Rave About It – Helping Australians Find Local Businesses by Word of Mouth

A new reviewing website called Rave About It (www.raveaboutit.com.au) has recently been launched.
Taking advantage of some of the latest technology ideas on the web, Rave About It enables users to search, rate and discuss services in their local area and beyond.

Users are able to search for businesses as they would in a business directory, but they also have the freedom to edit/update listings as they would in an open/Wiki website.

Website founders Mark Rimmer and Tim Griffin came up with the idea of a user review website at a party in June 2006. Drawing on their respective experience in the mapping and retail industries, they interviewed prospective local businesses and users to decide on the features and content of the website.

So what makes Rave About It different from similar websites on the market?

The website offers a high level of user involvement allowing users to create their own profile, review a businesses, add businesses to a ‘favorites’ list and even create a watch list for upcoming promotions from local businesses.

Upon reviewing existing offerings, Rave About It recognized that many businesses offered a one-on-one service that could not be reviewed accurately at a business level. Allowing customers to review at an individual level provides more relevant information and solved this shortcoming.

Listings are content-rich and have features such as a photo manager, as well as user-assigned tags/keywords to maximize searchability. In addition, promotions can be offered to particular areas or target markets.

Subscription to Rave About It is free. Future plans include a premium service for businesses, that will be offered in conjunction with free services. At this stage the site covers services in Sydney and is expanding nationally in mid-2007.