Unfortunately, some Web users have turned the space into a venting ground. To its credit, Deja helps you weed out such postings by letting users rate the usefulness of other ratings. Rather than depending on average consumers to provide constructive ratings, the company looks to enthusiasts in a given area to share their viewpoints. Enthusiasts are likely to be quality contributors since they're apt to be very familiar with the products being reviewed, says Mancini. And each product-centric discussion that's featured on the site is run buy a paid enthusiast.
Users earn 'Eroyalties' whenever another user of the service reads and rates their reviews.
Eroyalties can then be exchanged for a check or donated to charity. While consumer review sites are at times more entertaining than informative, they offer a sample of popular opinion to complement your own research. I'd still place the most value on the opinion of a friend or a colleague. But if I can't have that, I'll settle for the opinions of Web users like me. Click here to send comments and column suggestions.