers and updates information from restaurants on a regular basis and, in some cases, offers services such as online ordering and table reservations for client restaurants, and also operates as a consumer review site in which verified account users (known as foodies) review and rate listed restaurants. Its guidelines for foodies, restaurants, employees, and photographs are displayed, along with business owner guidelines and advertising opportunities.
https://www.zomato.com/
