No, I don't. I also don't trust recommendations/suggestions from people if they give me an affiliate link, it doesn't feel genuine.
Ask HN: Do you trust reviews with affiliate links?
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Re: Ask HN: Do you trust reviews with affiliate links?
#12I don't trust reviews anyway. I look for mentions of features I might be interested in or aspects that would bother me, but I put zero weight on any "opinion" about something. That said, affiliate links make a site look really sleazy, it's essentially the lowest form of business model so it signals that the author is less likely to be someone who has put a good package of information together. How do other people use…
> How do other people use (product) reviews? Are you putting value on the reviewer's opinion?
With the exception of Consumer Reports, I ignore all reviews that appear in commercial publications, review websites, etc.
I do put value on a review coming from Joe Random's hobbyist website, assuming that they aren't using affiliate links, weren't given the thing they're reviewing for free, and weren't otherwise compensated.
But I put the greatest value on people that I personally know telling me about their experience with the thing, followed by people I may not personally know, but that I've been paying attention to for long enough that I have an idea of what their tastes are.
It's very hard to know how to interpret a review (about a product, yes, but also about things like books, movies, music, etc.) without knowing a fair bit about the reviewer. Different people value different things, and a review has the most value to me when it comes from someone who values similar things to me.
Re: Ask HN: Do you trust reviews with affiliate links?
#13I have two criteria:
1. Reviews by that author/site are exhaustive, not one-paragraph reheated press releases.
2. Reviews by that author/site are sometimes negative. A site that has all positive reviews is just a marketing brochure.
I am also more forgiving of affiliate links when it's a random nobody/blogger/Youtuber who is making money solely from affiliate links. What's slimy is when big magazine brands double dip on affiliate links and display ads -- e.g., "Hey, REI: we'll push all our affiliate links to REI.com if you buy X number of ads on our website."
Re: Ask HN: Do you trust reviews with affiliate links?
#14Catch-22 No affiliate links means they're paid to review. Affiliate links means they get paid for people visiting. Basically someone gotta get paid to put in the work. It is increasingly bad as a practice to review things negatively. So generally incentives work towards good reviews. One sign though that a review is very biased... If they give you a discount code. They are not reviewers, they are salesmen.
> No affiliate links means they're paid to review. I don't think this is a good rule of thumb. There are lots of people reviewing things without getting paid to review. And affiliate links are a variation of getting paid to review. They make money if you buy what they're reviewing, after all, so are incentivized to encourage you to buy.
meh. you need views. and often the things to review are expensive. so often people don't review negatively because then it prevents a future deal with that company.
ultimately. people need to get paid.
i view groups who tend to have great respect in the community and generally own up to their mistakes as worthy voices. when you don't know someone and need to judge who they are, i find that admission of mistakes to be the biggest indicator of trust, vs those who effectively downplay or claim they don't make them.
Re: Ask HN: Do you trust reviews with affiliate links?
#15Catch-22 No affiliate links means they're paid to review. Affiliate links means they get paid for people visiting. Basically someone gotta get paid to put in the work. It is increasingly bad as a practice to review things negatively. So generally incentives work towards good reviews. One sign though that a review is very biased... If they give you a discount code. They are not reviewers, they are salesmen.
How would you view a reviewer who monetized with ads rather than affiliates? Do you see that as a distinction?
ads tend to be a minority of income. its extra cash, for sure, but not a major source.
Re: Ask HN: Do you trust reviews with affiliate links?
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