ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: The Dark Side of Social Media

Another inexpensive solution is “the good, the bad and the ugly” review space available on PowerReviews Express , which offers users a turnkey Web site review system for $35/month. Like BazaarVoice, PowerReviews Express allows customers to post both positive and negative reviews. A key system feature is its Product Reviews Summary; for each product or service, potential customers can quickly glean the average customer rating for a product or service, its pros and cons as identified by all reviewers, and the product or service’s best uses. The summary also allows reviewers to describe themselves, so the reader can decide if a specific reviewer is “like me” and should be taken seriously.

You can see PowerReviews Express in action on eBay’s ProStores.  “Over and over again, we hear from small businesses that online customer reviews not only help them attract and convert customers but also compete against larger, more well-known players, as customer reviews immediately establish credibility and trust,” says Andy Chen, PowerReviews’ CEO.

The bottom line: No doubt, the perils of the Wild Wild Web appear to be an inherent part of its nature. But thankfully, there are already a number of tools food service businesses can use to help domesticate the beast-at least in their corner of cyberspace.

Dysart is an Internet speaker and business consultant based in New York City. Reach him at joe@joedysart.com or (646) 233-4089.