In reply to Rod Olman.

That's lower than the real number since many 5-star reviews were supposed to be 1-star but Automattic has put the default to 5-star and therefore many reviews are incorrectly starred.

Just noting that Automattic has nothing to do with this. It is also the same for all plugins. Personally, I'd rather that the plugin rating field not be auto-filled, requiring that the user manually set it.

Also, many reviews are "archived" (memoryholed). How many we'll never know, but those of us who like watching the reviews page notice 1-star reviews disappearing from time to time.

Are you saying that one-star reviews are being intentionally removed for no other reason than being one star? Or, are these reviews being removed for violating forum guidelines?

Second, Justin: who pays your writer’s salary? Is it Automattic, its investors or any subsidiaries thereof, perhaps?

I am employed by Audrey Capital as an independent journalist. I have no ties to Automattic.