New website service enables consumers to praise or punish brands

Finding trustworthy sites

Described as an objective forum to help consumers find trustworthy brands - or avoid untrustworthy ones - as voted by real people from around the corner or around the globe, the service is free requiring only a Facebook account.

Its co-founder and technology entrepreneur, Adam Simpson, says the genesis of the idea came from his own search for a trustworthy company for a big-ticket purchase he was contemplating. "One evening, while trying to research companies before making a household purchase decision, I noticed a real gap in available and unbiased information, even for a number of larger brands. The rare sources I did find seemed to allow essentially anonymous postings. I had difficulty finding a source that provided meaningful feedback from real customers and I thought there must be a better way."

He notes that certain specific service niches such as restaurants and home contractors are well covered, but consumers seeking information on a majority of brands, both for and non-profit, have few options.

Feedback

Using a verified Facebook account for increased transparency, users can leave positive or negative feedback for a brand based on a "Praise" or "Punish" vote. A brand's "score" is graphed over time based on these votes. Brand scores are impartial as they are derived directly from user feedback, and cannot be otherwise influenced. Users can quickly and easily compare competing brands within a given industry.

The service is socially driven, and allows users to vote for the experiences they consider most accurate and relevant. Over time, popular experiences that resonate with consumers will rise in prominence.

Participating businesses can choose to place a 'seal' on their websites that displays their score and allows customers to interact and leave feedback.

Sourcing

"We envision it becoming a valuable resource for consumers and a news source for media. You'll be able at a glance to see how a brand is trending in public perception, whether positive or negative, and the specific reasons why," he concludes.

Consumers can go to www.praiseorpunish.com to research and leave feedback on brands of interest to them. Businesses and non-profit organisations can participate by visiting the site, searching for their organisation and obtaining the plugin code that allows for the display of the Praise or Punish crest and associated score on an external website.