Doctors and dentists tell patients, "all your reviews belong to us"

 "The receptionist handed me a clipboard with forms to fill out. After the usual patient information form, there was a "mutual privacy agreement" that asked me to transfer ownership of any public commentary I might write in the future to Dr. Cirka."
This is quite an amusing story about review paranoia and third parties using a  sledgehammer to crack the proverbial nut.  Only in America.
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79% of ‘Young Consumers' Trust Online Reviews as Much as Personal Recommendations

 A  poll by SEO specialists, BrightLocal.com, finds that 69% of people trust online customer reviews as much as personal recommendations. This figure rises to 79% among 16-34 year olds and remains strong for the growing numbers of online and IT literate baby boomers (62%).
Other stats include;

• 70% of people have used the internet to find a local business in the last 12 months
• Younger consumers use the internet more frequently to find local businesses than older consumers
• 67% of local consumers have consulted online customer reviews of local businesses
• Younger consumers are more influenced by positive online reviews that older consumers
• Female consumers are more likely to select a local business that has positive customer reviews
• 69% of local consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations

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Don’t Be Afraid of Negative Consumer Reviews

Authentic Reputation Management Works.
Andrew Ward of TrustFX writes, "One of the biggest concerns that I hear from business owners about social media, is their fear of negative reviews. They fear that negative reviews will sour potential customers or patients who read it. The proliferation of reputation management services speak to the fear of negative feedback and the desire to present a “managed reputation”.
But he quite rightly goes on to say, "Don’t be afraid of negative reviews. A recent Forrester report found that 50 percent of online shoppers proceeded with a purchase after reading negative reviews on it. The point is that the presence of negative reviews doesn’t prevent sales. I am not suggesting that mediocrity is a marketable advantage, but projecting a competitive reputation that is authentic will increase its ability to attract and influence people looking for the services that you provide and will produce better long term business results."
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