yelp

TomTom Go Live 1535M: Has apps, will travel

TomTom's Live connected navigation service gets more useful with the addition of travel-specific apps by Yelp, TripAdvisor, Expedia, and Twitter. The TomTom Go Live 1535M will be the first device to take advantage of the new functionality, with owners of the Go Live 2353M gaining parity through a software update this fall.

The new apps will live in the Services menu and, to be fair, "Services" is a more apt description of the new functions than "Applications," but we shan't split hairs. What most of the apps do is provide access to a wider selection of points of interest (POIs) than could be preinstalled on the unit, along with secondary information about those POIs.… Read more

Yelp to pull critical reviews of anti-gay marriage bridal store

A New Jersey bridal store seems to believe that the customer is always right. However, if that customer happens to be a gay woman, then the customer is left--without a bridal gown.

This tale of pink-ribboned troglodytism comes to me from the Philadelphia Daily News and has set the stage for an interesting expression of "does anyone know of any reason..?" on Yelp, which is resulting in the site pulling negative reviews.

It starts very romantically. Alix Genter went to the Here Comes the Bride Store in Somers Point, N.J., together with several members of her family, … Read more

Magellan RoadMate for iPhone updates with Yelp, Google search

Magellan's RoadMate app for iPhone updates today to version 2.0 with a refreshed UI. However, the biggest change is the new POI search, because joining Magellan's standard list of searchable points of interest are new options for Yelp and Google Local.

With Yelp search you can browse all of Yelp's categories and subcategories. Search results include Yelp's star rating for quickly identifying, for example, the best Ethiopian restaurant in your area. Once you've found your destination, the app can call the venue or initiate turn-by-turn directions. Additionally, every search result is a clickable link … Read more

Yelp looking for CFO to help it go public

Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman said an initial public offering "is back on the table," according to an interview in The Wall Street Journal published today.

Stoppelman stopped short of saying when the user-generated reviews site would file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to start the process of going public, but he did say that his company is currently looking for a chief financial officer to help it achieve its goal, according to the Journal story.

In late 2009, Google was reportedly in talks to acquire Yelp for about $500 million, but the deal fell apart. … Read more

The 404 774: Where we survive the test of time (podcast)

Are viciously negative Yelp reviews putting an unfair stigma on small businesses? Today's two-part episode of The 404 Podcast weighs the effect of crowd-sourced review sites like Yelp and Zagat on independently owned establishments, and asks the question: will future generations understand topical shows like "The Simpsons" and "30 Rock?"

Part one: this insightful article in The Atlantic magazine questions the legitimacy of online reviews and the misplaced responsibility that Yelp bestows on citizen journalists with little or no training in voicing their opinions.

The piece calls out six distinct types of crowd-sourced reviewers who make us all look bad. Our least favorite is the "Hater's Ball," but we prefer to call them trolls--people who make scathing, borderline vindictive criticisms online about the most minor offenses at restaurants that they would never voice in person.

How many negative Yelpers do you think actually call the manager over after a meal to politely voice concerns? Most of the time, Yelpers don't think about how a single bad review can springboard a series of negative press that could potentially shut down an independent business, so make sure your complaints are legit before you post!

Don't forget that there are always real people behind the keyboard...and sometimes they have access to weapons.

Part two: This Salon.com article raises an interesting question about future generations understanding the pop culture references in topical television shows like "The Simpsons" and "Glee."… Read more

Yelp unhappy with Google's service

Yelp is unhappy with Google running its users' reviews, but says its former suitor is unwilling to negotiate compensation.

The search giant is unfairly benefiting by running Yelp's local business reviews on the Google Places page without any compensation, Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman told the Telegraph newspaper. But Stoppelman says Google is offering only a take-it-or-leave-it response.

"We are unhappy with the way Google uses our users' review on its Places page," Stoppelman said. "However, there is no solution to the problem...Google's position is that we can take ourselves out of its search index … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1357: Welcome to the Tensies (podcast)

On today's show, we're totally hoping the music industry will finally catch up to reality, or at least the year 2010. Or the "tensies," as we're now calling them. Forever. Spotify is under pressure to just launch, already, but this time it's from their investors. Also, is "Farmville" on the decline because Facebook users are just narcissistic quiz-takers? --Molly

Google mixes local and social reviews in Hotpot

If at first, second, and third you don't succeed, try, try again.

Google is taking another crack at a social service, this time with Hotpot, a tool designed to capture local knowledge and recommend establishments such as restaurants or stores you might want to visit. Google unveiled an early version of Hotpot in a blog post yesterday, and I think Hotpot has some attributes that could help it achieve modest success.

"With Hotpot, we're making local search results for places on Google more personal, relevant, and trustworthy," product manager Lior Ron said in the post, calling … Read more

The 404 648: Where we know exactly where you are (podcast)

Jill Schlesinger, aka Aunt Jill of CBS MoneyMoney, fills in for Justin, who is waiting for the cable guy. I believe they told him they'd come sometime between today and next week between the hours of 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. (We all know how the cable guy loves to be on time).

On today's show, we talk about Facebook Places, a location-based check-in service. Say you're at a fantastic restaurant. You'll be able to check in with your mobile phone with GPS, leave comments about the food and service, tag your friends who … Read more

Facebook goes Places

Links from Thursday's episode of Loaded: Update your Facebook Places Verizon on the iPad Google Chrome Web Store leaks Intel to buy McAffe Personal spy game with the iPhone