User Reviews: How to Use Them, And How Not To [Video]

Before the rise of Internet shopping, the only reviews you’d encounter at the point of sale were testimonials selected by the manufacturer or retailer. Real reviews were the domain of specialty publications, written by professionals who were paid to put devices through their paces and report the results.

But behold the transformative power of the Internet: These days, online reviews have evolved to take advantage of the medium’s strengths, and they’ve expanded to fill the extra space. Retailers like Amazon love user reviews, and have made them an integral part of the sales cycle: “Do your research right here, on this page, before you buy!” they seem to say, passing off user reviews as a complete replacement for professional reviews.

Bloggers, fans, and enthusiasts by the millions now share their feelings about all sorts of tech products–on their own sites or as free content for other sites. And marketers, faced with the …