Merchant/Product Reviews???

My first post, so please excuse me if this is in the wrong place.

Okay, so here's what I'd like to find out about...

Does SL have an in-world product review mechanism?

You know like amazon or ebay where customers can leave feedback about a merchants products?

I could swear that I read something somewhere that said that Linden Labs didn't want to do this but I can't find it now.

Any panswers or pointers to relevant/offical info is much appreciated.

Thanks
Mit

XStreet has one and XStreet is now owned by Linden Lab.

https://www.xstreetsl.com/

Yeah, I was just on the forums there as well.

What I was wondering is if there was anything 'offical' in-world.

Actually, more importantly, if there isn't (which I don't think there is), then why not?

There's nothing in-world, probably because LL aren't interested in administering it. The preference is for as much user-created content as possible, and a self-regulating world.

(Except, of course, where users create something LL don't want any longer. Like a sex industry.)

Anyone resident trying to build and run something like this would be in for a rocky ride. Xstreet works because ratings are listed alongside the item they relate to. To rate an item, you have to buy it. In-world, without access to transaction histories, anyone could write a negative review of any product, not because they thought it was bad, but because they don't like the creator or have a competing product.

The ratings/reviews would be separate from the products they represent, unless you could persuade merchants to have a 'review box' alongside their vendors, or at least some way of linking to a website.

In short, I think a resident-run system is difficult to implement, impractical to administer, offers little reward to those running it, and would be open to all kinds of abuse.

There may be something in the future.

http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/SL_Certification

right now it looks like (if this is ever actually implemented) it will be mostly directed at those who 'teach' the skills, although I suppose it is possible that there might come a point where any content creator who can pass whatever tests to prove they have the skills necessary, would be able to be 'certified' by LL. Then consumers would have a choice, whether to purchase from (or hire) those who have been certified. I can't see LL or anyone saying that someone *can't* sell a product just because they haven't been certified, but it would then fall to whether someone wants to purchase only from certified creators etc.

I was think more along the lines of:

https://www.xstreetsl.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&file=item&ItemID=805471

Although there are other examples.

I take the point about potential abuse though.

As for the certification, I guess that's the way things are going to go.