Hey- I Like Bob’s Seafood!

I’ve never used Yelp. There I said it. All this talk on here, in the New York Times, The Washington Post, and others, and I’ve never used it. Now, I have heard of Yelp- I consider myself culturally and technologically aware. I have even checked out the reviews on some of my favorite places to go. But I have never used it to determine where I was going to go or what I was going to do; I have never posted a review on Yelp.

Now that I have you on the edge of your seat, I can explain why Yelp is really useless, and yes, why you as a business owner, should be very concerned anyway.

To prove why Yelp is useless, I will give a real-life example, Bob’s Seafood.

Bob’s only got three stars, with only one review. If I had never been to Bob’s seafood, I wouldn’t know that this reviewer is full of it. The review is based purely on personal tastes, not the quality of the restaurant. Why would I want a recommendation like that from a woman I never met? Is she a lobster connoisseur? Who knows? She has no qualifications listed- only that she likes her bun side split and toasted.

Yelp is useless because anyone can submit a review. There are no filters, and as discussed, its virtually impossible to get a bad review removed. As long as I give a valid email, I am up and posting in minutes. I can find my competitor’s businesses and write a bad review just for spite. In places where Yelp is less popular, there are fewer reviews- Bob’s only has one review. If the one review you receive is a bad one, you are out of luck.

Yelp is useless because the web is full of belly-acher’s. I was taught that people are 10 times more likely to spread bad reviews about you than good ones. That means that if someone has a decent time at your restaurant, he’s not going to tell anyone unless you ask him. If, however, he has a poor experience, he’s going to make sure everyone knows. In the “recommendation age,” this is probably a minimum. People definitely seem more inclined to write about their bad experiences, unless they are frequent users that write about everything. Go to the popular website, Digg, and look at comments on any story to see what I mean. These people LOVE to rant about things until their fingers can’t type anymore. They love getting worked up about things and being sarcastic, cynical, and sometimes downright mean.

It’s Still Your Problem

Now comes part two. You, as a business owner, should be concerned- very concerned. All too many business owners drastically underestimate the power of the internet. If you dare, go to Juicy Campus, a website set up to spread rumors about college students. These same people will be spreading rumors and information about your place of business, and word spreads fast. Just as entire personal reputations are destroyed or made on the web, so too are business reputations made and lost. Here are some tips to help you stay mindful of the power of the internet:

1. Keep out of confrontations with customers. You never know who you may be arguing with- he or she may be a respected user on the very websites that contain reviews about your business.


2. Use a process for dissatisfied customers. Have a way of dealing with people that didn’t get what they wanted. If you always do it the same way, you will less likely be haunted by individual problems.


3. Do employee exit interviews. Try to prevent people from leaving your company with an axe to grind. Figure out why each employee is leaving and allow them to speak their mind to you, in person. If possible, come to a peaceable resolution.


4. Don’t stonewall dissatisfied customers. Allow them to take their problem to management, and help them feel important. This way they will be less likely to take their problem to the internet masses.


5. Conduct surveys. Use formal surveys and informal questions like “how was everything today?” to gauge the satisfaction level of your customers. As a business, you should seek continuous improvement.


6. If you’re struggling for good reviews on the internet, start asking well-known satisfied customers to post reviews. You could even put a computer right in your store for customers to post their good reviews.

Yelp is getting more popular, Google contains reviews on just about everything, Epinions is like consumer reports on drugs, and Amazon has reviews on everything it sells. As a customer, I take reviews with a grain of salt. As a business owner, I take review sites and the people that use them very seriously.

Mike Freeman
I prefer to experience things for myself.

Determine to do some thinking for yourself. Don’t live entirely upon the thoughts of others. Don’t be an automaton. -James Cash Penny

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