Shopping in Web 2.0: sucks

November 30, 2007 12:28 PM

HowItSucks.com rates products based on recent reviews from other users. The rating system is simple: the longer the red bar, the more it sucks. Just in time for Xmas. Also, comes free of charge with blog, which also sucks.

Example:

Sony NW-E005 2 GB Flash Digital Music Player (Black) Summary: only kinda sucks

"The only thing I was disappointed about is the number of songs it holds."
(4 weeks ago @ Amazon)

"I hate this thing."
(2 months ago @ Amazon)

"What a horrid product."
(5 months ago @ Amazon)

BUY IT ANYWAY

posted by psmealey (14 comments total)

Yeah, this site sucks. The most useful and obvious feature, sorting by suckage, has been inexplicably left out.
posted by breaks the guidelines? at 12:32 PM on November 30, 2007

So all it's doing is repackaging the Amazon comments and star ratings? What's the point?
posted by Ickster at 12:35 PM on November 30, 2007

What's the point?t's

FAQ
posted by psmealey at 12:41 PM on November 30, 2007

The problem I've found is that people post negative reviews for the dumbest reasons: shipping problems, they ordered the wrong thing, their spouse bought it over their objections, they don't understand how to use it or why they bought it. Where once I sought to scry useful detail from the negative reviews of a product, I now have elected to treat them as noise.

"Buy it Anyway" is an entertaining turn of phrase, but other than that I'm having trouble extracting some kind of value out of this site.
posted by majick at 12:45 PM on November 30, 2007

What's the point?

I'm guessing it has something to do with Amazon.com Associates.

1. Take inverse of star ratings.
2. Show only negative comments.
3. Link to Amazon using your associate ID, collecting up to 10% if someone buys it.
4. Profit!
posted by ALongDecember at 12:51 PM on November 30, 2007 [1 favorite]

OK concept, poor execution. No digg.
posted by porn in the woods at 12:52 PM on November 30, 2007

My bad. I liked the concept a bit when I first saw it, but when you're right you're right. Poor execution.
posted by psmealey at 12:58 PM on November 30, 2007

A heaping helping of meh.
posted by GuyZero at 1:02 PM on November 30, 2007

I like how everything from Nintendo "doesn't really suck." That fits with my worldview.
posted by Avenger50 at 1:03 PM on November 30, 2007

I like how everything from Nintendo "doesn't really suck." That fits with my worldview.

Heh, mine too.
**anxiously watching today for UPS truck with my gold Zelda DS bundle **
posted by porn in the woods at 1:13 PM on November 30, 2007

I saw this the other day and came to the same conclusion as ALongDecember, though I have to admit, of all the possible schemes to profit from Amazon associate links, 'Buy it even though it sucks!' seems like a uniquely unpromising one.
posted by tippiedog at 2:56 PM on November 30, 2007

That team sure did suck last night. They just plain sucked! I've seen teams suck before, but they were the suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked.
posted by Brocktoon at 3:10 PM on November 30, 2007

Do they really need to rate each APPLE product by color? I mean doesn't the mint green IPod function the same way as the Pink one?
posted by Tablecrumbs at 6:26 PM on November 30, 2007

Clearly not by their classification; the green iPods must be photosynthetic or something.
posted by kureshii at 10:24 PM on November 30, 2007