Can you trust testimonials posted in WSOs?

You need to report that PM (if it was a PM) as that is really not cool.

And no, that is not the "norm" but I'm not surprised to see it.

I go by testimonials of others here on the forum that I recognize or can see a history on.

A lot of the WarRoom members seem to blindly support each other. Just try to read between the lines before buying anything. Im sure some still have value.

That is not a norm? I have seen it over and over, while i just joined the forum to post.. ive been lurking for years

get used to it

I've never seen it before, it's too bad that people try to take that route. All you can do is report them. I trust testimonials from warriors I know and trust, and usually if they have a higher post count and joined more than a year ago I'll trust them at first. Whenever someone gives a good review for a terrible product I remember the warriors who recommended it and don't trust their opinion in the future.

A lot of WSO's have legitimate testimonials in the thread.

But with time, you will start to recognize the fakes. There are a few people who give good reviews for every POS that comes down the pike. And if the vendor is offering review copies in the thread in a way that seems desperate, many of the reviews will be questionable.

The most reliable test is the credibility of the person giving the review. Some people strive to demonstrate incredible integrity when they review of product. As you learn who those people are, you will be able to discern the good reviews much more easily.

Yep, I don't think that is the norm either; however, I do take testimonials with a pinch of salt, whether they be on a WSO thread or else where. You do need to try and take not of the integrity of the person posting the review. Yes, you do see the old "Hi I just bought this product Transaction ID 89o89898hh or whatever, but they often might be genuine.

Please report anything else, especially if it was a PM so that there is proof.

I sometimes look at the best testimonial and ask the OP who made how was his experience with the product. It pays to do little extra research and I also check out the vendors past post to see whats up.

Well done for raising this as an issue. I've seen quite a few reviews following that format!

I will say yes not because i promote here but because my promotion here opened my eyes to the reality. I use to think testimonial on WSO are all fake but that was a mistake.

There is no way some one can have lots of people say positive thing about there service.

Most of the testimonials often come from WF members here, on the testimonial you will have a ">" sign that will actually lead you to the person who commented on the thread.

Try to see the reputation of the member's that participated, if it's high then that is one good sign.

Authentic reviews do not come at a time, the reviews should be spread through months, that way you will have a good judgement of what is been offered because good product does not sleep.

The problem with WSOs is I don't think any product should be reviewed for free. Its like handing someone a free pizza and asking them "how did you like it?"

They are 20xs more likely to say "it was good" just because you gave it to them for free. Now if you record that testimonial to show to paying customers, thats pretty manipulative if you ask me. Its only obvious that a person will be more critical when paying for something.

Thats why when I read for testimonials I make sure of 3 things.

1) The testimonial is coming from a paying customer.
2) The testimonial is coming from an older account.
3) There are lots of testimonials in the thread and most of them are all good.

When those 3 factors are present you can usually feel a lot more confident about buying a wso.

-Red

You shouldn't make a buying decision on testimonials alone but when there are pages and pages of them from long-standing Warriors then it stands to reason the product is good.

Also, that is also where you want to take advantage of any guarantee period offered to dive in and judge for yourself...

Testimonials are marketing tactic that can be abused. I once purchased seo services from one guy only because he had unusually big number of glorious testimonials on his wso sales page. I mean really huge number of testimonials.

I was shocked when his wife emailed me and, among other things, offered additional free backlinks if I give them my testimonial. I then understod the mystery behind the loooooong list of testimonials on his wso sales page - they were most probably offering additional backlinks to everybody behind the scenes in exchange for positive testimonial.

I reported that case to admins, but I never got any response from them.

By the way, if you want a few useful tips on how to approach wsos as a buyer you can read it here.


.

I only write positive testimonials if I believe in the product. If I don't, I will pm the writer and give them my negative feedback privately because it will only help them improve. I won't write a public negative testimonial because that benefits nobody.

The problem I see with lots of testimonials is that many (maybe most??) of them are posted before the buyer ever uses the product. You tend to see lots of "Haven't implemented yet, but WSO looks great and the seller is a swell guy!" type "testimonials".

There are shady people in all aspects of business... rules of thumb (just a couple)

1. Make sure the offer "makes sense"

2. If it sounds too good to be true...

3. Sit it out, unless there will only be 5 copies of this "magic bullet" sold and you just HAVE to have it, wait it out for a few days and let others who just can't say no buy it and review it. If it's junk people will start calling the seller out on it.

