Web-Based Reputation Management Systems: Problems and Suggested Solutions

Individuals who use the World Wide Web (WWW) to purchase goods and obtain information face a high level of uncertainty as to the quality of those goods and information. Reputation management systems are one way in which information about past transactions can be used to form judgments regarding the quality of goods and information obtained via the WWW. This paper examines current approaches used in reputation management systems and outlines six main problems with them. The paper suggests how these problems can be solved and develops an equation that can handle many of the problems. Implications for practitioners and researchers are discussed.