Updating Your Review
First impressions are just that: impressions- faint perceptions that are felt, but which don’t necessarily last. The passage of time is needed to truly be affected by something, and then to process how you’ve been affected.
And while gut reactions might be informative, might be helpful, might be easy, when it comes to reviews, your first take may not stand the test of time.
Now I get it, most of us don’t bother writing reviews anyway, most of us don’t even make a fuss if our Banzai Burger is missing the fried jalapeno coins we requested. It’s either politeness or a bit of apathy, or maybe both that keeps us silent, keeps us content enough, keeps our reviews as-written.
But time changes all, and that includes how we feel about what we’ve spent our money on.
Amazon, Yelp, and Google all allow users to edit, update, and delete reviews. It’s our platform to share our voice, so it’s on us to ensure that our voice reflects how we feel.
Everyone is different. Different tastes, different shapes, different lifestyles. And that’s what makes shopping for clothes and shoes online such a tricky maneuver. The shoes that hurt at first might break in. The shoes that feel great at first might break apart after a month. The fleece could pill, the spandex could lose it’s spring, and the jacket could shed down feathers like a snowstorm.
You thought you knew what you bought, but what you bought changed.
And then there are restaurants.
A waiter could spill gravy on your new dress. The delivery driver may get lost. But you may accompany your child to their friend’s birthday party and be amazed at the difference a few months (or maybe the time of day) make.
Maybe it’s worth giving them another chance.
This information is worth sharing, these thoughts and revelations. As the world changes around us, so too are we constantly changing, and hopefully constantly learning.
If our feelings shift on a product or service, for better or worse, that is a valuable experiment. Our experience affected us to such a degree that our opinions were swayed, our minds were changed. If we were talking idly with a friend, we’d happily recommend or warn against whatever we’ve re-experienced. So we should just share it in an updated review.
Not only does this provide more information for your fellow internet-trusting world-dweller, but it makes the internet feel that much more vibrant. The community is alive and well, people are sweeping their digital driveways, watering their web-based gardens, and updating their reviews. It’s upkeep and it makes the place look darned good.
Sure, it’s not required and it does take a bit of time and effort. But it’s just being a good interneighbor. Give it a thought. Or two.
