Yelp lawsuit settled, and thoughts on fixing Yelp flaws

Some local friends were chatting about the yelp court case… amazing the momentary hubbub that it caused.  All of a sudden everyone was a flitter with concern.. and now it is business as usual.

A lot of people thought the doc was a jerk.  Others thought the guy was standing for free speech.  Well let me tell you… I doubt he was a bad guy, and it certainly wasn’t about free speech.  It was just a wreck of a case, and there was nothing legitimate there except two wide eyed people dragging their own name through the mud.  They didn’t think it would get as big as it did, so they settled.

I don’t think the doc was a bad guy, necessarily.  I think he doesn’t get social media, and acted inappropriately, to a fault.

But I think the fact it settled so quickly was interesting.  These guys weren’t ready for the limelight, and they just wanted everything fixed.  But the public is clamouring for news on the way Yelp works.

And it does, but doesn’t, work very well.  So it is this duality that is starting to get picked up, and people are anxious for the resolution to these ongoing concerns.

I think this is all indicative of Yelp’s massive immaturity (young and dealing with new issues) coming to a head, and things going awry while their management insults people on threads, then deletes the threads when it isn’t comfortable…..

and the rest of the yelp crew is cold calling merchants with a hard sell all the while ignoring them while they create a social scene of hipsters that they can finally…. be.. .cool… enough… to … be… part … of.

This stuff has to be sorted out.  An egotistical doctor that doesn’t get social review sites is a perfect patsy to gel the power of the web 2.0 tools.  Hopefully this will start a conversation about how to fix yelp’s imperfections and flaws.

TWO FIXES that actually come from the flawed trip advisor:

1) Multi tiered rating like trip advisor.  A main overall star rating, but then a rating for cleanliness, service, food, etc.

2) Instead of trying to get money from merchants, and then ignoring them in favour of teeny bopper yelpers that cannot even spell…. allow businesses a discourse with clients.  Responding *TO* clients isn’t necessarily important or effective when you are talking about immature folk, ignorant people, or types that just want to rail against you, let alone shill reviews, etc.

This is a social, public conversation.  Business owners should be able to respond, rebutt, or remark in kind.

AND LAST ONE:

3)  START THINKING OF VERIFICATION PROCESSES PEOPLE.

the first social review site that can find a way to verify the actual transaction at the business will develop a more honest, trustworthy, and sellable brand.