Frequently Asked Questions
What is Echo?
Echo is a coworker review platform where verified users review their coworkers with "Res" (Resonance, positive traits) and "Dis" (Dissonance, areas for improvement). All feedback is anonymous and based on verified colleague relationships.
Who can I actually review?
Once signing up and creating/claiming your own profile, you can review anyone who had worked in the same company as you had for at least three months.
I can't find whom I want to review. What do I do?
You can simply add their profile to Echo by clicking the "Add Person" button on People page. The person you want to review doesn't have to be a signed user on Echo for you to be able to create their profile. The profile belongs to the Echo community, not its creator or owner.
What do I need to write to create someone's profile on Echo?
At the bare minimum, you need to provide his full name and current company with job title. You can optionally provide his LinkedIn URL, job history, education history, and photo.
Where do I find this information?
We advise referring to official and credible sources for professional profiles. Company websites and the profile owner's LinkedIn profile are good sources.
Do I really have to locate and enter all the items on someone's professional profile manually before I can review them? It sounds like a lot of trouble.
Echo offers an Auto-search function where you simply provide the full name and past or present company of someone, and the system builds their full profile automatically. This function uses publicly available data from a third-party data provider to find whom you are looking for in a click. You will see it when adding a new person. You can of course optionally choose to input profile information manually.
When signing up, this website asks me to create my own professional profile. Why do I have to do this? Can I skip this?
Echo allows users to review their coworkers. To avoid spams and libels, we only allow you to review someone whom you've worked with. To verify this, you need to create your own professional profile with your present or past jobs. The Auto-search function is available to make this easy just like when you create someone else's profile. You don't have to complete your own profile creation to sign up for an account. But if you skip, you simply won't be able to review someone. You can still read reviews and participate in other community activities.
After creating my own profile, the website asks me to verify that I am the owner of this profile. What does this mean?
Yes, you need to verify your identity in order to claim a profile. Similar to the last question, this is to prevent people from creating intentionally untruthful profiles just to defame or shill for someone whom they haven't actually worked with. If you don't claim your profile, you won't be able to review anyone. You can verify your identity by simply connecting to your LinkedIn account in a few clicks. If for any reason that doesn't work, you can optionally provide employment documents (offer letters, paystubs, tax forms, etc.) or work email as alternatives.
What if the information shown on someone's profile is inaccurate?
It happens! Echo has a community-based model where everyone contributes content and watches over what goes around, just like Wikipedia. People might create inaccurate profiles either inadvertently or on purpose. If you can tell that someone's profile is outdated or inaccurate, please suggest edits on their profile page. The admin team takes these suggestions very seriously and will review them promptly. Truthfulness and transparency count on every user just like you.
I see untrue reviews of myself. What can I do?
Go ahead and click "Report" on materially untruthful information. We take libel and personal attack claims very seriously. All reports will be addressed promptly by the admin team.
Is my review anonymous?
Yes, all reviews are strictly anonymous. If you include certain information in your review that alludes to specific experiences and details, it is still possible for people to identify you. This is up to your own discretion.
When I try to give someone Dis, the website says I need more Echo credits. What does that mean?
Echo credits are used to guide the community to stay neutral. After claiming your profile, you gain 4 initial Echo credits. When you Dis someone, each Dis you give consumes one Echo credit. When you Res someone, each Res you give earns you one Echo credit. Therefore, in order to give out more Dis ratings, you need to contribute a roughly equal amount of Res ratings as well. We found out that on review platforms, people are prone to rage reviewing when they had a bad experience; But when they had a good experience, they scarcely bother to leave a good review. This results in a biased environment which is not helpful in getting people to know whom people truly are. The Echo credit system encourages you to tell people about not just the coworkers you hate, but also those you love. This helps people make the right career decisions.
I see on my dashboard that I have this nickname that's different from my real name. What is that?
That nickname is your forum identity. It is automatically created and assigned to you when you create your account. You can change it as well as your avatar as you wish. When you comment on a review or interact with people on Echo, you may not want to disclose who you are. Using the forum identity allows you to build a presence while protecting your anonymity. Of course, you can always opt to use your real identity as per your profile in these scenarios at your own discretion.
Will I be punished or retaliated for what I write on Echo?
While we cannot guarantee that this doesn't happen, we do everything in our disposal to protect your anonymity and user data. We don't sell your data to anyone else and we don't allow companies to "moderate" our community for our profit. Speaking up on Echo is just like in everywhere else on the internet: your are entitled to your right of free speech, for as long as you don't say something untruthful or malicious. Just keep in mind that if you include specific details about yourself or your work relationships, there is a chance for people to guess who you are. We don't advise that, but we cannot forbid you from disclosing yourself.
Got more questions? Contact us.