TOD:
In addition to what FJL said about abuse, I'll add this: Everyone is a critic and always has been. But it used to be that you knew the creds of the critics -- or at least you hoped the newspapers, TV stations, etc. screened people before hiring them. Now, you can't tell who is doing a critique or whose opinion to trust. This has gotten really bad on the barbecue trail. Yelp, Urbanspoon and those sites are filled with outrageous comments, pro and con, about the quality of certain barbecue. But how do I know if you understand the type of barbecue being served at a place? You could be from North Carolina and hate Texas barbecue, so does that make you a good judge of a different type of regional food? Maybe, maybe not. I don't know what to think or why I read you. But I have visited places based on these comments. Some have been worthy, others have woebegone.
On the other hand, it helps having the Internet for easy checking of addresses and phone numbers, much easier than a phone book -- and I'm pleasantly surprised at how reliable the phone numbers have been.
