3 Apr
Posted by Lark Tattoo, no comments
What really happens to the reviews you leave on sites like Yelp? By now, we have all had experiences at a business, good or bad, that have prompted us to take to the internet and post a review online.
Let me tell you a little about myself. I am of the feeling that if an individual is willing to give negative feedback, this individual should be just as willing to give feedback when something goes good. Countless times, I have been at a restaurant, and I have asked my server, “may I speak to your Manger?” Immediately, a look of fear washes over the server’s face, and the server sheepishly asks, “did I do something wrong?” My response, “no, quit the opposite, you were amazing, and I feel the need to tell your Manager how awesome you made my experience.” I realize how fast people are to complain if their soda is flat or they have to wait an extra five minutes to be seated, and because of this, I make it a point to point out when I have had good service/experiences. I see it as a way to counterbalance the comments that are made. Immediately a smile overtake’s the server’s face, obviously this is not something they are used to, although it should be.
I share my personnel philosophy not because I am looking for a metal, I share it with you, because I use the same philosophy when leaving reviews online. With this said, I also see online reviews as a far more powerful soapbox, one that many do not respect fully. When good or bad feedback is provided in-person, it typically stays on a local level, in that the customer, server, and maybe a Manager are aware of the situation; you telling your server that your soup was cold is not going to affect business at the restaurant. However, the power of the internet, via an online review, on sites such as Yelp, allows a single experience to be shared with countless people, around the world. A review of that has an audience of this size does have the power to alter business in some instances. For some small businesses, a bad review on Yelp can skew their star rating in such a way that potential customers may not try said restaurant, simply because the bad review dropped the location to a less than favorable star review. Who wants to try someplace new if it has anything but a stellar review.
So you are saying to yourself, no problem, leave positive reviews and it all works out in the wash. To my surprise this simply is NOT the case with websites like Yelp. I had previously thought that every review was used by Yelp, and that all reviews were used to create a wide spectrum view of a business. However, this is simply not the case. As Yelp states on their website,
We use automated software to recommend the reviews we think will be the most helpful to the Yelp community based primarily on quality, reliability and the reviewer’s activity on Yelp. Advertisers get no special treatment. The reviews below didn’t make the cut and are therefore not factored into this business’s overall star rating.
As you might have guessed by now, I did not make the cut. I experienced amazing service at a local business, took to the internet to share my experience, and I was deemed not worthy enough to be a “quality or reliable” reviewer by Yelp. To a writer like myself, who takes his writing seriously, and holds two English degrees, Yelp’s decision to label my review as “not recommended” and “therefore not factored into this business’s overall star rating” cut a little deep. Why bother having me review the business then?
I do not use sites like Yelp excessively, rather, I use these sites sparingly. I know that I might be in the minority, as I see people who Yelp review their entire day’s experiences, from the gym they went to in the morning, to the slice of pizza they had for lunch, to the pharmacy they picked up their sleep aids at after work. For me, that type of Yelp-ing is exhausting and excessive. Like I do in real life, I give feedback when I believe it is needed, and I do not believe every detail of my day is in need of feedback or a review. However, this is a Yelp Faux pas. Call me crazy, but I feel like nobody needs to read 30 reviews a day from me, nor am I adapt enough in the various fields to give reviews on everything. With this said, I do feel I am capable of providing some feedback on some things, and those are the things I provide feedback. A novel idea, maybe, but to Yelp, a point in which to penalize a Yelp reviewer. Exploring their website FAQ, it seems like Yelp prefers the users who like to spout off about everything and everything, daily. Online, just like in real life, I do not feel comfortable seeking advice from these verbal diarrhea individuals who claim to know everything about everything. They are sure they know how many cashiers should be on staff on a Tuesday afternoon during a recession, and they know the exact cost their coffee should be when it is handed to them, but forget to factor in things like payroll, rent, insurance, etc, etc, etc. The experts of everything. I shy away from these hot air bags, but sites like Yelp applaud their verbose nature. The more you review, the better your rating on Yelp, and the more trusted your review, as a user, I do not trust these Yelp-addict’s reviews; excessive reviews by a user is not a good thing in my opinion!
If you are not putting your two cents in on everything and anything, your review simply gets buried in the “reviews that are not currently recommended” on Yelp. These banished reviews are only assessable through a series of clicks, under the warning label that they are “not recommended.” The plot thickens.I have found that negative reviews typically do not get buried in this “reviews that are not currently recommended.” When I asked local business, Bruce Kaplan, owner of Lark Tattoo, and long time Yelp subscriber, why Yelp would bury one review while serving up the other, his response “it is Yelps way of trying to give a rounded view of a business. With that said, I have dozens of positive reviews that they keep in the non-recommended section, with the same credibility as the negative review, only difference is that they want to show negative review as the other side of the coin.” Mind you, this business user has been paying hundreds of dollars a month to Yelp, just to “stay competitive,” and still without recourse to negative reviews that were obviously posted only to harm his Yelp rating.
Let’s review, two customers use Yelp the same way, and both leave a review, one is negative and one is positive, the NEGATIVE is given more weight and served up to the top, while the positive goes through a series of scrutiny and can be sent down to the depths of “reviews that are not currently recommended”, perhaps never to be heard from again.
The system seems out of balance. Yelp is a company that has positioned itself as a leader in business reviews. They says they are providing a full view of a business, meanwhile, as we have seen, this view is the view that Yelp determines the view is, while keeping part of the view out of site and labeled “not recommended.”The business can not appeal a bad review, even if it is an obvious vindictive review, and has the potential to harm the business’s Yelp rating. A bad enough rating can affect the a location’s ability to make money, and stay open, yet the business is left powerless to defend themselves, and countless of their customers who are posting positive reviews are not being seen, as they are being banished to “reviews that are not currently recommended.”
What can be done? There are two options. One, if we are going to give Yelp’s rating any weight, we have to start reviewing on a very regular basis. We have to rate from the time we wake up until we go to sleep. If this solution is not for you, there is a more realistic approach.We can realize Yelp has Yelp’s best interests in mind, not the local business. Knowing this, don’t worry about reviews and star ratings that are on Yelp; go and experience a businesses for yourself. Forget the view that Yelp has been showing us, the Yelp view is skewed anyways, and let yourself decide the way you view a business or service that you received, not the service somebody else received. Trust me, companies like Yelp will follow, and the way that they utilize our reviews will change. For now though, let’s give Yelp a one star review, in favor of forming our own opinions of a business where we we determine how the business is viewed and ranked.
Special thanks to Bruce Kaplan, owner/artist of Lark Tattoo, www.larktattoo.com, who took the time to explain some of the details and inner working of Yelp’s tactics.