I have been an old consumer of Mouthshut. As I see it, the strength of this site lies in direct consumer to consumer feedback. What makes this site special is the sheer no. of reviews available here.
So, with these 2 strengths, I keep wondering, why should Mouthshut suddenly start focusing on members and their profiles?
Here is what I think Mouthshut should do to remain the most competitive consumer review website for Indians:
FOCUS on the reviews. if members want to interact with each other and send virtual gifts to each other, they will use Facebook.
Till date, there is no mechanism by which a member can ask for reviews, then close the tap when they dont want any more reviews on that product, (i.e., ppl can still post their reviews about that product, but my information need is met). This means we do not have a way to know about other people who REALLY need information before making a buying decision.
Sometimes, even though reviews about a product are available, a user may want other users to write some more. This is again another area that can be addressed by this "Wanted reviews" functionality (which is rather weak here)
Have a punitive action in place for fake reviews. I have seen more than once, fake profiles that write reviews that are obviously sponsored by the company being reviewed. There is no blacklist mechanism for such sponsored review writers, nor are these reviews removed, as far as I know.
A reward mechanism of real things for review writers who have done a good job. (i.e., send them a gift coupon once a year, and they will stick to you.)
What do you think? What else can make Mouthshut a better product for all of us? (Its such a nice site, I would love to see it grow, simply bcs that means one can just come to one site before making a buying decision. Much more simpler)
