Misleading website names in external reviews

I enjoy linking my website to the external reviews page, but as my site begins with D I understand it falls down the list a bit. That's how the alphabet works. However, some people are abusing this page by starting their sites with, eg. "A (website name) blog piece", so their reviews default to the top of the page.

I've seen several examples of this, one which stands out big-time is with The Martian, where it has been used (or abused) several times atop this page:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3659388/externalreviews

Can this be addressed, please, as it's unfair. Or if it won't be, shall I
just do the same? (as they say "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em")

PS. I know there's a way to attempt to highlight these on the individual pages and ask for their removal, but that requires going on 'correct' for each individual link and following all the steps and it'd be way too time consuming to cover them all.

This conversation is no longer open for comments or replies and is no longer visible to community members.

domrobinson

97 Messages

•

1.6K Points

8 years ago

Anyone?

3

0

gromit82

Champion

•

6.9K Messages

•

269.4K Points

Dom: I have given you a "Me Too" vote to indicate that I agree with your comments here.

8 years ago

domrobinson

97 Messages

•

1.6K Points

Cheers, Gromit. Hopefully this situation can be resolved quickly and easily.

Is anyone from IMDB reading this thread?

8 years ago

0

bluesmansf

Champion

•

4.6K Messages

•

236.3K Points

Is anyone from IMDB reading this thread?

Perhaps not at the moment. They tend to be most active Monday-Friday, 8-5, US Pac Time, so it might be quiet here until tomorrow.

Good news is, when this has been reported in the past, they've taken action to make sure the reviewer reported uses their true site name instead of one altered to get on top of the heap.

8 years ago

Michelle

Employee

•

16.3K Messages

•

300.6K Points

8 years ago

Hi Dom -

Thanks for your report, for External Reviews, we do allow the listing of the website name, however, I have forwarded your comments to our data editors to review to make sure that the listings you pointed out are listed as per our policy. As soon as I hear back from them about the listings you reported, I will let you know here.

0

domrobinson

97 Messages

•

1.6K Points

8 years ago

Hi Michelle, thanks. It's not just on this film's page, however, it's on so many of them. Too many to report individually. There must be a way to search for the entries across all external review pages listed as beginning "A " and then it'll be almost all of the ones there.

These people are giving an "A ", but taking the "P" ;)

I'll look forward to hearing back from you.

0

0

domrobinson

97 Messages

•

1.6K Points

8 years ago

Hi, is there any news on this one, please, as it's also affecting Spectre, which I've mentioned in another thread. Thanks.

0

0

Michelle

Employee

•

16.3K Messages

•

300.6K Points

8 years ago

Hi Dom -

The ticket I filed is still pending review by our Data Editors, so unfortunately, I don't have an update on our policy yet. As soon as I get confirmation, rest assured that I will post the information here.

0

0

domrobinson

97 Messages

•

1.6K Points

8 years ago

Thanks. What happened to the links the last time this happened? Since it'd be too time-consuming to alter them manually, did they just get deleted?

0

0

Michelle

Employee

•

16.3K Messages

•

300.6K Points

8 years ago

Just following up here to confirm that our staff are aware of this issue, however, no action will be taken at the moment, once we have additional resources we will revisit the issue.

0

domrobinson

97 Messages

•

1.6K Points

8 years ago

It doesn't instill me with confidence that IMDB are sticking their heads in the sand on this issue. They could quickly deal with it by messaging those accounts who are doing this, warning them of deletion if they don't. Otherwise, we may all as well do it!!!

As The Martian link shows, there are many doing this, including one who uses numbers so that his rises above all the others! Come on, we need action on this!!!

0

0

domrobinson

97 Messages

•

1.6K Points

8 years ago

So shall we all just do as they're doing? That would level out the playing field?

0

0

domrobinson

97 Messages

•

1.6K Points

8 years ago

Can someone get back to me, please? Shall we all just do this?