4. Know who you can trust (easier said than done sometimes). There are people on here that I feel that I can trust by how they carry themselves on and off the forum. A few that I've done business with have really earned my trust (they worked to earn it and I respect them for that).

5. Don't judge reputation solely by post count... EVER

There are usually some telltales signs if the reviews are fake.

Here are some ways to pick apart reviews/positive comments:

Look for patterns
Do the comments look like they were written by the same person
Do they all mention the same element of the product or are they all being vague and broad?
Do none of the reviews focus on the core of the product?

Look up the past posts of the persons doing the reviews, do you see a pattern?

I always trust reviews more that say something negative about the product, even if the overall review is very positive. Nothing is 100% awesome...a little balance helps.

Rule number 1 in IM:

Trust NO one

Rule 2. See rule 1

As long as I know, many WS* seller have their own big forum/chatting group. They usually make an agreement to others before lauch their product. This agreement may includes a decision to give comment/post on that WS* seller's thread. They hope that it can improve their sales.
It also has an idea to make several WF dummy account, so when the seller build a WS* thread, they make a post by their dummy accounts.
But, not all of the WF sellers like that. I think the honest seller number is larger than the "liar" seller. This forum still become a one of trusted forum for IMers.



Disclaimer : I only guess, not judge

While anyone would love to have lot's of positive feedback & reviews, shouldn't the more pressing matter be that of actually providing a product that has real value? I'm pretty new to the whole WSO thing having only sold one of my own so far and I wouldn't have dreamed of going and getting a bunch of false reviews. Seems to me that's just a recipe for disaster since you'll likely end up with lot's of returns anyway once people realize the product isn't all that! Too bad there are people out there using such tactics though.

Nope I no longer trust WSO testimonials, seen too many bad products getting great reviews :-(

A lot of people are in a big circle jerks on here so they all help each other out with testimonials.

You should definitely report that person.

Reviews are definitely not the only thing you should look at when considering a purchase. After a number of purchases you start to get better at separating the wheat from the chaff.

trust the reviews in the marketing forum...for they i have found are totally legit but dont go for any of the testimonials in the wso area...they are all so fake...

It's sad people are doing this as now I just totally ignore ALL testimonials whether their real or not.

James Scholes

If you read the testimonials, you will find that most of them leave great reviews by just reading it. It is rare to find a testimonial from people who actually implemented the tactic and had success with it.

Some feedbacks are legit and some are not. That's just how it works

I have joined for more than a year, learnt my lessons about 'false' testimonials. But there are good stuff too.

We have to be careful

I have looked at so many offers that usually I can get a feel for the WSO or offer by looking at the big picture, read every post, every detail and form my opinion based on the whole thread not on any individual post or testimonial.

How many people here actually read EVERYTHING?

Most of the posts on WSOs are people asking questions that have already been answered, had they read the thread.

The problem with positive reviews, is that a lot of people DON'T actually put the WSO into practice.

I've negatively reviewed at least 10 WSOs that have stellar content, simply because I put them into practice and they DON'T WORK.

So, no, don't trust positive reviews.

Find someone who you trust, in the Internet Marketing field, and listen to their reviews and promotions.

Jovana
Wait30days

Don't judge all the WSO's through only that user. I think Warrior Forum authority should take action against these fake reviews. I got some WSO where a lot of persons are commenting on the thread who have posts less than 5, I believe some persons are making fake reviews from fake accounts. These should be strictly prohibited.

While some testimonials are definitely "fishy", you can't go wrong with WSOs that have tens of testimonials posted in the thread.

In time, you also get some experience in seeing which ones are good, which users you trust to review, etc. Just use your common sense

The user who posts the WSO, his post count and thanks count is more important for me. Then I trust the testimonials too which is an icing on the cake.

Some user with just 100 post count and no proper avatar is not very appealing to me.

However if the offer is irresistible then I am gonna buy it.

A better question to ask is, "Why would you trust testimonials from people you don't know well?"

You can't possibly gauge the accuracy of a testimonial without being able to put it into the proper context, which means understanding the perspective of the person making it.

For example, my buddy recommends a movie he saw, raving about it. Since he and I both share similar tastes in movies, I'll probably go see it. Conversely, when I mention to my sister we're going to see it, she tells me she saw it and it sucked. But, since my sister and I disagree about a lot of things, I'll ignore her opinion about it.

