Yelp and Its Discontents
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Yelp and Its Discontents
Why does a simple review site drive people so crazy?
By Paul Smalera
Posted Wednesday, July 15, 2009 - 12:33pm
Is Yelp perfect? No. Episodes like the one Dall experienced should be avoided and should be a lesson for a company that relies on its reviewers to stay in business. And Yelp advertising sales representatives should be given strict instructions to direct questions about reviews or scores to another department or to Yelp's business-owner FAQ.
Yelp should also provide a "nuclear option," of listing a business's contact information but allowing a business owner to request that no reviews of any sort be posted on its page. It's only fair to provide a way for businesses to opt out of commentary, for better or for worse. I doubt many owners would take Yelp up on this—far too many have benefited from the exposure. Which is why it shouldn't surprise a small-business owner to learn that as much as he loves pouring lattes or filling cavities, Yelp, just like him, is also in business to make a buck or two along the way.
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Comments
YELP in HELL
YELP in HELL!
We pray YELP goes bankrupt and sinks to the bottom of hell, and takes
its MAFIA YELPERS with them. We pray that GOD shows no mercy for all
the emotional damage and EXTORTION they have inflicted upon small business owners and
the children they support. YELP is a den of snakes and deserve to BURN
for the lies and slander they spread on the world wide web.
PRAY PSALMS 140 FOR THEIR
DESTRUCTION!
Say five times: "Archangel Michael destroy YELP today!"
The larger issue
Yelp: The name itself is irritating to me, as it typifies the "everybody's-famous-for-15-minutes" mania that has taken over this country. Anonymous people able to post whatever self-important bleatings they wish, and perhaps decimate the reputation of a good business, with little opportunity for the business to defend itself.
I never liked like the tone of the communications that come from Yelp, and that was before reading the claims of behind-the-scenes manipulation.
There is something undeniably creepy about the accelerating trend of companies tracking so much personal information about so many people... the secret algorithms.... the manipulating of data to influence consumer choices.
I'm hardly a conspiracy buff, but anytime there is a system from which someone stands to make large amounts of money by gaming it, you can guarantee someone will be trying to do just that.
The ACLU commercial about ordering a pizza and being chided for one's cholesterol level, which seemed far-fetched, gets more believable every day.
Yelp
Since being banned from Yelp my coffee blog has sky rocketed in popularity both from the banning as every loves a little controversy, but also and more importantly people see that you can't review a business in 50 words and a star rating.
Their is a reason Journalist would do food reviews of 300 - 500 words. Because when you write that much you real feelings about the place are revealed. For example the Yelp reviewed the Vancouver Public Library.
http://www.yelp.ca/biz/vancouver-public-library-vancouver-14#hrid:1ToqNr...
They give this building 3 stars and states: Pros: Pretty sweet looking architecture Good place to take pictures. Haven't actually gone inside, but it looks Huge. Cons: None
How can yelpers possible review something they haven't even gone inside! How many things is she reviewing without going inside? Now the VPL downtown is a awesome place that is full of wonder and adventure! But sadly lacks restroom facilitates for the amount of people who come to enjoy it.
Again this has nothing to do with the VPL but more the quality of the review.
When I review a cafe I go three or four times over the course of a week and spend almost twenty bucks in coffee to make sure I have seen the cafe at all times of the day. To do an review also take me about 4 -6 hours from start to finish. And everything I have heard from my users is they love the detail of any post, if gives them a real sense of the cafe as a typical patron would see it.
You just can do that in 50 words or less. You can read more about how we review here: http://coffeevancouver.ca/our-mantra/
Aside from being banned a lot of my issue with Yelp and what I have heard from other users is their reviews just don't hold any weight, any authority or professional knowledge.
Regards
Robert Dall
Author / Owner
Coffee Vancouver
http://coffeevancouver.ca