Craig Newmark of Craiglist rarely goes über-public — sure, he’s been known to speak up on behalf of his company, but he (like his chosen user interface) is fairly no-frills. So I found this WSJ article kind of interesting, in light of the recent decision to close the erotic services category.
Craig states that participating in social media and reviewing sites is an act of patriotism and compassion to other consumers. I tend to agree — I’m one of the most review-happy people I know, possibly because I’m overly critical, but I like to think of it as simply having high standards.
Especially when something is very pricey or when there is a lot at stake, I’m known to be VERY vocal about it later on. Usually just a so-so experience warrants no comment, but if I have an experience that’s either extremely positive or extremely negative, you can bet I’ll be mentioning it on Google Reviews, Citysearch, Judy’s Book, Yelp… you name it.
I’m glad to see Craig encouraging consumers to get involved, especially when it comes to dating-related sites. I like to think of myself as one of the few positive reviews out there, since I don’t think many people are convinced by the models and actors in eHarmony commercials and Yahoo banner ads. Here’s hoping that we can start to balance out the often overwhelming negativity surrounding online dating!