When it comes to testimonials, my rule of thumb is to ignore them entirely. The only exception to this is when I see one from someone I know and trust - then I'll ask him or her directly for more information.

You should NEVER base your buying decision on testimonials from people you don't know.

I never read the testimonials anyway. 9 out of 10 times, they talk about how well written and laid out the report (or whatever) was. That doesn't turn me on to buying anything. Not that I buy warrior special offers anymore. I stopped a while back.

99% of all WSO testimonials go like this:

Just bought this. Looks FANTASTIC!!! Can't believe the value here. I have never actually put this into practice, and no doubt never will, but BUY THIS WSO BEFORE THE PRICE GOES UP! It's the best frigging thing I've seen on the net since 9:30 this morning!

Some random active WSOs and their problems in my opinion (I have not reviewed all the threads in detail):

1. A Proven 12 Step System That Spits out $800-$1000/month Cash Sucking Affiliate Blogs on AutoPilot!

Problem/Suggestion: Too much sensationalism.

2. [INSANE] Newbie Turn Key AUTOMATED System That Is Banking $1500 A Day. NO JOKE. Proof Inside!
Problem/Suggestion: Has any buyer been able to make the claimed amount or even a fraction of it?

3. [350+ SOLD] Got 30 Minutes a Day & a Small List? You Can Be Making $3,000.00 Per Month GUARANTEED!

Problem/Suggestion: Is the income guaranteed or just a big "CAN"?

4. Google Rank #2 in 38 Minutes FLAT!

Problem/Suggestion: The ranking is not of the target site but of the press release site. As far as I understand, you want own site in Google #1.

5. (Coaching) 90 Days to $1k a Day - Impossible to Fail or I pay You!

Problem/Suggestion: If you are going to pay me when I fail, why not charge me when I succeed? It makes more sense to me as a buyer. If your system can make $1,000, why charge just $10, $25 or $95? I want to pay you $1000 when I make hit $1K a day using your system.

I actually tried the last suggestion once when I asked one WSO creator to teach me the method and help me make a fraction of what he was claiming. After a couple of Skype mentoring sessions, he stopped mentoring. I was never able to find if his system actually worked

Maybe, some new rules can be introduced to make the WSO section more "special". Some suggestions:

* All testimonials should be from WF members with XX posts and/or YY days old.
* No "great read/resource" testimonials for systems that teach money making methods.
* Such testimonials should be from buyers who actually put the system to use.


These are just my observations and suggestions. I might be wrong. More experienced warriors would be able to provide correct analysis.

Thanks,
Pritam

*Grabs popcorn, but not the popcorn .gif*

I usually ignore the first 2 pages of reviews for WSOs - when you get to the 3rd or 4th page is when the reviews start to "keep it real" and you get the real deal Holyfield on how good or bad the WSO is.

I personally never even read testimonials, either on WSO or elsewhere, because I *know* how often they get abused.

I will never trust testimonials again. I searched Fiverr the other day and found actors selling their services to create fake testimonials.

I take any and all testimonials with a grain of salt. From people I trust, probably two grains. Ultimately, it's my responsibility to do the research to learn about the person or company selling the WSO and if there are any red flags, I simply don't buy it.

Testimonials are way too easy to obtain and most people are afraid to give objective testimonials and negative testimonials never get posted. So by their very nature, they're not reliable. But in terms of conversions, they work, but that's for a different thread entirely.

RoD

I've given 1 review for a WSO and it did provide some decent value, a lot of video tutorials which I thought was nice. So I gave a good testimonial for it. But I agree with ya, there is a lot of fake testimonials out there and marketers team up with each other no matter how crappy their product is.

The truth is that the vast majority of wso's that include testimonials are in direct violation of the current FTC guidelines. Here is a snippet straight from those guidelines.

Essentially, every testimonial that is displayed that comes from a person who received a free copy, a discount, or has an affiliate relationship with the product must have a disclosure attached to each review stating that relationship.

The ftc is trying to create transparency so that consumers are aware of any alternative motives and conflicts of interest that may accompany any particular testimonial.

Why folks are allowed to get away with not following the law is beyond me, but that only lasts for so long. Eventually the laws of the land catch up to people.

