Reviews in the Market - What do you think of people endorsing other apps?

[mallinj]

I am relatively new to Android so I don't know if this has been debated to death. I have seen quite a few apps reviewed in the Market where people (1) bash the app in a really negative way and (2) endorse a competing app.

IMO, this is bad for the Android community. I doubt many of the people here do this but, anyhow, on a soapbox for a minute... First, it's a little like spamming up someone else's web page. Also... it just irks me because I would equate it to the Pepsi distributor walking into the store and plastering Coke displays with Pepsi coupons. It isn't fair play if it's done by a competitor. Second, even if it's not done by a competitor, I don't think it serves any valuable purpose. We have other ways to get app recommendations, including AndroidForums.com, and to compare and contrast apps. Hell, create a posterous blog if you want to do comparison app reviews. Third, apps often go through many iterations before they're satisfactory to the developer. Maybe some app doesn't measure up to your favorite but the Market is a poor outlet for that opinion; it's just plain rude to the developer who probably invested a substantial amount of time and money into making the app.

I dunno.. I rarely get preachy but these negative + promote another app reviews bother me.

 

[Highland Ranger]

There is a spam button there - I'd imagine if it was a competing developer posting a negative review that would qualify.

An individual user comment is not really spam and might even be considered useful by some (like me) for whom it could shorten their search to find the appropriate product.

Bottom line is the text probably doesn't amount to much.

The number of stars an app has - 4 or 5 stars and thousands of reviews means its probably worth a whirl. I just read a few reviews to see if there might be a specific issue with my hardware.

 

[MisterMixelpix]

A bash review? Bad.

A review mentioning a competing app? Good.

Simply put, if a user is looking for an app to do task X, and they discover app A, it's a real benefit to them if in the reviews they see someone suggesting app B instead. Assuming our goal is the USER's satisfaction and not filling the developers' wallets, this is a GOOD thing.

 

[Mama Luigi]

If you think about it, there's also the issue of app developers soliciting help to flood their own apps with positive reviews. Sometimes those are obvious, other times they're hard to spot.

Both seem sneaky and classless to me though.

 

[Milez5858]

I get some good apps from those bash this, recommend that posts....

it's not bad for the Android community in any way, shape or form.

 

[(G)]

A review mentioning a competing app? Rude.

There's no better way to stifle creativity than to have a bunch of shoot-from-the-hip users mouthing off without considering the consequences. A user's looking for a calendar that shows the moon phases, this one doesn't, so the user writes simply, "This app sucks!" The developer walks away and says, "Screw you, too." Which leaves all of us with one less developer.

Let the "review sites" handle the reviews, and let them be the ones to mention the competing apps.

Then hope that people could be more positive with their comments ("Doesn't show moon phases, so it's not what I'm looking for.") Maybe the developer will add features to the app. Which leaves all of us with one more good app.

 

[Milez5858]

That doesn't even make sense. I don't care what some editor says..... and they don't take the time to try every make and model of phone....

Just to say something is crap is not helpful to the developer, but offering a 1 Star and saying... app doesn't run on Moto Droid with ver 2.1 ... is helpful to the developer and the customer.

If you don't like it... don't read it.... Why do you have to control what content I get to read. Censorship mehhh.