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TRIPADVISOR HAS BECOME a victim of its own popularity – the sheer weight of reviews on the world’s biggest and most influential travel site has become a turnoff for users.
“I think the wisdom of a crowd is really powerful but at some point it can be a little overwhelming, right?,” Adam Medros, the man in charge of developing new products at TripAdvisor, told TheJournal.ie this week.
“You don’t want to read thousands of reviews … the type of trip that I might want to go on with my family is different to the type of trip you want to go on as a romantic trip.
“For years we’ve been thinking about how to deliver a ‘wisdom-of-friends’ or a ‘just-for-you’ type of experience.”
Medros said TripAdvisor staff had started that process with Facebook integration to show where friends had stayed and their feedback.
“That was a nice first step, but it wasn’t enough,” he said.
‘Deep personalisation’
So the next step, cooked up by the 20-odd engineers in the company’s Dublin office in conjunction with their US colleagues, was to launch the website’s latest feature – predictably called “just for you”.
Based on users’ past reviews and bookings on the website, TripAdvisor will try to come up with the best suggestions for new trips after factoring in the usual price and other preferences.
However, it seems some work still needs to be done on the system with feedback like this on the site’s own forums: “I have just checked out the top 8 just for you suggestion at a destination I know very well and I would never think of booking 8 of them. Seems it is rather flawed just now.”
Medros said “just for you” was only the start of “a lot of deep personalisation” on TripAdvisor.
As well as working on the just-for-you feature, its local staff have also recently been involved in putting together an instant-booking system for the site.
Dublin office growing
TripAdvisor plans to expand the office, which only opened about a year ago, and was on the hunt for skilled developers at the Dublin Web Summit this week to join its Irish contingent.
“It’s about talent – like every other tech company we’re looking for great engineers, great talent, and some of them are here,” Medros said.
Another area the company was in the process of further developing was its mobile app – which recently gained the feature of being able to “download” a city before travelling – while also working to cut down on rogue reviews.
This area has been the source of most of the grief hospitality traders have directed at the site, which has been the target of routine complaints from businesses about false or spiteful reviews. The reach of the website means that its reviews have the power to make or break a business.
But while individual users have been sued for defamation over scathing feedback, for small-time business operators butting up against a firm worth worth $10.6 billion (€8.5 billion) on the New York stock exchange is a harder task.
For his part, Medros was confident both TripAdvisor’s software and its users were doing the job in weeding out false or malicious content.
“Our community is really active in flagging reviews that don’t look right that our investigative team can then look at,” he said.
And then ultimately our technology is really the thing that we are really proud of. We have built a tremendous amount of technology based around how people might try to beat the system and protect against that.
“I feel really confident in the integrity of TripAdvisor content and that it accurately reflects real rankings and real opinions – people wouldn’t come back and use TripAdvisor if it didn’t.”
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Shouldn’t the more important point be that earning 11-12 Euro/hour is not the problem. It is the cost of living in Ireland e.g. rent/mortgage, food, fuel, and the multitude of nested taxes required to keep our bloated, yet continuously expanding state afloat.
“Nail on the Head” … Ireland a Taxocracy not a Democracy.
CSO figures April 2014.
€899.57 average Public Sector weekly pay.
€628.01 average Private Sector weekly pay.
€271.56 more per week or 43.24% higher pay for Public Sector.
Equity First Minister Noonan.
So let’s raise the private sector pay.
I;d be very careful with “average” salary numbers. What would give a more accurate picture would be the median pay.
“Average” numbers can be skewed by, for instance, a small number of very high paying, or a large number of very low paying positions.
Usually, when one is using “average” figures, they’re trying to pull the wool over. The median pay would be more representative of the facts. Half the workers would make more than that, and half would make less.
377300 Public Sector employees x €899.57 per week x 52 weeks = €17,649,203,572
377300 Public Sector employees x €628.01 per week x 52 weeks = €12,321,108,800 at Private Sector weekly pay rate. Saving … reduced Tax burden = €5,328,094,772 p.a.
Could scrap the odious LPT, grossly inequitable Car Tax , water charges …. we know who is pulling the wool!
€581 : UK average public sector weekly pay.
€565 : UK average private sector weekly pay.
Difference : 3%.
Banks Max Your Debt and Political Parties Max Your Tax …. citizens need to bring their brains to polling booths.
Watch out R Neuville – you are in danger of being hit by a straw man.
Biggest % of PS are on less than 40k per year.
Take PAYE, PRSI, USC and Pension Levy (yes they contribute, but that means 40 years work).