I've never received a request like that, but I've received requests to check out their product and provide a review. Nothing wrong in that. Many testimonials in WSOs are legit, particularly when you see a popular WSO and you read past the first page, they tend to get real and not the result of receiving a review copy.

I make it a point to not buy from anyone that includes a testimonial in their copy.

I don't care If 10 million people like the product, all I need to know is what am I getting & how much.

The problem with WSOs is you don't see any NEGATIVE reviews.

1. The WF doesn't allow someone to post a negative review, you run the risk of having you account banned.

I can see why they don't allow the negative comments, the site would just end up a big b*tch session and no one would want to visit.

It follows along the line of a 10:1 ratio, in that a negative comment will create 10 times more noise that the positive comments, they just want to tell everyone, its human nature.

But it doesn't provide a balanced view of the product, a few negative reviews are normal. Take Fiverr gigs for an example, if the gig provider has less than 5-10% negative reviews its fine with me, especially when they have 100 comments.
Most of them are 'didn't deliver on time' as they probably ordered over the weekend.

You learn just as much from the negative review (maybe more) than the positive, the Fiverr gig example above may not be delivered on time.

2. The reviews are from people who purchased the WSO a few minutes earlier and haven't put the course to the test and implemented anything, they reply with 'looks great'.

3. A cheap $37 course is not cheap when you take 2 weeks to put it into place and it lacks to produce the results, add up 2 weeks salary + the $37 and that's the real cost. Choose carefully and stay on your niche/product until its finished, don't start something off your niche because its cheap.

Yukon - just made a great point.
I won't buy a software product unless they provide a video demo of it in use.

I just read this after I posted, I'm certain that I read in the Terms of Service (ToS) that no negative comments can be posted. Happy Days....Got to go, I have a bone to pick with someone


Brett

I got a review copy of a graphics pack recently on the condition I post a review if I like what I saw (and got).

It was great. Really good graphics and heaps of it. So I posted a review saying that.

My post was honest and positively in favour of the product. Even if I had of paid for it, my opinion would have been the same.

However, I do get the feeling that some wso's have a cheerleading squad that fill the first page with "awesome product, thanks man, you continue to overdeliver" etc.

Not all, but some.

This is something that happens on every market. It is not unusual. Someone should not take a buying desision based only on reviews, unless there is a lot on that specific product or person. And you should put a stop on this matter by just pm that person.

Just take the reviews with the grain of a salt. You must always read what other warriors are saying but always use your common sense.

As said by other warriors there are many more aspects you should consider other than testimonials.

When you see a product that you like to purchase simply ignore the testimonials and simply read the sales page and notice any money back guarantees.

The testimonials are almost insignificant, they are just a tool to sweaten the deal, the art of selling was never focused on testimonials, it was always about giving the market what the market wants.

Frankly, I don't trust basically any testimonials online UNLESS they come from very reputable source that I trust. And even in that case I always look for affiliation between the seller and the person giving the testimonial.

Many people just give testimonials to their friends because they want to help them, not because they would have actually paid of the product/service and used it.

Concerning the FTC.. why not prohibit testimonials in the WSO sales copy? That is to say testimonials or reviews posted in the thread by customers are not prohibited.

Also, a seller could always post a link to testimonials and reviews on the seller's own domain. Then the seller is responsible to the FTC and not the Warrior Forum?

Jeffery 100% :-)

Easy to find out, which you should - contact the person who left the testimonial, if its a higher price product contact them all, look at their histories, check and check again.

It's also worth a mention that we check our motives before buying a WSO.

i.e will it add value to my business or is it a shot in the dark?

how old is the WSO? Is it still relevant?

Check out the seller, you can look at every thread and post they have ever been involved in.

If you run a business you make strategic moves to benefit the business. If you have no business then I wouldn't buy a WSO at all but look into a genuine coaching program etc.

It really depends on the situation. If I see a testimonial from a new member with 3 posts I will brush it off, but if I see one from a reputable member it will have an impact.

I don't count, and ignore, most testomonials. Unless its from someone with a buck ton of rep

It all boils down to what we call social proofing, and even marketing experts can fall for it.

No, I don't trust reviews of others when I have a chance to think of it.
Yes, it affects me in a manner when I see positive or negative reviews (even if they are rebuked)
and Yes, if a true acquaintance of mine recommends something, I'm much more inclined to buy.

So, if you think a product shouldn't be bought, do post a negative review, even if it gets an answer. Only do so if you have a concrete reason, not out of spite.

