How do you feel about Yelp? Inquiring minds want to know.
I asked that question all over the Net — on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and even Yelp itself. And I got an earful PLUS a hilarious discussion on the Yelp TALK feature. [Check it out, especially the “goggle” chat. If you are not now a registered Yelper, you’ll have to sign up to read the conversation.]
Yelp is an online city guide with a Web 2.0 mentality, allowing “real people” to write “real reviews” about nearly any type of business — from restaurants to dentists, bars to clothing stores.
— from Wikipedia
Some context:
1. A new acquaintance, a dentist, upon finding out that I was a “Social Media Strategist,” asked me how to remove negative comments on Yelp. I didn’t know for certain, but my suspicion was that an ordinary human being who was not an “insider” [i.e., advertiser or Yelp staffer] had no such powers. I’d heard other unhappy Yelp stories.
2. My BNI friends were advising our entrepreneurial members to Set Up Profiles on Yelp. I had my doubts, but kept my mouth shut — at the time.
3. One of my BNI colleagues suggested I become an “Expert” on Yelp, so I could advise him and others. Of course the label “Expert” is anathema to anyone studying social media since Social Media changes by the minute — thank you Mark Zuckerburg, Jack Dorsey, etc.
4. So I started my research by posting the aforementioned question . . . and offered to do a Guest Post for a friend’s blog. It appears that I have opened Pandora’s Box.
5. An Aside: CROWDSOURCING: The realization that readers often know more than writers.
I’ll be writing my Guest Post tomorrow, but I plan a series on the subject for SHARISAX IS OUT THERE and would love your help. I have a few posts already planned to highlight experiences from some of the LinkedIn and Yelp responders, but I’m also looking for Guest Posters to write a post for this blog series.
So have at it. Whether you are a Small Business or a Consumer, please comment below or email me at sharisax@aol.com.
- Have Yelp reviews brought you business?
- Have Yelp reviews lost you business?
- Are you a Yelp reviewer? An “Elite” reviewer?
- Do you use Yelp to find local businesses? What kind? Were the reviews accurate?
- Do you advertise on Yelp? Is it working for you/
- Have you been hounded by Yelp ad salespeople?
- How do YOU feel about Yelp?
Let the “games” begin . . . or as many Yelp-ers contend, let the Mafia Wars continue.
It’s hard to know whether the reviews posted on yelp are from “real people” or not. Rumor has it that many reviews are paid for by the businesses or by competitors. Nonetheless, yelp and others like it are here to stay and a business does well to monitor reviews and respond positively to the negative reviews. Never hurts to do so.