On amazon at least, it's possible to counteract this effect using 3-star reviews. The kind of people who dislike a product but aren't vindictive about it and still see its strong points tend to be even-tempered folk.
True, but you're still talking about people who felt it was important to leave a review. I try to leave reviews of everything I buy, but I frequently forget to do so if the product performs as expected (neither exceptionally good nor bad).
And you know you're in the minority. It's not even apathy, either. It takes effort to prove to a site you're not a spammer, astro-turfer etc. so most people don't bother because the barrier is too high.
I could care less about a bunch of unwanted emails in my inbox, but the pollution of the online community review and advice spheres is what really pisses me off about cnuts who try and game stuff.
