As I read the Wall Street Journal article about the accuracy of the hotel reviews on Trip Advisor, I was suddenly struck by the realisation that if you substitute the hotel names with providers and change "traveler" to "hobbyist" they are talking about US!  LOL
Everything is covered from grade inflation to spotting the shills.

Yeah, I read that article, and the exact same thought came to my mind.

When things get boiled down to essentials... they are more often exactly alike... and this hobby is a hobby to us, but a business to the ladies.. and the business model is there.  So, what are the basics...?  

Service.
Customer relations.
Finance.
Advertising.
Quality control.