I think you can solve most problems by allowing multiple viewpoints to be heard...if a provider recieves a bad review, he's more than welcome to post stats, or get one of his clients to post another review of themselves. So long as the exchange is fairly open, and carefully (not too much, and not too little) moderated, I think a quite decent level of reliability could be achieved. Granted, it can't be perfect until we've got Accelerando-style trust ratings, but anyone who totally buys into the opinion of any single site on the web is looking to be burned anyways :P
<br><br><div><span class="gmail_quote">On 7/13/07, <b class="gmail_sendername">Matthew Rubenstein</b> <<a href="mailto:email@mattruby.com">email@mattruby.com</a>> wrote:</span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
There's a world of distance between "100% trustworthy", and the kind of<br>dangerously misleading info such a casual approach to public reviews can<br>be. And considering the personalities in this community which that
<br>directory would serve, I would be surprised if someone unsatisfied with<br>their public reviews wouldn't seek reprisal against the publisher of the<br>reviews site, as well as the (less identified/reachable) reviewers
<br>themselves. Like suing the publisher, or otherwise trashing them. I<br>wouldn't want the responsibility. Not at this stage of immaturity of<br>this community, inadequacy of usable trust networks, and either<br>traditions or laws protecting people from charges of slander/libel in
<br>this kind of publication.<br><br><br>On Fri, 2007-07-13 at 12:10 -0400, W. Glenn Campbell wrote:<br>> I had added this to a "hobby" site of mine a while back (<br>> <a href="http://www.itspratings.com">
http://www.itspratings.com</a> ), but never really did anything with it. May be<br>> time to revive it? I agree that reviews/ratings aren't 100% trustworthy,<br>> but it's a pretty good starting point for those shopping around. Do you
<br>> really believe all the reviews on <a href="http://Amazon.com">Amazon.com</a> ;)<br>><br>> As I said, the list is pretty bare, but you are more than welcome to add to<br>> it. Shoot me an email if you want an provider added to the list. Leave a
<br>> review on the site if you like.<br>><br>><br>><br>><br>><br>> W. Glenn Campbell<br>> <a href="mailto:wcampbell@netstarsolutions.com">wcampbell@netstarsolutions.com</a><br>> NetStar Solutions, LLC.
<br>> <a href="http://www.netstarsolutions.com">http://www.netstarsolutions.com</a><br>> Phone: (270) 554-6700<br>> Fax: (502) 415-7112<br>><br>><br>> -----Original Message-----<br>> From: <a href="mailto:asterisk-biz-bounces@lists.digium.com">
asterisk-biz-bounces@lists.digium.com</a><br>> [mailto:<a href="mailto:asterisk-biz-bounces@lists.digium.com">asterisk-biz-bounces@lists.digium.com</a>] On Behalf Of Matthew<br>> Rubenstein<br>> Sent: Friday, July 13, 2007 10:54 AM
<br>> To: Charles Vance<br>> Cc: Asterisk -Biz<br>> Subject: Re: [asterisk-biz] Better ITSP Bureau<br>><br>> Actually, Wikipedia works pretty well, because its access is so open<br>> to<br>> so many people, and there is indeed a relatively trustworthy publisher
<br>> which implements fairly content-neutral policies to prevent most common<br>> abuses. Smaller communities with the same model produce a much less<br>> accurate description of their subject, like the Conservopedia.
<br>><br>> But this directory will suffer from all the worst flaws of those<br>> models. While representing itself as a tool in the critical path of the<br>> most fundamental voice network business decisions. Sounds like a
<br>> trainwreck right in the station.<br>><br>><br>> On Fri, 2007-07-13 at 10:46 -0400, Charles Vance wrote:<br>> > tut tut. The community is trustworthy. Afterall, Wickopedia works<br>> > doesn't it?
<br>> > ----- Original Message -----<br>> > From: Matthew Rubenstein<br>> > To: Al Bochter<br>> > Cc: Asterisk -Biz<br>> > Sent: Friday, July 13, 2007 10:29 AM
<br>> > Subject: [asterisk-biz] Better ITSP Bureau (was: Re: Fed up<br>> > with my ITSP)<br>> ><br>> ><br>> > I can't wait to see this list's typical professionalism,
<br>> > dispassionate<br>> > critiques, sense of proportion, fair play among competitors<br>> > and aversion<br>> > to mere gossip and personal attacks be published in a central
<br>> > database<br>> > that the general public will use to do business with so many<br>> > companies<br>> > large and small.<br>> ><br>> > I can't wait, because it doesn't exist.
<br>> ><br>> > Unless this directory has some kind of trust network, or other<br>> > accountability (there is none other on the Internet), then it<br>> > will be<br>> > routinely abused to game it. It will be at best a waste of
<br>> > time, and at<br>> > worst libel/slander<br>> ><br>> ><br>> > On Fri, 2007-07-13 at 10:10 -0400, Al Bochter wrote:<br>> > > To everyone on the list
<br>> > ><br>> > > Please email me off the list any BAD ITSP, Voip Providers,<br>> > And other<br>> > > Voip things you had problems with.<br>> > > Make SURE you provide details of what that problem you had.
