Are internet users too nice?

As part of the growth of social networking and community-based services on the web, stores such as iTunes and Amazon offer a “star” rating system, but a report from the Wall Street Journal finds the average reading across all these sites is a steady 4.3 out of 5.

YouTube claims an average 4.6, while Bazaarvoice and Amazon claims a figure of 4.3. Buzzillions, a review aggregator, has averaged out millions of reviews from 3,000 sites and finds the average to be about 4.4.

Ed Keller, chief executive from marketing research firm Keller Fay Group, said the belief that people give more negative opinions than positive ones is a myth, while Power Reviews chief executive Andy Chen said that “it’s like gambling. Most people remember the times they win and don’t realise that in aggregate they’ve lost money”.

The wave of positive reviews has led to some backlash, with Amazon reviewer Marc Schenker deliberately giving one-star reviews for products. He has reportedly given The Diary of Anne Frank a one-star review, labeling it as “very, very, very disappointing”.

Schenker says Amazon is deleting negative reviews in order to sell more products. It has reportedly blocked him with the site, with a letter reportedly sent to Schenker labeling his reviews as “rude, harassing and abusive to others”.