Not OK to Flog in public spaces
March 28, 2008
The EU has just passed word that Flogging (corporate posting) under an alias is illegal. There are two categories that they are focusing on; misleading practices and aggressive practices, says Travelmole.
While this legislation is put into place to add validity to UGC online review sites ala Trip Advisor, it will be difficult and costly to enforce. It seems to me that this is another unenforceable law put into place to provide businesses with guidance for conducting business.
This article was picked up by Stephen Joyce and Joe Buhler who both feel that this legislation runs contrary to the “wisdom of the crowds”. They feel that the masses are able to sift through the ‘Flog’ reviews, and due to the number of reviews, get an honest opinion of a Hotel/Destination/Tour.
I am torn, as I mentioned in my recent article on authentic reviews on Trip Advisor, I think there should be accountability for those that submit content on a social review network. Should we not at least ask that guests can prove that they stayed at a location before they can submit a review?
This does have the greatest effect on properties with only a few reviews, but as more value is given to UGC, I can see corporations devising ways to cheat the system for their own purposes, and unenforceable laws won’t prevent this. How far fetched is it for a company to pay 100 people in India to write various reviews on a property for next to nothing, this would provide huge brand benefit.
What do you think? Do we need to legislate and add verification systems, or is the “wisdom of the crowds” sufficient for long term growth of user generated reviews?
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Written by 
Phil · Filed Under Misc, Rants and Reviews
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