Trip Advisor's New Policy
 

I just received e-mail from TripAdvisor announcing a new policy for posting reviews.

Clicking links I soon came to a complete list of all my reviews and tallies of readers who did and didn't find each of them helpful.

I like the new policy. How about you.

I'm a big TA user and Local Expert for two home areas. I just discovered the new feature yesterday and think it's a great idea! I loved seeing how my reviews were received (only a couple of my 25+ reviews had only one reader who didn't find them helpful!) One drawback is that reviews themselves will still be anonymous, so you can't directly check the reviewer's stats to see if they're a troll. You can check on Forum posters, though, and see their reviews and posts which is helpful.

One feature I would like is a way to post brief comments on reviews, maybe linked to a separate page to avoid clutter. Some reviews are absolutely outrageous and although I can rate it "Not Helpful," sometimes I'd like to say more!

I don't use TA too often, notices it holds my log-in name like this board, and reviews got posted few days after submitting with notification through e-mail.

I don't know if I like their policy or not. Just accept it. Don't hate it, that's for sure. :)

I noticed the new features last night.
I especially like the fact that one poster who lives in California but had been made an Oregon Local Expert, had that status removed when she got caught plaigarizing Frommers Travel Guides.

According to some things the TA editors told me, a lot of the new look is to deal with posters who would change a punctuation mark in order to get their names on the reviews/Insider pages etc.
BTW- when you can vote for yourself, it kinda takes away that special feeling when you see if someone thought you were helpful or not.

Thanks for the insights into plagiarism and self approval--beyond pathetic.

Pretty funny story Scarlett- I had no idea people would go to such extremes to get published -

"One drawback is that reviews themselves will still be anonymous, so you can't directly check the reviewer's stats to see if they're a troll"

My e-mail from TA said that unless a poster requests otherwise, their screen name will appear with the reviews. That way we can track their posts.

LoL, Scarlett! Will wonders never cease?! :))

Thanks, HTTY, I going to check it out.

I had a post on this thread about the same poster but it got deleted. :( Guess that's how it's gonna be.

What Siouxzee? I'm confused. :(

Well, I was just saying that after spending so many years with little kids my DH and I have started eating out again so I began submitting restuarant reviews to TA. I think the new feature is pretty neat. Then I said I had run across a Portland based restaurant review site and was surprised to see a familiar name. This site also has an outside the areas restaurnat section. The thing is that the reviews for the restaurants in my town from the familiar name were not personal reviews but rather of the "I have heard" variety. Well the post from this morning has been pulled and I don't even know what I said to offend. But like I say , it looks like that's how it's gonna be.

I really enjoyed seeing all my TripAdvisor reviews in a list of links to them.

I had a wonderful time reliving parts of my trips by rereading them this afternoon.

"Well the post from this morning has been pulled and I don't even know what I said to offend"

Siouxzee, isn't that ever so frustrating?

I just read a TripAdvisor review for a place the other day that was so pathetically obviously written by mgmt/owership that I will now even more seriously think twice about anything I read there. I enjoyed being able to click that said review was *not* helpful.

Socialworker, I think you do have to be really careful when the reviews there are glowing in a way that sounds like PR. I think after reading a bunch of reviews by regular people the PR jobs are easier to find. I do feel bad though for newbies who don't know. I think it's a good idea to click the "not helpful" button for those.

There's two (actually more than two) sections of Trip Advisor. There's the review that most people this of on that website. But here is also a forum, just like this one in format.

I agree with everything that has been said here about TripAdvisor.

However, I believe those who manage TA are aware of the problems and that they are trying to mitigate them.

Also, I don't think TA should be used as the only source in selecting hotels any more than this forum should be used as the sole source for answers to travel questions.

sheez sorry!

There are the reviews of hotels and restaurants, that most people think of...

I find that "helpful" rating, less than helpful (as an author of reviews) because there is no way to know WHY the person did not find it helpful.

For me, I find the forum set up... here at Fodor's, at TA, and at Thorn Tree much more useful. Where people can ask questions back and forth. Not just make a statement that stands no matter what.

I'm still confused, Siouxzee (love the name, btw)... Which thread on which board was your post yanked from. Nice to see you on the Portland food board. Somebody's gotta keep that ***winegirl*** honest.

