A friend pointed out a recent
article on CNN questioning the integrity of Yelp. Here's the gist. The
East Bay Express claimed advertisers were being subjected to questionable tactics in order to get them to advertise on Yelp. The promise was that negative reviews would be taken down. The threat was that positive reviews would disappear or negative ones would appear if a business owner declined to advertise with Yelp. A dozen business owners said they experienced this form of blackmail. Some compare these tactics to the mafia demanding protection money. "The local neighborhood protection racket has just moved to the web," said one anonymous source.
Yelp admits that they pay "scouts" and "ambassadors" to write reviews. In some cases, businesses that received negative reviews from paid Yelpers were then asked to advertise.
This brings into question - how authentic and how accurate are the reviews on Yelp?
And it isn't just Yelp that can manipulate the ratings. One irate customer can post an unfair negative review and encourage friends to also post negative reviews. One restaurant owner related that a customer was angry that the business was closed for a private event and went on Yelp, accusing the employees of being unsanitary. There have also been cases of one competitor slamming another.
The biggest challenges faced by Yelp as well as JudysBook.com, Google Local and Yahoo Local is how to encourage ethical user behavior, high-quality reviews and still make money. Whether true or not, there is the appearance of a conflict of interest when the businesses being reviewed are the ones being solicited to advertise. But this is unlikely to change.
So, how can you tell when a review is legitimate? The simple answer is you can't. That's all part of web 2.0. Everyone is free to have an opinion, but you don't necessarily have to believe everything you read. Be a critical thinker.
So here's what I do:
1. Review the reviewer. I investigate the poster's other reviews to see if they are always positive, always negative, or if there seems to be a balance. If this is the only review from this poster and it's particularly negative, I weigh that information. If the poster has posted a good number of reviews about a variety of establishments, with well-reasoned criteria, I give their opinions more weight.
2. There's safety in numbers. It's not as easy to manipulate the results when an establishment has dozens of reviews.
3. Severity of the "infraction". Is the complaint that the waitstaff were surly or that there were multiple health code violations?
4. Compare reviews on several different websites.
And if all this seems too much trouble, then just throw a dart to decide where you will eat tonight.
Do you have a solution? Let us know.
Wahoo! We've made it into the big time! We are now listed on the Weddings.Alltop page. What an honor! We join our faves:
Remember in the movie "The Graduate" when Benjamin (Dustin Hoffman) graduated from college and was uncertain of his future. At a backyard barbeque the neighborhood know-it-all friend of the family came over, put an arm around Ben's shoulder and said "I have just one word for you. Plastics." 
Savvy: [sav-ee] 1. to know; understand, 2. shrewdly informed; experienced, 3. common sense; practical understanding, 4. discerning.
She has had an interesting blog for quite awhile but just launched a new and improved (if that's possible) blog about destination weddings. Check it out!
A friend pointed out a recent article on CNN questioning the integrity of Yelp. Here's the gist. The East Bay Express claimed advertisers were being subjected to questionable tactics in order to get them to advertise on Yelp. The promise was that negative reviews would be taken down. The threat was that positive reviews would disappear or negative ones would appear if a business owner declined to advertise with Yelp. A dozen business owners said they experienced this form of blackmail. Some compare these tactics to the mafia demanding protection money. "The local neighborhood protection racket has just moved to the web," said one anonymous source.
What should I do with my sweetheart on Valentine's Day, you might be asking. Here's the perfect answer - go to the San Francisco Silent Film Festival tomorrow night. 
Wedding University has come and gone - for this year - and it went very well! The classes were quite well attended - lots of information and lots of laughs. 
As they say at the top of the show in ABC Sports programs..."Spanning the globe to bring you..." Well, we're spanning the internet to find you the best giveaways. And here's one worthy of your consideration.
We've long been a fan of Elizabeth Anne Designs, one of the best wedding blogs we follow. Loved all the great ideas, the great list of talented wedding professionals, and the personal insights they share. Now...even better! A bright and fresh look for their blog and now - vendor reviews, message board and a bulletin board of all kinds of new products and good buys. Really, you must see for yourself. No wonder their readership has doubled in the last month!
