When it comes to user-review sites like RateMyProfessors, I feel like you have to be especially scrupulous. This is because A. You are obviously visiting the site due to the huge investment in your education and therefore the need to select a professor worthy of your time and money. And B. Because students tend to be very biased and sometimes vindictive as a result of their grade. It has been my experience that many people will blame others for their faults.
Review Ratings & Rate Reviews
Luckily, there aren't a thousand reviews to sift through for every teacher. Most of the time, you can determine whether or not to take a course within the first ten reviews (if there are that many). This is made possible by the multi-layered ratings system that accompanies the user review.
The ratings allow you to see an overall score for the teacher so you can tell if a negative review is credible or if that person just had a bad experience due to personal issues. Also. . .
Spelling, Literacy and Diction Always Help
These are the most important factors when it comes to user reviews. They help you determine if a review is credible, which may or may not persuade you to read the full article and carefully consider the author's sentiments--which will in turn persuade or discourage you from buying a prodcut, or in this case, a professor (not that one should be reduced to a mere morsel of property for sale).
Reviewing the Review
So how do you judge the author and their writing? Well obviously, everyone will have a different opinion for what they believe to be 'good' and a personality that will determine how easliy they will be persuaded. For me, the latter is dependent on the former; I like 'good writing' because that will help make or break the barrier between the reviewer's opinion and my consideration. If that wall of skepticism comes down, the review makes the grade. If not, "forget about it."
Extra Credit
Two other review sites similar to RateMyProfessor which I like to use on a somewhat regular basis are IndyList.org and RottenTomatoes.com. Indylist is an independent version of Yelp (hence, "Indy") which primarily recognizes local, independent businesses. It is very helpful when trying to find a great local spot, but I mostly use it to review the ones I find on my own.
Rotten Tomatoes is the #1 most trusted site for user-grenerated movie reviews. I can usually decipher whether or not a movie will be worth seeing based on the trailer. But when I cannot decide on what to see with a group of friends, we always consult Rotten Tomatoes for the final word. ie: We thought we wanted to see The Men Who Stare At Goats (54%), but were surprised to learn that Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs would be a much better option (86%).
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