Do post a positive review, but when I consider that we're in a business that is all about marketing, don't be surprised if hype about something isn't real. That's just business, you do it everyday - get people to buy things they wouldn't necessarily buy without you.

I don't even read testimonials any more. They are universally the result of bribes, in some way, shape, or form.

Forums are the only way to find legitimate reviews, and even then you have to be careful.


Posted from Warriorforum.com App for Android

Fake testimonials will never go away...testimonials are a form of proof that the program works, that is what they are supposed to do...if a claim in a testimonial seems too good to be true, or answers an objection you may have about a program, chances are it is fake... one claim was that a person made $50,000 in 2 weeks and another $150,000 in 6 months...hm...anyway...this dosnt apply for all.. some are offering a copy of their product in return for a testimonial.. i'll go for the WSO's with a high number of testimonials.. they can't fake them all..

I honestly can't remember the last time I saw a poor review in a WSO thread. Granted I don't go in there much anymore (and this is one of the reasons why).

And the wso section will continue down the slippery slope until regulation is forced upon WF by the only guys who really have any say about this stuff... The federal regulators.

Based on numbers I know, The WSO section is somewhere around a 15-25 million dollar a year marketplace. That is plenty big enough to attract the attention of those who will have the final say in all this.

I truly hope you are right in your way of thinking Paul. But my experience in dealing directly with the FTC tells me the WF and wso section are in for serious trouble at some point unless major changes are made.

You don't have to like what I am saying but trying to make my words sound like a personal attack on you and others does not really change things. If you read the thread you are the one who is making far more personal attacks towards me than the other way around. I am a big boy though. I don't mind one bit.

You made this into a personal thing when you took it from my position of "many testimonials in wso's violate the ftc guidelines" to a discussion more about who's responsibility it is to enforce such things. If you read back my 1st post in the open forum on this thread never claimed WF was responsible for policing this stuff. That came later after you took it there.

lets discuss one problem at a time. If you are willing when you return, lets talk about just the FTC rules. Do wso testimonials violate those rules? forget who should be policing it for a bit. Lets only talk about whether the violations are rare or prevalent.

In my opinion WF is not overly interested in policing these things because they have not really taken a hard look at what the law really requires from merchants regarding disclosures, income claims, and other stuff. It is just my opinion that if a really hard look was taken at all the stuff that is required, you would realize there are many more violations than you think. Some of them a bit petty for sure, but FTC violations none the less. Thats where you get into more of a culture of how things are run. The FTC absolutely looks at that stuff.

Whether or not WF should be held responsible for this stuff legally or morally is a whole other topic from "if violations are prevalent".

You simply CAN'T trust the testimonials provided in the WSO sales copy. Affiliates promote these offers and provide GLOWING reviews so people will buy what they're promoting.

A recent WSO for a mobile site builder was FULL of testimonials from "real users" lol, only to see in the comments that the majority of people weren't buying a finished product but a newly released beta version of the software... even tho 50 marketers had already explained how they USED the software in their business.

The truth isn't in the sales copy testimonials, it's down below from the people who aren't making a buck off recommending it.

Fake testimonials, fake reviews, fake income claims, fake Likes, fake credentials... unfortunately, I am not describing WSO, but what appears to be present state of marketing done by many marketers. But then again, there's also real testimonials, real reviews, real Likes.... and that too describes present state of marketing as done by many marketers.
There always will be scams and shady marketing. But I think there will always be an honest marketing as well. The bottom line is, you have to be careful and do your homework.

it depends. dont judge the product from testimonials as majority of them are fake just to promote the product but you cant say the product is not good. obviously some one is doing business and is surely providing some thing beneficial.

That is why I have slowed down on buying Wso's most are rehashed garbage with fake reviews.
You see one with 20 reviews and everyone is just registered with 10 posts are been here from 10 years ago with 50 posts.
There is various groups here that run around posting reviews on there groups wsos its a money game.

I personally believe David Keith's observations on the WSO violating some FTC guidelines are truly worth considering, and if I was the WF owner I would immediately look carefully into the matter before the suits knock on my door.

Its a shame that this kind of thing is happening but there seem to be a lot of underhand tactics used by many on this forum. Me personally I do get asked by friends to post on their thread but they have let me see the product well before launch and to bre frank if it is not up to scratch then there is no way I am going to tell people it a great product.
If you take the time to comment on the thread of a product you have purchased and liked the better chance there is of this being reciprocated whaen you launch something yourself.

