Rave reviews, for a fee

Note: Clare was on sick duty yesterday, and I must piggyback on her excuse with my own today. A close family member had a stroke last week, and has just returned home  from the hospital. I'm helping him with his recovery, so I must beg off.

I'll leave you all with a link to an interesting article in the New York Times. It describes the emerging trend of fake book reviews--positive reviews that are purchased for five bucks a pop. Here's the link:

In a Race to Out-Rave, 5-Star Web Reviews Go for $5 

Just a few years ago, rave-only reviews were likely to come from the author's friends and family. Now, it turns out, you can buy 'em by the bushel. The practice even extends to book blogs, where you can buy full-length, positive reviews.

Many people don't pay attention to online reviews, but for those that do, do you think that this practice will devalue them? Have you run across any reviews you suspected weren't "real"?

(My thanks to Patricia Smiley for bringing my attention to the NYT article.)