The Internet has now become an important medium for product and service advertisements. Almost every company that can afford print, radio and TV advertisements have also ventured into placing ads on the Internet….

Those that have an axe to grind, for whatever reason, want to exact some sort of revenge, and do this by posting a negative review, with low scores. Whether it’s unjustified or not, it take a lot of positive reviews to boost that “overall score” back up again, no matter if the review is unwarranted and a rebuttal is forthcoming. The only trouble is, most people who have had a good or great stay, are simply less inclined to tell the world about it. It’s unethical for resort and hotel managers to offer incentives to post positive reviews, so you have to rely on powers of positive persuasion, and the goodness of their hearts, to acquiesce.

Just one bad review, when there is only one review posted, can ensure that a hotel, condo complex, activity or attraction will come last out of all those listed. Conversely, one positive review, when there is only one posted, can ensure this is either 1st, or at the top. I’ll give a couple of examples.

In Winter Park, Colorado, Grand Adventures Snowmobiling operation were languishing 9th out of the 9 attractions for Winter Park, only on the basis of 1 negative review posted in January 2007. I have been snowmobiling with Grand Adventures for 17 years, as have thousands of other people, but only 1 review has been submitted, and a bad one at that. I contacted the Owner, and suggested he encourage his “happy” clients to post some reviews of their experiences. 3 positive reviews in January 2008 later, Grand Adventures is now in 2nd position. Who is in 1st position I hear you asking? Pole Creek Golf Club, on the strength of one review, which I wrote back in May 2007!