According to Wikipedia, a reputation system computes and publishes reputation scores for a set of objects (e.g. service providers, services, goods, or entities) within a community or domain, based on a collection of opinions that other entities hold about the objects. The opinions are typically passed as ratings to a reputation center which uses a specific reputation algorithm to dynamically compute the reputation scores based on the received ratings.

Go out onto the web and compare three product reputation (review) sites (or merchant review sites, e.g., Yelp, TripAdvisor) for a BUSINESS organization ( as a specific merchant or local business you choose (e.g., a restaurant, hair salon, spa, etc.). Name the specific business or merchant with a web address. Note that the reviews should be about the business organization or the merchant, NOT a product. To find a list of product reputation (review) sites (or merchant review sites),

1. What are the revenue sources of these product review sites (or merchant review sites)? Is there any additional revenue source you would suggest? Discuss these in relation to the local business you selected. Be specific.

2. What features would entice you to visit such sites over and over, and why? What additional features would you suggest? Discuss these in relation to the local business you selected. Be specific.

3. Do you trust the reviews listed on these sites? Why? Why not? Discuss these in relation to the local business you selected.

4. Which product review sites (or merchant review sites) would you choose to use, and why? Discuss these in relation to the local business you selected. Be specific.

5. Will the product review (or merchant review) information increase the sales of the merchants (e.g., restaurants, hair salons, etc.)? Why? Why not? Discuss these in relation to the local business you selected. Be specific.

6. If you are the business owner of the local business, is there a specific/innovative way you can utilize the review? Be specific in your answer. Discuss these in relation to the local business you selected. Be specific.

7. What types of information would be more valuable to you as a customer (e.g., scores, comments, or any others about reviewers), and why? Discuss these in relation to the local business you selected. Be specific.

8. The number of reviewers may affect your trust in the scores or comments. How many reviewers are enough for you to trust the reviews for each store/event/service/product, and why? What else will help you trust the reviews? Discuss these in relation to the local business you selected. Be specific.

9. Online review sites try to identify fake reviewers in order to enhance the credibility of reviews. Search for any recent articles about incidents of fake reviews and review sites' efforts. What are the motivations for fake reviews and what method(s) have been used to detect fake reviews? Are the detection method(s) effective? Why or why not? Need to state the source of the article with the title.