Not forgetting that all this goes right back to the coffers.
Lower the PS wage means lower the tax take – not gonna happen. We need the perception of high wages, high house prices, high rent to prove recovery.
Yet high ESB/GAS and more charges are an outrage – go figure.
Fin Tastic is spot on.
This rubbish about raising wages, raise the min wage complete and utter tosh.
It is this Governments interference where they shouldn’t and lack of interference where they should that is the problem.
Real aim is to get value for every euro we are left with.
FF – FG – Labour – FAILURE>
SO lets try something new – uhhhh – ohhhhhh.
Same small minded crap that people keep voting for,
Ah, R Neuville – you fell for it.
Tell us what the average COUNCIL tax in the UK is please?
Water rates???
Please, please tell us…..
Wow – Public sector workers DONT pay tax?
Go ahead, reduce their income – won’t affect the tax income – no sireeeeeeeee!
Your calculations are nothing short of fantasy. The median figure is what would be accurate, not the average. Also you are not comparing like with like, private sector (what job) entry level/graduate public sector?. Salaries are far higher in the private sector than the public. 10 ppl earning 30k + two people earning 100 k = 500k, divide by 12 = 41600 average. Although 10 out of twelve people see 30k. Extremely poor rationale from you.
Spot on Paul – he took this “average” and calculated that EVERY PS worker is earning this.
That is far from the truth, plus he didn’t even figure the tax to the state in his fantasy economics.
@R Neuville…you really do need to check out the reality of Public Sector Pay….forget your averages as they do not add up! I wish they did though we would be really well paid then.
R Neuville’s point is valid.
In the UK Public Sector pay is 3% ahead of Private Sector.
In Ireland Public sector pay rates are 40% ahead of the Private Sector.
The Private Sector can’t carry the Public Sector like this.
there is no doubt that you can not compare working in the public sector with work at any job in the private sector. for a start to progress in the private sector you have to show ability and iniative, two things that are frowned upon in the public sector. in the public sector sick days are mandatory while in private they are frowned upon. the list is endless.
Simple solution. Rebalance the system by slashing the pay of the highest paid Public and Civil Servants.
This would remove the burden from the Private Sector and allow for pay rises for the lowest paid Public Sector.
Your Taoiseach Mr Kenny has appointed a special minister for Public Sector Reform called Brendan Howlin. He has taken some corrective action with the “Croak Park” and “Haddington Rd” agreements to begin the rebalancing. Who am I to contradict your Taoiseach.
For all Burton’s talk of a ‘living wage’ her government are the very people that hit those 1 in 5 harder than any other section of Irish society. They did it consciously. That should never be forgiven.
Niall, these parties change the head of worm and most of Irish public forgive and forget instantly. Dont be surprised. These are same people who vote no one second and because told they don’t understand( with other words they are thick) They changed their vote to yes.
I fear all alot of Irish people care about is what the rest of world think of them and their own pockets.
The saying is true. You must destroy a nation from within before you can from outside.
The retail and service sector have been forced to squeeze their hard working workforce over the last six years. As disposable incomes have decreased so have workers hours. In many case split shifts exist offering less than 40 hours. The situation is deplorable and getting worse. Government have taken away under the USC more of the little cash they earn. In Dublin these workers have huge overheads above their meagre salaries. And outside of the cities the situation is worse. Empty units all over the place bear witness to the situation on the ground and what little hope there actually is for service and retail workers. The government do nothing except create delusional statistics which are manufactured to soothe the electorate. It’s not working and it’s not fair.
Agree George. The USC wiped out so many when reintroduced for all. It was a scandal. One of the biggest from this government IMO.
The retail and service sector have been forced to squeeze their hard working workforce over the last six years. As disposable incomes have decreased so have workers hours. In many case split shifts exist offering less than 40 hours. The situation is deplorable and getting worse. ”
– very True – customers without money cant buy – but not to worry Austerity has worked – the money has gone to the already Rich .
- but for the real moneymakeing now is business necessary – most of the money today is made from Bank Fraud , Tax evasion – ie ” Financial services ” .
People are becoming an irritating surplus to these real high fliers – the gamblers who gamble – and when they lose – run to the State to be bailed out – and they will do it again .
Of course- that is the nature of the auto genocide agenda.
I shared with Joan a plan to make sure every man woman and child in Ireland had a living “wage”
All designed by a criminologist, so incredibly simple and no begrudgers and the end result a thriving Irish economy.
So why is she not using the plan?
