Yelp

Why Yelp Turned to Public Shaming in Paid Review Fight

In its quest to keep its reviews free of bribery and bias, Yelp last week turned to a new weapon: Public shaming. Businesses found attempting to buy positive reviews will have their pages branded with a consumer advisory warning. Here's why it's a necessary move.

Fake Reviews: Don't Fall for This Online Marketing Scam

Shoppers love online customer reviews. They offer the benefit of other people's experiences with a product before you buy, so you can have a better idea whether it's worth the money. Yes, they're great -- if you can trust the source. But often, you can't.

4 Types of 'Social Shopper': Which One Are You?

In a digital era defined by sites like Facebook, Foursquare and Groupon, a new breed of consumers has emerged: social shoppers, people increasingly relying on the wisdom of the digital crowd to help them make their purchasing decisions. Sound like someone you know? Read on ...

5 Reasons to Avoid Yelp's Piping Hot IPO

With IPO valuations puffing up like a perfect souffle, you have to love Yelp's timing: The review website goes public Friday. But be careful: There are quite a few reasons why this blazing hot deal may end up burning eager investors.

Yelp IPO's Profit Enigma: Is the Site Making Money?

After reading the breathless media coverage about the rumored $2 billion Yelp IPO, I have one question: Does the online-review site make money? None of the articles made any mention, but profitability is the issue that should be first on investors' minds.

Is the Internet Killing Your Favorite Restaurant?

Running a restaurant has never been easy, but it's getting harder to succeed these days for eateries that shun the social couponing and new media games. A decade ago, all you needed was a strong concept, a healthy strategy and a few ads in the local paper, but the Internet has changed everything.

Fake Product-Review Sites: How Buyers Can Beware

Shoppers looking for advice from their fellow consumers have a tough enough time sifting out the false reviews posted on legitimate product-review sites. But there's a worse problem out there online: "Nefarious" websites entirely devoted to promoting merchandise with fake reviews.

7 Ways to Spot Fake Online Reviews

If you often use online reviews to help you make purchasing decision, you needn't employ a secret algorithm to ferret out the fakes. Follow these tips to find the critiques that count.

Zagat and Google Chat About the Future of Reviews

On Thursday, Google bought Zagat, a reviewing empire that represents the gold standard for crowd-sourced content. So to get a glimpse of what the future holds for the search giant, the review company, and Internet reviews in general, we've talked with Google VP Marissa Meyer and Zagat founders Tim and Nina Zagat.

Zagat and Google: A Match Made in Foodie Heaven?

On Thursday morning, the announcement went out across the land: Google, the undisputed master of search, had acquired Zagat, America's best-known and most highly-regarded restaurant review company. The companies presented the merger in rosy terms, but it didn't take long for the snarky critiques to begin.