That mental picture got me to thinking (again) about rating commercial real estate service providers and products. Could the web be a vehicle for exchanging opinions that might be helpful, say, in selecting a broker or a landlord? After all, Amazon encourages reader feedback by enabling visitors to post reviews online. And Epinions and many other web sites let you rate everyday products. Pogue calls this process "earning trust by community review."

So could consumers of real estate services provide helpful feedback via the Internet? Theoretically, yes. But I doubt it. Nothing can replace the nuances of a private conversation when peers compare the performance of a person, a company, or a product. Why? There are three major difficulties with the Internet.

First, without knowing the context, including exact names and circumstances of a transaction, it's impossible to assess the relevancy of a rating. Second, very few professionals would (or could) agree to full disclosure and risk violating a confidentiality agreement. Third, web commentary ages quickly, which rapidly diminishes its value over time. ... What do you think? Am I wrong? Can you imagine a viable feedback system? How would it work?

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--Peter Pike