Over the past two weeks I have had a series of events that have given me reason to pause and think about reviews and the benefit that they provide to both clients and providers alike. Our world thrives in many instances on the written word. The review, and decisions are made based in part, if not totally in many cases on a single review.  I believe in reviews. I always have which is one reason I came to this site, first as a poster of reviews and now as moderator. However, I do believe that in some instances that we overvalue what we read. Especially when we put our total trust in what a person that we have never met or discussed anything with tells us they had a great time and we rush out without another thought and expect the same great time. When you do this you set yourself up for a big disappointment. Now you might think that I must have had a horrible experience for me to post this but actually it is the exact opposite.What started this thought process is that I spent the better part of a day with a provider having the time of my life. Probably one of the best times that I have ever had and I did not after some thought post a review because the more I thought about our meeting the more I realized that there was no fair way for me to post a review that was not going to cause more problems in the long run then what it was going to provide good.To her and to hobbyist alike I might add.There were so many variables that made this meeting the quality of what it was including that we know each other, ( not the first time in each others company), we were comfortable with each other, it was longer then the standard hour appointment that most reviews are based on, and that we both share a lot of the same likes and dislikes. Somebody reading this review who had never met this lady, has no knowledge of my preferences, does not have the previous experience of past meetings would have no chance of having the same level of quality that I did, and in this instance the fun that both her and I shared. It is just too much to ask of her to throw a switch on in her brain and relate to a first time client in a short period of time in the same manner. Yet we all have done it. Read a review, booked a "date", and left wondering what happened when it didn't match up with what we had read. This is not to say that you can not have a first time meeting that knocks your socks off. I just feel that your odds of that happening are less, far less, especially if you rely only on a single review. Now there were a few other items that contributed to this post, including a long provider post on another board concerning the term GFE, but without a doubt this was the starting point.My advice which since it is free is worth what you paid for it is to use reviews, but use them with intelligence. Look for a consensus of a few people not just a single review. Look for reviews with enough detail instead of the one or two sentence ones that many times are "friend" post. E-mail the lady herself. Read not only what she tells you but how she tells you about herself.  If she has a web site look at the FAQ Section instead of just the pictures. Look for experienced hobbyist that have a good track record in looking at reviews. If you recognize the person by his board presence better yet. Otherwise put some time into investigating whom you choose. In the long run its worth it many times over.