Last week, the Better Business Bureau announced that it had officially expelled one of its local affiliates, the BBB of Southland, which served the greater Los Angeles area.
Yelp
Now There’s an Official Way to Threaten Businesses with Bad Online Reviews
Anyone and everyone can write reviews of hotels and restaurants at sites like TripAdvisor and Yelp. So why would anyone pay $100 for a card that simply states “I Write Reviews” — something that, to repeat, anyone and everyone can do?
Google’s Federal Antitrust Deal Cheered by Some, Jeered by Others
In Major Victory, Google Dodges Federal Antitrust Lawsuit with FTC Deal
Why You Shouldn’t Trust Positive Online Reviews—Or Negative Ones, For That Matter
Researchers and online review sites alike are trying to root out efforts to manipulate the system. By outing dubious, planted, solicited, and otherwise inauthentic reviews, consumers will have more reason to trust the reviews …
The Yelp Conspiracy: How a Group of Businesses Conspired to Get Better Yelp Ratings
Yelp recently busted what it calls a “review-swapping ring,” in which partners in a business network posted top ratings and glowingly positive reviews of each other’s services.
Facebook Readies Public Debut in Strongest IPO Market Since 2007
As Facebook prepares for the most widely-anticipated IPO in nearly a decade, the social networking phenom certainly seems to have nailed its timing. The first quarter of 2012 saw the strongest IPO market since 2007, according to …
Now You Can Be Charged—and Shamed—for Not Showing for a Restaurant Reservation
More and more, restaurants are requiring credit cards before allowing customers to make a dinner reservation, and they’ll charge you, and possibly say nasty things about you on Twitter, if you fail to show up.
Yelp Heads Toward an IPO, But Can It Thrive on the Social Web?
It’s four o’clock, and you need to make a dinner reservation. The problem is, you have no idea which restaurants are the highest rated in your area. Chances are that you’ll do what 66 million others do each month: search Yelp.
How Computer Geeks Aim to Put a Stop to Fake Online Reviews
A collection of five-star ratings can do amazing things for a business. It’s not all that surprising, then, that hotels, restaurants, local services, product manufacturers and even doctors and dentists are known to plant glowing …
9 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Trust Online Reviews
You shouldn’t believe everything you read. And if you’re reading online reviews of products, hotels, restaurants, or local businesses or services? Then you should believe even less.
Angie’s List IPO: So Maybe a Paid-Membership Business Model Can Work?
The initial public offering of Angie’s List, the membership-only site offering consumer reviews of contractors, mechanics, and other local businesses in hundreds of communities around the country, is being viewed as an enormous …