<br>> > ><br>> > > Let me know about the good ones too.<br>> > ><br>> > > I am going to start a list and post the details about the<br>> > providers.
<br>> > > We need to give the good ones more business and bad ones<br>> > less<br>> > > VOIP is getting a bad name do to all this bull**** and we<br>> > need to stop
<br>> > > it.<br>> > ><br>> > > I don't have a site name in mind but I will have this done<br>> > A.S.A.P.<br>> > > and I will post the URL to the list.
<br>> > > Best regards,<br>> > ><br>> > > Al Bochter<br>> > > <a href="http://www.BochterServices.com">http://www.BochterServices.com</a><br>> > >
<br>> > ><br>> > ---------------------------------------------------------------<br>> > > See what we are selling at auction<br>> > > <a href="http://www.epier.com/auctions.asp?bochterservices">
http://www.epier.com/auctions.asp?bochterservices</a><br>> > ><br>> > ---------------------------------------------------------------<br>> > > Take a look at our online store
<br>> > > <a href="http://www.bochterservices.com/onlinestore/">http://www.bochterservices.com/onlinestore/</a><br>> > ><br>> > ---------------------------------------------------------------
<br>> > ><br>> > ><br>> > > Elliot Otchet wrote:<br>> > > > Here Here!<br>> > > ><br>> > > ><br>> > > >
<br>> > > > <a href="mailto:From:asterisk-biz-bounces@lists.digium.com">From:asterisk-biz-bounces@lists.digium.com</a><br>> > > > [mailto:<a href="mailto:asterisk-biz-bounces@lists.digium.com">
asterisk-biz-bounces@lists.digium.com</a>] On Behalf<br>> > Of Dovid<br>> > > > Bender<br>> > > > Sent: Friday, July 13, 2007 9:16 AM<br>> > > > To:
<a href="mailto:asterisk-biz@lists.digium.com">asterisk-biz@lists.digium.com</a><br>> > > > Subject: [asterisk-biz] Fed up with my ITSP<br>> > > ><br>> > > ><br>
> > > ><br>> > > ><br>> > > > Hi List,<br>> > > ><br>> > > ><br>> > > > I am fed up with one of the ITSP's. That I used to use (I
<br>> > don't use<br>> > > > them any more but still have a few DID's by them). Back in<br>> > the day<br>> > > > they were good but now they seem to be down every so
<br>> > often. When you<br>> > > > call tech support they say to please wait on hold and 2-3<br>> > minutes<br>> > > > later you hear a good bye and the phone call ends. Is
<br>> > there any site<br>> > > > to rate ITSP's ? I think people should know for the future<br>> > who is<br>> > > > good and who is not. If there is no site I am willing to
<br>> > host it if<br>> > > > some one wants to write the code.<br>> > > ><br>> > > ><br>> > > ><br>> > > >
<br>> > > ><br>> > > > Thanks.<br>> > > ><br>> > > ><br>> > > ><br>> > > > Dovid<br>> > > >
<br>> > > ><br>> > > ><br>> > > ><br>> ><br>> ____________________________________________________________________<br>> > > ><br>> > > > _______________________________________________
<br>> > > > --Bandwidth and Colocation Provided by<br>> > <a href="http://www.api-digital.com--">http://www.api-digital.com--</a><br>> > > ><br>> > > > asterisk-biz mailing list
<br>> > > > To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit:<br>> > > > <a href="http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-biz">http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-biz
</a><br>> > > ><br>> > > ><br>> ><br>> ____________________________________________________________________<br>> > > ><br>> > > ><br>
> > > ><br>> > > > ----------------------------------------------------<br>> > > > Inbound (clean). Database: 000756-0, 07/12/2007 -<br>> > 7/13/2007 9:52:16 AM
<br>> > > ><br>> > > ><br>> > > ><br>> > > ><br>> > > ><br>> > > _______________________________________________
<br>> > > --Bandwidth and Colocation Provided by<br>> > <a href="http://www.api-digital.com--">http://www.api-digital.com--</a><br>> > ><br>> > > asterisk-biz mailing list
<br>> > > To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit:<br>> > > <a href="http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-biz">http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-biz</a><br>
> ><br>> ><br>> > _______________________________________________<br>> > --Bandwidth and Colocation Provided by<br>> > <a href="http://www.api-digital.com--">http://www.api-digital.com--
</a><br>> ><br>> > asterisk-biz mailing list<br>> > To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit:<br>> > <a href="http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-biz">http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-biz
</a><br>--<br><br>(C) Matthew Rubenstein<br><br><br>_______________________________________________<br>--Bandwidth and Colocation Provided by <a href="http://www.api-digital.com--">http://www.api-digital.com--</a><br><br>
asterisk-biz mailing list<br>To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit:<br> <a href="http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-biz">http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-biz</a><br></blockquote></div><br>
<br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Aleks Clark<br>941-961-9713<br><a href="http://built-it.net">http://built-it.net</a>