I started posting reviews for a dry cleaner who got a negative review from another person, and recommending a restaurant because the chef cooked an incredible dinner for me. Then I began posting because I felt potential visitors to a business should know if something went terribly wrong for me. On the other hand, for a business that went above and beyond expectations, I thought it was beneficial to promote that business and let other readers know about a business that would likely meet or exceed their expectations.
I had no idea if what I was doing was being read by others, if others appreciated the “heads-up”, if I was making any kind of difference in the marketplace.
Then I started getting notifications that my posts were being read and sometimes liked. Like thousands of people had read individual reviews I had posted. WOW! There WAS an impact being made by telling others what I had experienced.
This has motivated me to now review every interaction I have with businesses. This is particularly important in the far western counties of North Carolina. Instead of being 5 miles away from 20-50 businesses, like I was accustomed to in Atlanta, now I travel 20+ miles to reach a store, restaurant or service company. So having a heads-up on what others have experienced at a business is critical. I don’t want to make a 40 mile round trip to have a bad meal or poor service and I don’t think others should have to get a bad surprise either. So I keep reviewing and hope others will do the same.