Glasswall: a major step towards better reviews

Image credit: Shutterstock

There’s a popular saying that goes, “People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”

But what do we say to the people who built the glass house?

This question hit me when I read a couple reviews on Glasswall aimed at Tech in Asia. (We’re leaving them up, by the way.)

One reviewer said, “Why is Tech in Asia allowing founders to attack VCs? How does this make the ecosystem more collaborative?”

Another lamented, “It’s a pity to see that Tech in Asia [does] not step in to stop social bullying.”

On the flip side, founders are telling us not to censor feedback. They have also convinced us to take a censorship-free approach with Glasswall.

But “censorship-free” does not equate to a free-for-all.

Yes, we’ll resist removing reviews as much as we can. But we’re also releasing features that will let the community boost helpful reviews and nerf unhelpful ones.

This is a top priority for us: The product and engineering team have cleared their plates to work on this and ship it as quickly as possible.

This week, we’ve launched a slew of features to nudge people towards writing better reviews. Here’s a quick look at them.

Feature #1: Submit reviews as a registered user

Previously, reviews could only be submitted anonymously – no need for a Tech in Asia account.

That has changed. We’re now giving you the option of writing feedback as a registered user.

To be clear, you can still submit reviews without signing into your account. We do want to preserve privacy for those who seek it.

Feature #2: Reviews from registered users will get a ranking boost

We’re sorting reviews based on a number of signals. This means that all things being equal, a remark from a registered user will be more visible compared to a completely anonymous one.

Feature #3: Labeled reviews

We also want to help users discern the nature of the reviews.

To do this, we’ll label reviews to indicate whether the writer has declared that they’ve been funded by the investor, and whether they’re an anonymous or registered user.

Feature #4: More moderation tools

Finally, we’re giving the community greater control over which reviews get priority placement.

In addition to an existing “Helpful” button, we’ve introduced “Not Helpful” and “Report” buttons right below each review.

Here’s a look at what the reviews look like now, complete with labels and moderation tools.

These enhancements are designed to improve the quality of reviews and to encourage more accountability from reviewers.

To reuse the glass house analogy, we’re looking to build thicker walls that reduce harm while still letting the light shine through.

We have more feature updates that are in the works. In the meantime, do submit a review or check out the latest ratings and feedback on the region’s VCs.