Why would she want history to repeat itself with another depression?
Why would she want to starve people out like our oppressors did in the past?
Joan is dancing to the tune of her Master. Simple
Here here! And neither should FF or FG
@catherine care to share this plan with us? A link perhaps. I’d be very interested to see it.
JobBridge deliberately exploits and keeps people in poverty just to keep unemployment statistics low.
”JobBridge deliberately exploits and keeps people in poverty just to keep unemployment statistics low.”
-
and provide cheap labour for the ” entrepreneurs ”.
God damn the entrepreneurs.
God damn the entrepreneurs.
Seamus,
If they’re using state subsidies to run their businesses… They can’t really be called entrepreneurs, can they?
Of course those who start up and run businesses and pay fair (not market) rates for staff deserve assistance, Joansbridge isn’t really exploited by those who are too busy getting their companies off the ground.
But shur didn’t Mickey Noonan say during the week that does earning €100,000 per year are struggling. What chance do those on €25,000 a year have.
How about someone on 13 grand a year?
I work in a spar. I’d take your hand off for 25k. My hours got cut again this week. I’m on a full time contract but I’ll only get 24.5 hours worth about 200 Euro after tax.
Surely the minimum wage should be the living wage ! Why the difference ?
To encourage companies to set up shop and in general to encourage employment. The further the minimum wage increases, the employment there will be. Our minimum wage is high enough. However, morally responsible employers should have a yearly wage increase for employees
I’d guess part time workers who still live at home with their parents, ie teenagers and students, would fall into the minimum wage as their cost of living is lower than that of a person working to pay their rent and such.
*There will be less employment.
I don’t know how i managed to mix that sentence up
Demand for your service/product is the major driving force of job creation not the level of minimum wage. If demand determines a shop needs extra staff they will employ more people. Simple as.
Minimum wage is used by the majority of employers to keep profits high, not so they can hire extra staff. The race to the bottom if you will. Ask yourself why big companies like tesco etc… pay staff minimum wage although make billions in profit every year.
Employment is worth fook all if employees are not paid a proper wage, defeats the whole purpose of employment. Your attitude would eventually lead to lawlessness and an awful lot of people involved in crime. People can only have the p..s taken out of them up to a point
Thought you well I have hmm hmm hmm !
When the very people and their families in our government are heavily invested in property and promote increasing rents and property prices then we as citizens need to wake up. It might as well be British Landlords as they have been replaced by the Irish who are crucifying their own people. Making slaves to banks and Landlords seems to be Labours Way.
It might as well be British Landlords as they have been replaced by the Irish who are crucifying their own people”
It is. Independence is a joke.
http://www.reformation.org/jesuits-in-ireland.html
. When the “free” State was established in 1922, their reformatories were gold mines with the children providing free labor and the financial subsidies granted by the State.
This is the problem with Ireland. The politicians for the near entirety ( Party-led) are prone to support rich people because they make the news for job creation etc. Whereas the poor need the money and cannot even receive the ‘living wage’ considered to be over €11 p/hr yet our social welfare which brings you to a mere €188 p/w is hardly sustainable when all bills and more bills to come are to be paid. Explain that to us any government/non-government body.
And up until the age of 26…. Yes 26… You are considered dependent on your parents and entitled to a maximum of 100 per week + rent/fuel allowance. Only in Ireland would a government seriously enforce this stuff or come out and say stuff like that gobsh!t€ did the other day. Or the famous “sure it’s only a hundred euro”. Backwards little island, honestly feels like we’re all in an episode of father Ted… :/
It’s worthy of note that those who think the minimum wage is too high usually earn much more than the minimum wage. Funny that….
I would say its more like 2 in 5.
Anyone remember when you had fifty quid in your pocket and bought your week shopping for you and two kids?
Under the very noses of the government and their minimum wage some companies are paying far less than the minimum wage. You would be shocked at how low the pay is. It’s done through bizarre agency schemes which circumvent the normal employment laws.
Joan Burton has talked about introducing a living wage, now she’s Tainste and currently trying to secure the Jobs Ministry for her Party she has a chance to implement a living wage and improve the standards of living for so many people.
Lets hope she delivers :/
God almighty you expect her to deliver when she has been the one with reigns along with Gilmore for how many years now. She doesnt give a toss about anyone.
Joan has done nothing about it for the last 3 years Sean don’t hold your breath in the expectation she will do something now.
Living wage is a Labour election term – nothing more.
God damn Joan Burton.
God damn Joan Burton.