Best rule of thumb is dont put your name near any crap.

This is informative. Who is David Keith?

Guys, let me be clear on somethings.

1. how much real legal liability the WF itself has regarding any and all violations is very/somewhat debatable. And truthfully, no one's opinion on those things will matter except the FTC if it were to ever come to that. My experiences tell me that the WF would have some/ a lot of liability, but again that is not a fact, that is my educated opinion. From my experience, how prevalent violations are would play a major part in how liable the WF is ultimately charged with.

2. I would think its in the best interest of all involved (except those in violation) for some smart warriors to have a very close look at the real FTC guidlines regarding some of the stuff that possibly affects the wso forum. Like I mention in point 1. A few violations are not going to drag this place down. But in my opinion I see a lot of violations of laws that are not debatable. Black and white violations are not good for anyone (except scammers). Maybe we could try to have a discussion about just the rules, not who is responsible for enforcing them. I think we would find a lot more violations than some would like to think, but I wouldn't mind eating a little crow so to speak if things are not as bad as my experience tells me they are.

3. I fully understand change is not fun nor easy, but its a hell of a lot easier to change without the help of some FTC guys breathing down our neck. Trust me, I have dealt with companies and FTC guys. No one wants that and neither side of this little debate will WIN in an argument with the FTC. They make the rules, change rules, enforce the rules...its their game. We had better play by whatever rules they give us or this game won't be much fun.

4. I am damn sure not a WF hater. Most know I am one to give solid no nonsense advice on a pretty wide range of marketing and business stuff. This just happens to be one of the most controversial topics i get involved with because it hits so close to many peoples wallet. That is a soft spot for most of us including the WF itself.

5. this is not personal to anyone on either side of this debate for me. Me and paul may have a few words but we are both Men and we are more than capable of dealing with these things like men. Please don't take it personal if I debate anyone's understanding of this sort of stuff. Who knows, we both just might learn something. I surely don't mind having my understanding of things challenged.

there is quite a bit of fraud as far as reviews go look thru the wso's for certain posters and you can pick most of them out.

And far as TPW no reason to forgive me for anything you have been around awhile it seems to and know whats what.

The admins should start reviewing the actual products before they approve them. That would weed out alot of the low quality wso's

That's just a few worm that ruin the meals.

Wow, this is like watching a game at Wimbledon -- my neck hurts.

Ok, so here is a simple fix for one of these problems.

I do agree that more disclosure is needed. We have all seen those WSO's being launched over and over where the first half of the page is just reviews from the same old guys who post right after the WSO has launched... and they all do it to one another's WSO as soon as they are launched. That little 'boys club' know exactly who they are so there's no need to point any fingers. But it is clear as day and I'm sure we have all noticed it.

This is something that would need to be manually coded and implemented into the forum but I do think they would have the funds and resources to get this done very quickly.

When anyone goes to add a post in the WSO section from now on, there is an extra and REQUIRED drop down box that asks you to select your Affiliation/Connection to the product on which you are commenting.

The options would be something like this:

- Vendor
- Affiliate
- Paid Customer
- Free Customer
- Pre-Sale Customer

Everyone has to select ONE of those options before their post will submit. That field then displays at the bottom of every post in the WSO section so we all can see the connection that person has to the seller.

But here's the catch. Obviously some people who are affiliates could then go and buy the product and argue they are a paid customer instead. No, not here you don't. The hierarchy remains as I have listed above and you must select the upper-most affiliation you have to the product. So if you are a paid customer and then turn around and decide to promote that product, you need to select 'Affiliate' as your connection status.

Now obviously there is room for people to do things such as post a review as a paid customer and then choose to promote the product later, at which stage they should come back and edit their posts to reflect they are now an affiliate. The great thing about this is that even if people do try to milk the system, they would get caught out by people very quickly. If I was told about a product and I went to the thread and saw that person had written a review as a paid customer then I would report them immediately and I know others would to.

It also puts the responsibility back on to the person posting. If they want to try and milk the system and post as a paid customer when in fact they are an affiliate, they are the ones who are in direct violation of the law and that's their own problem if someone decides to report them to the FTC. So those who choose to cheat the system are really only cheating themselves.

