The Anonymous interview

With more than 38,000 members, The Good or Bad Jersey Businesses Facebook group has one of the widest reaches on the island. But why? An under-cooked panini, an over-priced and under-staffed cafe, an ‘I’m-avoiding-cash-only-premises rant’ and my personal favourite- ‘I usually wouldn’t post on here but…’ seem to provide not only quality entertainment but a public space warning those places to do better. It acts as a forum to highlight those doing well and to give credit where credit is due for a business going above and beyond.

As comical as the page can be, I can’t help but eye-roll at some of the ‘bad business’ posts on the page. Slating a cafe or restaurant, without actually making the business or its staff aware of the problem first. Straight to the ol’ Internet we go. I’d wanted to highlight this piece of Jerseys online culture for a while, and when I got wind that a friend of a friend (of a friend) knew who the page belonged to, I had to dig. How had it come about? How did it become so successful? Who was he? I called the number I was given and, with a muffled voice, the phone was answered:

Barry at Good or bad Jersey business, how can I help?

Hello, it’s Thea from Gallery. Thanks for agreeing to talk to me. I’ve got some questions about your Facebook Group. Are you happy to chat? As long as you keep me anonymous, I’ll tell you whatever you like.

Sounds good Barry, can you tell me how it came about?

I can’t actually take credit for the idea. I was originally looking at creating a business for promoting well-reviewed businesses after struggling to choose a removal company to use. My review business was difficult to manage and the original iteration of the GoBJB group was fairly successful with a few thousand members. I decided I’d prefer to have a group like GoBJB but for positive reviews only.

So, it started off good, and then went bad?

I think the original GoBJB group’s success, and demise, were a result of the huge impact reviews can have in a community like Jersey. From my own experiences, it was clear there wasn’t much you could do for bad reviews before GoBJB. An island with limited service offerings can lead to complacency. There was a rush to name and shame terrible services, ripoffs, cowboys etc. in a public space as a real warning to fellow islanders.

Sorry to bring it up but didn’t you get shut down once?

Ultimately the group became a spot for both more fickle reviews and business and associate responses, and the heated debates brought negative attention. I don’t know for sure what happened but I believe some trade body stepped in to stop the group. The group was deleted. So I just decided to make another, and it immediately grew to thousands again.

Go Barry, ‘f’ the system. So now, you’ve got over 38,000 members, that’s like a third of the population. Do you have a team managing & moderating the page or are you a one-person band?

I hadn’t anticipated the administrative burden of policing the group at first. I’d intended it to be predominantly good reviews but it seems there’s nothing people like to do more than leave a grumpy review on their commute home from work. Hundreds of requests a day, messages, reported content, it was mayhem. Seeing all the most juicy aspects of the group was quite entertaining though.

So, you weren’t always anonymous? Might the original members remember you, and dare I say, reveal you?

I once received a personal call from someone who’d suffered a particularly damning review. They asked if I could take down the review. Me, being sat in my office with colleagues, thinking this was the strangest interaction I’d ever had and decided the group needed an anonymous admin, and to regulate itself with a set of rules.

Ok, run me through these rules.

They’re based on traditional user behaviour. If activity moves outside of that, people are blocked or posts are removed or people are not accepted as members. It has its own ecosystem now, without the interference of a powerhungry admin as some groups tend to get, which I think has added to its success.

So you’re not a power-hungry admin?

…Ask me that again, and you’ll get your own bad review.

Sorry Barry. I’ll stick to the questions. So, what’s the first rule of GoBJB club?

The basic rule is that if you don’t leave a fairly genuine review you’ll probably get the boot. I don’t respond to messages or even log in to read them.

Do you have a favourite post?

My favourite posts have been watching the genuine successes of small businesses, particularly trades, that have grown from reviews. I don’t enjoy reading bad reviews but when 10, 20, or 100 people are backing up a poor review, you can see they have been getting away with poor service for too long. It’s created accountability where it didn’t exist before.

So, now we’re comfortable, tell me the juice, what’s the gossip. Have you had any ‘bad’ experiences?

Well, it’s funny considering my own experiences of using the well-reviewed business in the group. I had one of our better-reviewed oven cleaners round. They spilt the cleaning product and left permanent staining on our brand-new wooden floor, so they didn’t charge. I’ve also suffered broken mugs from a cleaner, which were then replaced. I think my idea of finding the perfect service isn’t necessarily possible, but I have found businesses that make an effort when they are at fault, and that’s about as good as you can ask for.

What’s the plan for the future of the group?

Having such a dominating position in Jersey means the group could be leveraged for further success. I’d be interested in selling it to the right buyer; might have to log in to see if anyone messages the admin who is interested. Or I may see if Elon is looking for another purchase…

Oh also, one thing before you go, where’s the best bacon roll in Jersey?

At the driving range. Absolutely perfect black pudding, bacon and egg.

Once the phone hangs up, and the dial tone rings, I can’t help but think my interaction with Barry, the somewhat mysterious owner of the group was well, rather normal, and only slightly threatening.