Not sure who has/has not seen this, but it just underlines why local reviews from folks we know/trust are vital:
That story made the UK national newspapers some weeks back. It highlights the flaw of TripAdvisor and, in particular, how its ratings work. Or donât .
If I look at their entries for restaurants in my borough - a nondescript town of some 300,000 people in northwest England, I know one place in its top ten. And I only know of that because the guy who owns it used to manage a place ten minutes walk from home. Of the others, they are obviously neighbourhood pubs and restaurants but of no particular culinary distinction (otherwise Iâd probably have heard of them). Same problem must apply with the entries for any community - something of an issue for me, as Iâm hoping to visit New England in a few weeks and, as there is relatively little here (or Chowhound), Iâm probably going to be dependent on TA, at least for an initial list.
I donât have much regard for Tripadvisor, but a few years ago before a trip to Amsterdam I studied it, and came up with a few really good restaurant choices. In one of the restaurants we got to talking with the couple at the next table. They told us that we were in Amsterdamâs best fish restaurant, and wondered how we found it.
Interesting. Iâm in a few geographical food groups on FB; one here in Southern Oregon, and several back in KC. The most mainstream group just passed 25,000 members.
Iâd imagine groups like that exist in lots of places but how to link them together?
Maybe thatâs where HO needs a presence on FB. I donât have an answer except that being in a relatively isolated area makes one feel âŚ
Isolated!
that is hilarious
ask us here about New England. There are some Boston area participants and I suspect others from New England, and us Boston folks know about other New England locations (not me as much since my family situation doesnât allow us to travel a lot, but I do know some.
The Internet has a way of lulling people into believing they are experts because they can âfindâ âanythingâ with a few clicks. Steinbeck foretold McLuhanâs âmedium is the messageâ in describing the Dust Bowl desperation leading migrants to believe something just because it was contained in a printed handbill:
"Tom said, âBack home some fellas come through with hanâbillsâorange ones. Says they need lots a people out here to work the crops.â
"The young man laughed. âThey say theyâs three hunderd thousanâ us folks here, anâ I bet everâ damâ famâly seen them hanâbills.â
âYeah, but if they donâ need folks, whatâd they go to the trouble puttinâ them things out for?â
âUse your head, why donâcha?â
âYeah, but I wanta know.â
yes! @Harters, if you start a thread about New England youâll likely get some good answers from the Boston regulars. I have some decent knowledge on Rhode Island, at least and others on the board probably have other states covered. maybe weâll even get some chime in from other New Englanders outside BostonâŚ
This topic existed in a similar thread in HO a few months ago:
Thanks. I already have a thread on the board but please add if anywhere comes to mind that will fit witn the tour.
oh, heh. i forgot about that thread!
I have personal and family reasons never to use Facebook.