Comments on: Why Google should buy Yelp? And how wrong I was;( http://okdork.com/2008/10/27/why-google-should-buy-yelp-and-how-wrong-i-was/ A blog about marketing, online communities and other business musings. Come join the fun! Wed, 09 Nov 2011 02:14:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Estelle http://okdork.com/2008/10/27/why-google-should-buy-yelp-and-how-wrong-i-was/comment-page-1/#comment-559377 Estelle Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:06:14 +0000 http://okdork.com/?p=1323#comment-559377 While I don't thing Google is a "saint", I must agree with Tiffany that Yelp is completely unethical. Their two main methods of earning $ are ads and sponsorships. Yelp's lack of ethics has to do with Yelp business sponsorship. A crappy company can get bad reviews removed by paying Yelp. A crappy company can write a bad review about a good company that is a competitor, and Yelp won't remove the false poor review unless that second company. With 1-800-Dentist, you know it's a paid service. Yelp is portraying itself as "real people. real reviews". This is where the lack of ethics becomes a major concern. People trust the reviews on Yelp, and they really shouldn't. While I don’t thing Google is a “saint”, I must agree with Tiffany that Yelp is completely unethical. Their two main methods of earning $ are ads and sponsorships. Yelp’s lack of ethics has to do with Yelp business sponsorship. A crappy company can get bad reviews removed by paying Yelp. A crappy company can write a bad review about a good company that is a competitor, and Yelp won’t remove the false poor review unless that second company.

With 1-800-Dentist, you know it’s a paid service. Yelp is portraying itself as “real people. real reviews”. This is where the lack of ethics becomes a major concern. People trust the reviews on Yelp, and they really shouldn’t.

]]> By: Tiffay http://okdork.com/2008/10/27/why-google-should-buy-yelp-and-how-wrong-i-was/comment-page-1/#comment-547324 Tiffay Sun, 14 Dec 2008 01:15:58 +0000 http://okdork.com/?p=1323#comment-547324 I don't think google wants to be associated with the likes of yelp.com. Google is a highly ethical - the complete opposite of yelp.com. Yelp is ruining it's reputation at a rapid rate. Google "yelp sucks" or "yelp mess" or "search engine roundtable" for more. I don’t think google wants to be associated with the likes of yelp.com. Google is a highly ethical – the complete opposite of yelp.com. Yelp is ruining it’s reputation at a rapid rate. Google “yelp sucks” or “yelp mess” or “search engine roundtable” for more.

]]> By: Nathan Ketsdever http://okdork.com/2008/10/27/why-google-should-buy-yelp-and-how-wrong-i-was/comment-page-1/#comment-530321 Nathan Ketsdever Sun, 16 Nov 2008 20:22:34 +0000 http://okdork.com/?p=1323#comment-530321 Yelp does a great way of a) creating a water cooler effect around local questions and discussions b) the elite programs helps encourage their top 5-10% of users c) the elite program is also a great way they create real world connections between users--this makes it more like Meet Up and Craigslist and the old Mac User groups meetings than people realize. d) a lot of the data is open, as opposed to a walled garden, which does make it better for search as well as for usability. (I hate getting the NYT login slapped in front of me before I can see most of their stuff) In addition to Yelp, Google should seize up one of the crowd sourcing collaboration platforms. Whether the content was more creative, pop culture, or business oriented would of course be their choice. However, its a perfect fit for their brand and if Google managed it well, it would be the de facto brand in terms of traffic and engagement. I have to think they are either doing this internally now or they are waiting for one of the crowd sourcing platforms to be an unofficial winner. Ultimately, it seems that with all the intellectual capital at Google they would be a perfect fit to create an algorythm which harnessed the best of the crowd, and either eliminated or leveraged the chaff. Yelp does a great way of a) creating a water cooler effect around local questions and discussions b) the elite programs helps encourage their top 5-10% of users c) the elite program is also a great way they create real world connections between users–this makes it more like Meet Up and Craigslist and the old Mac User groups meetings than people realize. d) a lot of the data is open, as opposed to a walled garden, which does make it better for search as well as for usability. (I hate getting the NYT login slapped in front of me before I can see most of their stuff)

In addition to Yelp, Google should seize up one of the crowd sourcing collaboration platforms. Whether the content was more creative, pop culture, or business oriented would of course be their choice. However, its a perfect fit for their brand and if Google managed it well, it would be the de facto brand in terms of traffic and engagement.

I have to think they are either doing this internally now or they are waiting for one of the crowd sourcing platforms to be an unofficial winner.

Ultimately, it seems that with all the intellectual capital at Google they would be a perfect fit to create an algorythm which harnessed the best of the crowd, and either eliminated or leveraged the chaff.