And HTTY, it's gone beyond plagiarism and self-approval. She's also been known to create usernames who ask questions about places, which she then answers under her regular user name.

As to the TA changes, I think they have a chance to add credibility to reviews. I'll be very leery of those where the reviewer refused to allow a username link.

It was pulled from this thread this morning.

Formerly just Suzie

beachbum, now I've heard everything (I think):

<i>And HTTY, it's gone beyond plagiarism and self-approval. She's also been known to create usernames who ask questions about places, which she then answers under her regular user name.</i>

How schizophrenic. Somebody, say it isn't so.

Looks like I better click &quot;helpful&quot; on all my reviews!!! ;)

HTTY--Sorry...Scarlett, Siouxzee, and Beachbum are all correct. Very wierd things tend to go on over there and other boards frequented by that poster.

So TA's finally getting around to attempting to solve their problems, many many months after it was widely reported about phony reviews and kookoo posters? I looked at their reviews maybe twice and posted about the same...Fodor's is my sole travel source, not including vendor websites.

Hi
happy, I did the same thing ! I looked at my photos and appreciated the work I put into those reviews.
Btw-TA had gotten a couple of photos mixed around with the wrong titles, they sent me a note and asked about them and fixed them for me :)
They are trying..
I have learned from another site that some forums have Ignore Buttons, we need one on TA lol It is working like a dream on that other site...no more <i>yummy dining</i> experiences or name dropping to grate on our nerves lol

Some people seem to be missing that there is a FORUM over at Trip Advisor separate from the reviews section.

Where you can ask questions and receive answers... same as here. Actually there is much less chit chat, so it is closer to that &quot;serious travel board&quot; that some posters are requesting recently.

Who is missing that there is a Forum at TA? I think all of us here who post on TA post on both the reviews and the forums. Some of us edit the Inside Pages or create Go Lists too. It's a pretty easy site to get around.

Hey, I've got it. I'm active there too (but rarely post reviews).

I thought since some people keep referring to &quot;phony reviews&quot; - that they might not realize there is also a forum. Because I have never experienced anything phony there, or people posting under assumed names, etc. like I have seen here recently.

Suze
Hang out in the Oregon Forum or some of the CA forums for phony.

***i know***

Oops, now I have contradicted myself. I am aware that it may go on, but fortunately (for me) I &quot;know&quot; my fellow posters on the locations I most often write about, and they're not California or Oregon. People aren't a chatty or changing there names in my own experience there, was all I meant to say.

LOL suze. I guess we all know our forum mates pretty well!

I got email from Tripadvisor, and when I checked the link to my info I noticed that they would have been publishing my home zip code and email address - not something I really want on Tripadvisor. Fortunately, there is an option to edit out that info before new policy goes into effect.

So a word of warning - check your info for any privacy issues of your own.

[-X You guys!!!!!

Nice to know some things never change.:-d

Well look who's back! Didja have a good time?

Where? :O)

Has anybody known me NOT to have a good time? O:)

Got some GREAT stories....most can't be published here but will be dispensed via my e-mails... ;)

BTW...with all of the bannings I've been hearing about, who are you? New ID?

It sounds the same, just spelled different. Got into a cat fight yesterday. Guess I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. It was regrettable and I'm just accepting my punishment. Tail between my legs, hat in hand yada yada yada. Should have known better. But then don't we all.

Ah ha....and a nice tail it is!

Heard it's been a bit of a rocky going of late...and for once I can't be blamed for it! O:)

gail, read it again...

TA says:

PROTECTING YOUR PRIVACY



We will never expose your e-mail address, real name, mailing address or other private information to any other member of TripAdvisor (unless you choose to include it in the body of a review, post or other opinion).

To protect your identity, no e-mail addresses will be displayed in reviews going forward.
You used to have the option to display your e-mail address with your review.
Beginning October 16th, all reviews (new and historical) will be credited to screen names. If you have ever checked the optional box to have your e-mail address included in a review, that review will be updated to display your screen name to better protect your identity.

You can remove reviews from your profile that were submitted before we started collecting screen names with reviews (July 19, 2006).
------------------------------------