To make this even better it should be made that any posts WSO vendors want to use in their sales copy as reviews or testimonials, they can ONLY do so by quoting the post with that 'Affiliation Disclosure" field intact.

Am I trying to overcomplicate the problem?

Is this something you guys think would/could actually work?

As like most others I am all for making this a better and fairer community.

Edit: I know I have done WSO's in the past where I have offered discounted paid review copies for sale and if we think banning that practice would help things as well, I am more than willing to comply with that. Whatever helps the forum prosper and grow even more so.

@will

I think for the most part your suggestion seems to make a good deal of sense. There will always be ways to "game" the system. But this does sound like a very workable solution that at the very least begins to add more transparency to things. Essentially force people who post in a wso thread to qualify their post. I like it.

If nothing else it would be a reminder to people that they need to disclose their relationship or lack there of to the product. Making people make a conscious decision to be deceptive will do nothing but help the cause.

What about Matts seo service where he is allowed to use old testimonials on a product or service that no longer resembles old service?

Last name not used to protect innocent.

Thousands of posts don't make you senior or trustworthy, thats just the automated title you get when you hit a certain number of posts, don't be fooled.


The 13th Warrior

Hi,
Its not like that. Think about you. You're disclosing the message & you're not doing it. Other warriors do the same. Its doesn't work like that. Anyway, Report the PM.

Sadly, people like this are really beginning
to give the whole IM niche a worse name.

I always say I would trust a warrior I either know, or has
plenty of posts as this is a person who has been around a
while, and can normally be trusted.

As for this person, report him, as we certainly
don't need this.

Paul.

I can’t believe that anybody would even pay attention to testimonials in IM, especially knowing how it works.

1) IMer emails someone offering a review copy.
2) Person emails back saying they will accept, but they will be brutally honest.
3) 99% of the time, the review comes back glowing because the “customer” isn’t really treating the review as a customer would. In other words, they didn’t spend any money to buy it. I don’t know about you, but I’m a little more forgiving about the flaws when it’s free.
4) On the off chance that the person trashes the product. You think that the product creator will ever let that review see the light of day? Or that the reviewer will post in the WSO thread with their “honest” review?

WF is much more than just an ad space seller. They are routinely interjecting themselves in the sales process, customer support, and forum ad moderation which is unlike any other adverting venue people like to compare them to.

Imagine a newspaper moderating customer complaints/concern about an advertiser. That is what is happening here.

In fact, WF itself says I can't give an opinion on any product unless I purchase it. What other advertising networks do that?

As far as Will's idea. I have a few thoughts.

1. This is as much about protecting WF as it is customers. Much like the "are you 17" splash pages in the adult industry. That simple step changes the legal responsibility by miles. Those splash pages mean that a person had to break the law and lie about their age to view adult material. You have a similar thing here. Forcing people to disclosure their relationship puts the onus on them to tell the truth. At that point WF can say "we tried and they lied to us" Thats a much much better legal position to be in.

2. The truth is we have a lot of honest merchants who just don't know the laws and are not even aware they are in violation of these things. This is not just about "cleaning up" the wso's. It is about making sure honest merchants and affiliates are not making mistakes that get them and others into hot water with the FTC. It goes back to the old thing of ignorance of the law not being a defense. We have a lot of newish business owners selling in the wso marketplace that simply don't have the understanding of all the legal implications. A compulsory system would help them be compliant.

3. Will people fake it? Yep. 17 year olds get fake id's everyday in the USA to buy cigarets and beer, but we still think ID's are a good thing for society. Most are not faked. People are going to fake being a customer more than any other one so just require a transaction id. If you don't provide that then you don't get to leave a testimonial as a customer.

Yes, that can be faked, but warrior+ and jvzoo could setup a manual pass/fail check page to check for authentic transaction id's in well under an hour. The only concern is privacy, but this would just be a pass/fail test. no info released. WF could add 1 line saying that "transaction id's may be checked for authenticity" and that alleviates the privacy stuff. A person would have to give others the right to check the transaction id (pass/fail) or they don't get to post their review as a customer.

4. In my opinion lots of good steps are not taken because we know that some will be able to fake them and scam others. There really is no way to prevent 100% of that...not in this niche especially. But something like this would add a lot of transparency and make it just a little harder to game the systems. Not to mention it would be a good thing to do from a legal liability standpoint of all involved.