If you’re on this website, then you’re on the internet. If you’re on the internet, then you know you can totally do your shopping there. And if you know you can shop on the internet, chances are you spot an internet review from time to time and think either “Hmmm, something stinks here,” or “Dang, time to drop mad dollar!”

And in most cases, you read the reviews on the website that’s selling the product or service. You delve through the Amazon reviews (hopefully) before you add that item to your cart. You check the reviews on AllRecipes and get the tips for how to give the quiche flavor. And sure, there are standalone sites dedicated to reviews, too.

Google Maps will let you review any restaurant, business, tourist site (or any location you add as a place, really). Yelp is very much the same. TripAdvisor and Hotels.com, will both sell and inform. And then there are long-form reviewers. Wirecutter, CNET, and so on, usually attached to some news or media entity that has a budget to spend on testing products, and then money to make in all those affiliate clicks.

But then there’s Reviewopedia.

Sounds Like an Odd Duck to Me

Well, it quacks, friend, it does quack.

What makes it odd is that it’s a site for reviews of just about anything. Other sites, products, businesses, services. Kinda like Google without, well, lots of things. Or a bit similar to the BBB or TrustPilot, but without name recognition or the same bite.

Here’s what they have to say about themselves:

Our Purpose

Reviewopedia.com is a place where people can review products, services, and websites to inform others in the online community about their opinions and experiences. Whether you loved or hated something, your experience can help others navigate the internet smarter.

How It Works

The reviews on Reviewopedia are generated by our visitors. All reviews are provided by actual or prospective customers, or others who have had real experience with a product or service. We do not accept payment for positive reviews, or to remove negative reviews.

So there are a few things that set them apart right there. No rewards for reviews. No perks, no recognition (as far as I can tell). You just leave a review to inform your fellow buyer, as it should be. And since the site isn’t selling anything itself, it’s beholden to no one.

That’s not to say it’s anything goes, however. And in fact, their Review Guidelines do deserve a commendation for being both readable and logical.

Tips for writing a great review.

Describe your personal experience in a concise and detailed manner. Ask yourself "Would this review be useful to me if I was trying to find reviews on a certain product or service.

If your review is lengthy, use multiple paragraphs instead of writing one giant block of text. Text with paragraphs of 2-4 sentences are usually easiest to read.

After you've written your review, re-check it for spelling and grammatical errors. Reviews that are written properly are much more effective.

Things to avoid in your review.

Your review may be removed if it contains the following:

- Profanity, personal attacks, hate speech, or is generally offensive.

- Numerous spelling and grammatical errors or excessive use of caps lock.

- Contains promotional material or shows conflict of interest.

- Lacks relevance or does not offer information based on first-hand experience.

There is a lot I agree with above, and it seems like the people at Reviewopedia are people who get reviews, who understand what makes them valuable.

Adding information you’d find useful, breaking it up into paragraphs, and checking it before posting, my word, could we as a society do that? And giving the boot to hate speech/spam is obvious, but going so far as to cut out ALL CAPS ATTACKS and excessive errors? Maybe that goes a little far (we at RPDC do like to mine comedy wherever we can, and typos and ragers sometimes bring it), but it shows they care about the quality, above all else.

All that rosiness said, they sure could use a few more reviews to lend themselves some credibility. At time of writing, Apple Inc. has a whopping 20 reviews, Amazon Marketplace has 12, and there are none for Walmart.

The benefit is that you could submit a review for any thing you want, thereby adding a page for that product or service. But how is a consumer supposed to navigate the barren wasteland, looking for reviews of something they want to buy?

I’ve hunted and pecked a bit, for the purpose of this post, but I can’t imagine having much patience if I’m in the deal-hunting, review-reading, ready-to-buy mood. And I think the downfall is that it’s just a standalone site, not selling anything, not giving directions, only offering the reviews. And it requires someone to first be aware of it, then take the initiative to log on (yeah, create an account), then leave a review.

Below is what I get when searching Best Buy:

It doesn’t get much better from there, trust me. But hey- at least there are a few more reviews here.

From what I can tell, business, like LaceWigsBuy.com, can claim their page and add an about section, plus a link to their site. And it appears that Reviewopedia is no stranger to the “Here are the Fitness Products You Should Get,” listicles, similar to the Wirecutter in-depth reviews mentioned above.

My review of Reviewopedia? It’s not quite there yet. I like the intent, but the execution just doesn’t seem to be there. Give it a visit, if you must, but good luck mining any useful information.

Unless you’re looking for a wig. Then you’re set!