I've used Zagat and Opentable before for restaurant reviews, however, I've never really known where to look when it comes to finding out about grocery stores, salons, etc.
Reading about the criticism Yelp is facing made me laugh because I know how it feels. I won't mention any names, but I know how Yelp feels. I am often asked for restaurant recommendations by someone when they are in the DC area. I'm not a nervous person by any means, but the mere thought of having to make a recommendation causes me to cringe because no matter what recommendation I make, something will be wrong with the restaurant. The food will be awful, the service will be slow, the menu overpriced, and the list goes on...Yelp, I feel your pain. It is a helpful tool and by no means perfect. Users need to keep the fact that it is a reference when visiting the site.
Great Point...who listens to movie critics anyway? I have seen movies that critics have panned and absolutely loved them for what they are: mindless fun.
ReplyDeleteI form my own opinion based on my likes. I know this is a relativistic view, but I mark out for what I like.
I think the same applies to Yelp. How much stock can you put into a Yelp review? What about the opinion of the masses? It still will not stand up to what opinion you form, but it certainly can influence your opinion since you cannot escape the environmental stimulus to do so other than dodge the influence.
I think you have to find that Yelp or movie reviewer that is similar to you if you want to use it as an indicator for what you may like.
Hey Sarah -
ReplyDeleteGlad that you've discovered Yelp and are excited about the wealth of local knowledge that others have shared!
Your last sentence is absolutely spot on: "Users need to keep the fact that it is a reference when visiting the site." No two people have exactly the same tastes, and as the comment above indicates, the most valuable reviews are going to be coming from people you know have similar tastes to yours.
Speaking from experience, I know that of my friends list on Yelp of 800+, perhaps a dozen share similar interests and similar tastes to me. The bulk of them I don't pay enough attention to to figure out. And another dozen have tastes that are extremely different from me. That's all well and good, but requires a certain amount of familiarization and navigation to come to these understandings.
As you make decisions based on feedback from reviews you've read, how do you go about deciding whether or not it's a review that is in sync with your own ideals? Is there a way to tell? And if so, what are some good ways of recommending to others possible matches (say someone new signs up for Yelp, is there an easy way to recommend to them other reviewers that they might like to follow)?
Cheers,
-Kevin L, Yelp DC CM