4

0

gromit82

Champion

•

6.9K Messages

•

269.4K Points

Dom: I agree with your overall point that reviewers should not be allowed to manipulate their site names this way to get a higher alphabetical listing, but I don't think there's anything we can do about it. Michelle has advised us that "no action will be taken at the moment", so we are stuck with the situation as it is.

8 years ago

domrobinson

97 Messages

•

1.6K Points

But they can do something about it, as per bluesmanSF's post earlier in the thread, since they have before. What they could do is contact these people (there's around 10 persistent offenders, it seems) and ask them to change all their entries (unwieldly) or they'll get deleted. Then just close their accounts if they don't comply and surely this should delete them? If this isn't possible, then that shows it's open season for us all to do this.

8 years ago

bluesmansf

Champion

•

4.6K Messages

•

236.3K Points

Dom,

I notice you keep asking if you should do the same. I kind of think you know that you shouldn't, but, no...you shouldn't.

First off, if someone is doing something inappropriate and you follow just because you see them get away with it, you're just as bad as they are.

Secondly, when the fix comes along, you could be sanctioned equally. What's the point in that?

8 years ago

0

domrobinson

97 Messages

•

1.6K Points

I wasn't being serious in my suggestion.

8 years ago

Michelle

Employee

•

16.3K Messages

•

300.6K Points

8 years ago

Hi Dom -

Back in October when I reported this to our data editors they confirmed that we didn't have the resources at that time to address this issue. I have reached out again to get an ETA as to if this will be addressed in the near future. I will post the relevant status here as soon as I get a response form our editors.

0

Michelle

Employee

•

16.3K Messages

•

300.6K Points

8 years ago

Just following-up here to confirm that our editors are currently working on a clean-up for these External Review listings on the site.

2

domrobinson

97 Messages

•

1.6K Points

Hi Michelle, thanks for your reply. Is there a timeframe for how long it takes to go through these, please? I thought I'd just be a case of a search for titles that begin "A " (with the space after the A) and those will be ones that are misleading.

8 years ago

0

domrobinson

97 Messages

•

1.6K Points

I've posted a full reply at the bottom of this page. This problem is NOT solved.

7 years ago

0

domrobinson

97 Messages

•

1.6K Points

8 years ago

Another 3 months on and nothing has changed. Can we have a timeframe, please?

2

0

Michelle

Employee

•

16.3K Messages

•

300.6K Points

Hi Dom, I checked the status and confirmed that there has been a fix for this that should be in effect by early
next week.

Cheers!

8 years ago

domrobinson

97 Messages

•

1.6K Points

Thanks. It's getting more rife than ever, as Captain America: Civil War shows.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3498820/externalreviews

8 years ago

0

domrobinson

97 Messages

•

1.6K Points

8 years ago

This is still happening. Just had a look on the Dirty Grandpa page, for example.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1860213/externalreviews

0

0

domrobinson

97 Messages

•

1.6K Points

8 years ago

And again. On this page for the film, The Asian Connection, someone from Movieshub has called their review "01 A "Best" Art [By Josh]", which bends the rules to the nth degree! What is the hold-up in sorting this out, please?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3187378/externalreviews

4

0

e_kartoffel

11 Messages

•

220 Points

by the rules, that entry is wrong, should be listed as "01 Movies Hub [Josh]"

citation: "Be aware that the URL is hidden from the user, so the description must start with the name of the web site"
and "Important: Only correctly formatted links will be accepted"

the rules are quite strict, you can't bend them

:/

8 years ago

0

domrobinson

97 Messages

•

1.6K Points

But IMDB seem to be doing nothing about it :(

8 years ago

0

gromit82

Champion

•

6.9K Messages

•

269.4K Points

Yes, I think that some people are trying to abuse the alphabetical listing system. It's like how some businesses have tried to make themselves appear first in the telephone book by starting their company name with "AAAAAA".

8 years ago

domrobinson

97 Messages

•

1.6K Points

That means that in the phone book, Aardvark sellers get preferential treatment ;)
(sorry :D )

8 years ago

0

1
2
3
4