]]> By: iPod http://okdork.com/2008/10/27/why-google-should-buy-yelp-and-how-wrong-i-was/comment-page-1/#comment-524456 iPod Wed, 05 Nov 2008 02:14:42 +0000 http://okdork.com/?p=1323#comment-524456 Am I not the only one scared of how powerful Google are becoming. Can you imagine how much personal information Google has access to! I know they are an ethical company but what if they weren't. John Am I not the only one scared of how powerful Google are becoming. Can you imagine how much personal information Google has access to! I know they are an ethical company but what if they weren’t.
John

]]> By: Games-boy http://okdork.com/2008/10/27/why-google-should-buy-yelp-and-how-wrong-i-was/comment-page-1/#comment-520932 Games-boy Wed, 29 Oct 2008 06:55:00 +0000 http://okdork.com/?p=1323#comment-520932 Google wants to become a major monopoly of any virtual world. I think Google will make big purchases permanently. Google has a lot of money. -) Google wants to become a major monopoly of any virtual world. I think Google will make big purchases permanently. Google has a lot of money. -)

]]> By: Patrick Jarrett http://okdork.com/2008/10/27/why-google-should-buy-yelp-and-how-wrong-i-was/comment-page-1/#comment-520553 Patrick Jarrett Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:41:46 +0000 http://okdork.com/?p=1323#comment-520553 @Dan, Yes. @Dan, Yes.

]]> By: Dan http://okdork.com/2008/10/27/why-google-should-buy-yelp-and-how-wrong-i-was/comment-page-1/#comment-520532 Dan Tue, 28 Oct 2008 12:55:27 +0000 http://okdork.com/?p=1323#comment-520532 "Fair enough that google owns the data but couldn’t google have just indexed all the youtube videos? It’s also the traffic / activity the site generates that can thus be monetized. But youtube was more of a destination where i still feel yelp gets the bulk of traffic from google." Patrick, With YouTube it was technology and buzz. Video was a new thing--bandwidth had just extended enough to support it effectively--and youtube now host videos that are embedded into blogger and other services. Embedded video brings new traffic back to youtube. The trouble is, they have yet to successfully monetize youtube. It might not matter though, since google's market cap went up by more than the purchase price when they bought youtube, so effectively they made money on the purchase. It can't be cheap to host and maintain, though. I don't think Yelp has the tech reasons behind it that youtube had for google to acquire. And at the end of 2008, the headline "Social Network Acquired" isn't such ground-breaking big news. Yelp may be doing very well--I don't mean any disrespect--but in the grand scheme of technology, innovation, and the internet, Yelp is still small potatoes. Just one mid-sized inhabited planet in a star trek sized galaxy. “Fair enough that google owns the data but couldn’t google have just indexed all the youtube videos? It’s also the traffic / activity the site generates that can thus be monetized. But youtube was more of a destination where i still feel yelp gets the bulk of traffic from google.”

Patrick,
With YouTube it was technology and buzz. Video was a new thing–bandwidth had just extended enough to support it effectively–and youtube now host videos that are embedded into blogger and other services. Embedded video brings new traffic back to youtube. The trouble is, they have yet to successfully monetize youtube. It might not matter though, since google’s market cap went up by more than the purchase price when they bought youtube, so effectively they made money on the purchase. It can’t be cheap to host and maintain, though.
I don’t think Yelp has the tech reasons behind it that youtube had for google to acquire. And at the end of 2008, the headline “Social Network Acquired” isn’t such ground-breaking big news. Yelp may be doing very well–I don’t mean any disrespect–but in the grand scheme of technology, innovation, and the internet, Yelp is still small potatoes. Just one mid-sized inhabited planet in a star trek sized galaxy.

]]> By: Jason http://okdork.com/2008/10/27/why-google-should-buy-yelp-and-how-wrong-i-was/comment-page-1/#comment-520339 Jason Tue, 28 Oct 2008 05:03:46 +0000 http://okdork.com/?p=1323#comment-520339 You always want a taco! I ate too many Twizzlers and my stomach is blah! You always want a taco! I ate too many Twizzlers and my stomach is blah!

]]> By: noah kagan http://okdork.com/2008/10/27/why-google-should-buy-yelp-and-how-wrong-i-was/comment-page-1/#comment-520323 noah kagan Tue, 28 Oct 2008 04:30:34 +0000 http://okdork.com/?p=1323#comment-520323 dude i want a taco now! dude i want a taco now!

]]> By: Jason http://okdork.com/2008/10/27/why-google-should-buy-yelp-and-how-wrong-i-was/comment-page-1/#comment-520321 Jason Tue, 28 Oct 2008 04:17:23 +0000 http://okdork.com/?p=1323#comment-520321 When I first moved to Austin, I relied a lot on Yelp. I also used it when I lived in San Diego and when visiting other cities in the US. I think it is bigger than 5 cities. When I first moved to Austin, I relied a lot on Yelp. I also used it when I lived in San Diego and when visiting other cities in the US. I think it is bigger than 5 cities.

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