My Recommendations

The human mind is in a constant hunt for information. Such information could be in the form of reviews, referrals, recommendations, suggestions etc. In short, the human mind is in a constant search for social opinion; in other words, the general opinion of people. Such opinion could be about anything including people, products, companies, services, activities, politics, religion, feelings, emotions and health.

While everyday interaction with people helps understanding general opinion, it may not be comprehensive. The most important prerequisite to understanding social opinion is access to the thoughts of people regarding a certain issue, product or service. This is now made possible through websites, which help gain access to information by creating a common place for people to pool in their opinions.

If there is a pressing need to know about some new product in the market or necessity to get someone’s opinion to confirm what is already known; if there is a desire for the best brand in the market or a need to know what’s cost-effective, ask the crowd to get their opinion! The wisdom of crowds is the categorical key to such decision-making.

Collective opinion of people is often considered smarter than the opinion of a single expert. But putting this wisdom of crowds to the best of use is the challenge. Without internet, it’s impracticable to go around the city asking people for opinions about a product or a service, movie or soap opera, fashion or fad… With internet, getting the wisdom of crowds is a breeze. Online encyclopedias, blogs, review sites offer the crowd’s opinion on any conceivable subject matter.