Signal vs. Noise has (inadvertently? or not so much?) reminded us all of the pitfalls of doing research online. Jason asks readers’ opinions of LASIK surgery. The result? A tangled snarl of a comment thread. “It’s the best thing ever!” “You’ll burn your eyes out!” etc.

The bell curve gets turned upside down on the Web. The extreme negative and positive opinions are amplified by those who have an axe to grind or a horn to toot, while the silent majority just don’t take the time to share their stories.

Apologies to Seth Godin for the title of this post.

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