It is a very tricky situation. Firstly, to say clearly there are simply bossed out there who are exploitative because they can get away with it. This is especially so in retail.
However there is an opinion out there that increasing minimum wage is a tax on small business. A tax they can simply not afford. This in turn can cost jobs in the long run.
The reality is that these low paid jobs have historically been held as a “stepping stone” job for students etc.
I think more needs to be done to address why a person in their 40s raising a family arefotc
If a business can’t afford to pay its workers at least minimum wage, then the business isn’t viable in the first place.
Exactly. The state us subsidizing failed businesses. Even failed banks.
I come home more mentally and physically tired from my minimum wage cafe job than anyone I know that earns over 11 euro an hour. Maybe I’m just a wuss but I think there’s something wrong there…
unfortunately if you left in the morning, you could be easily replaced and that is reflected in your wages
But we need poverty to remain competitive
Lol
I have a family of 5 and earn 48,000 this is net when grossed it is a lot less. Paying a mortgage, car, bills and school and college fees it is very difficult. I don’t see how anybody not living at home could survive on even 12 euro an hour. The government really need to do something about it.
I earn below the living wage and can survive fine. the problem is the cost of living and the level of taxation. most of the increases to the cost of living can be laid at the feet of the government. taxes or charges whatever they call them which effect the worse off more than the well off. unfortunately increasing the minimum wage would have a short term benefit for the less well off. but there would have to be an increase in welfare payment and ultimately an increase in the cost of living an all we would have achieved is making Ireland less competitive in the jobs market and more expensive for tourists, leaving us with less jobs.
Good comment joe,and very true,increasing wages to compensate for higher taxes and charges just adds to the countrys uncompetiveness and companies will just further reduce the numbers employed adding to the cost of dole payments,the tax take at 52pc on earnings over€32000 is also far too high and needs to be lowered, it is a disincentive for people to take up employment.
It is a very tricky situation. Firstly, to say clearly there are simply bossed out there who are exploitative because they can get away with it. This is especially so in retail.
However there is an opinion out there that increasing minimum wage is a tax on small business. A tax they can simply not afford. This in turn can cost jobs in the long run.
The reality is that these low paid jobs have historically been held as a “stepping stone” job for students etc.
I think more needs to be done to address why a person in their 40s raising a family are forced to work in these jobs. Whereas a generation before would be likely to be in more stable employment with roughly similar qualifications.
In the short-term, I think they should look at the idea of a negative income tax on those in similar jobs. Say if a person is earning€400 a week they should receive a tax supplement of say €50. And when they enter better employment and can afford to they can repay the supplement.
It’s sad that working people are in poverty but demanding minimum wage increases damages the market in two ways: A business is unduly taxed and an individual is prevented from selling his labour at a price he may accept, thus keeping out of work.
I could tell you one reason. Child care costs. Alot of people have to opt out of more stable jobs because during summer months especially child care costs go up.
Companies need to adopt like Norway low cost child care or return the old childminding exempt from tax. As of yet Ireland does not take into account for your outgoings on child care or give you leverage for health if you have no health care.
That would be one reason i can think of.
Karen, you mean low cost to the user, which means the cost is on the taxpayer.
Not that I disagree – but we don’t have it.
There is no such thing as free or low cost.
It all has to be paid for,
1 in 5 earn below the living wage and your answer is low cost childcare?
Who pays these workers?
Should they get low pay for working so that working parents can earn more by paying less?
Living standards are crap because so many things are expensive, our governments have a lot to do with it. Housing is seen as a asset when its really shelter cheaper housing policies means less money flowing to finance and more money in the real economy. Policies developed around housing would do more to raise living standards then anything else.
Cut taxes, USC & PRSI for people earning less than €35,000 – problem solved
I’m just going to leave this here…
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/06/the-pitchforks-are-coming-for-us-plutocrats-108014_full.html#.U7m8Uom9LCR
@coilin No his point is not valid for aforementioned reasons. subsuquently comparing another countries system to our own is a fools game. In relation to tax rates in the u.k. , and the equity of sterling is where that point falls down. Then the magic numbers tossed around such as 40% is not even tangental to an accuarate portrayal of parity. Apples and oranges cannot be compared if you will. Most importantly, personal slants on averages of either end of the payscales is borderline incredible. To expose such mistruths requires very little effort, even the most low brow of individuals could cut through the figures by barely brushing the surface.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJR0DYs70f8
For those of you wanting to raise the minimum wage – increase the living wage.
Watch this.
have your say