Why people use ratings. The Internet stores vast amounts of information making it possible for users to locate trading partners, products, services, and information. Ratings are provided to help users determine which partners, products and services are best. Ratings are provided free of charge (i.e., unlike subscriptions to Consumer Reports) and typically come with explanations. On-line consumers may simply be curious to see how others rated an object, need input for help with an immediate decision , or want to compare current beliefs to others' to confirm their own beliefs are reasonable. Sometimes users find reading the comments provided with ratings entertaining especially when pointing out negative features. 5, 7 Ratings are typically conspicuous by being placed near their rated objects. The us-ers' desire for help in decision making combined with this easy access promotes the use of ratings. Concerns with using ratings. Most users want to believe in the unselfish intentions of raters to help out in decision making. Many users want to believe rating scheme administrators will monitor and provide honest ratings. 3 In face-to-face environments, interacting parties develop trust based on cues of appearances, tone of voice and/ or body language. Parties also trust or distrust one another based on input from those who have interacted with the party in the past. These cues help one determine how much trust to place in others. However, the online environment does not offer the same cues making it more difficult for users to develop the appropriate level of trust. The online experience differs from the equivalent offline (face-to-face) experience as Internet users cannot depend on all five senses to make decisions. They must rely on limited representations such as graphics and text descriptions (i.e., the visual design). Web sites can mask deficiencies in the rated object or mislead users to believe that the ratings they provide are reliable through well designed web pages and features. Eighty-thrEE million AmEricAns have bought products online and three million have used the Internet to rate a person, product or service. 10 Yet users do not know the level of bias found in the ratings they use. On Web sites offering rating schemes almost anyone visiting the site can enter ratings. There is little protection from certain users inundating ratings with their own opinions to fulfill personal agendas. For example, book author(s) and their friends and family may rate their own books offered online …
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