Mind Soup

According to a Pew Research Center report, 82% of Americans say they read online reviews at least some of the time. While BrightLocal reports this number to be higher with 91% of people regularly or occasionally reading online reviews and 84% trusting online reviews as much as personal recommendations. Reviews help them to form opinions quickly as studies have shown that 68% of them form an opinion after reading only 1 to 6 online reviews. Needless to say, online reviews are important to the success of your business and in encouraging or discouraging customers from purchasing your product or service. In the era where everything can be faked, e-commerce sites such as Amazon, eBay and may others are plagued with fake reviews that are causing customers to become more skeptical. The Washington Post revealed in an investigative piece than in some categories, the percentage of questionable reviews can go up to 67%! As consumers are waking up to the reality of the internet that they use on...

MIND SOUP : I am very sure that a lot of you agree with me that the most annoying thing on Lebanese television is these stupid little commercial programs where a supposedly modernized "doctor" is trying to sell the viewers a bunch of herbs that can mysteriously get rid of most diseases, weight loss or whatever disorder the audience might be interested in. What's more annoying is that you not only find them on one television channel, but on several (such as Aljadid - previously "New TV", NBN or what I like to call "Nabih Berri Network", Manar TV, and even Tele Liban, among others) Well, guess what? According to the Daily Star , the Lebanese government (more specifically the General Directorate of General Security) has declared on Monday that advertisements for such medical herbs are now prohibited by law. The directorate based its decision on Law number 90 of June 3, 2010, which prohibited media outlets from advertising for medical herbs and othe...