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Showing posts from January, 2015

Yelp on EveryBlock

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Yelp is the leading website for local knowledge. EveryBlock is a leading website for neighborhood discussions. I first learned about EveryBlock from a news article. My thought was, “Yeah, that’s what I have been looking for.” I could spread good words about how Houston is a great place to live. We live in a lively city with 4 million people and there is much more to offer. So, I signed up and I have been enjoying the benefits since. EveryBlock is an interactive local news and information site that makes it easy to stay connected with what’s happening in a user’s neighborhood. It is equal parts neighborhood content aggregator, curator, and social platform. Users receive personalized information from a combination of sources - the Web, civic data, and user generated questions and comments - at the neighborhood or even block level. Users can read business reviews from different neighborhoods. As a Yelper, I think it's extremely important to share your experience on a busines

Elites & Dukedoms

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Someone asked me if dukedoms and barons can cash in to become Elites. Uh, no. They are two different things.  I missed these popup on the app. Since late 2014, the dukedom crowns are no longer customized. Dukedom badges are just for fun. Yelpers use apps to earn badges. But you'll see some Elites don't have any badges. Because their contributions came from reviews.  So, the bottom line is... reviews sell ads. Dukedoms don't generate any revenue for Yelp. For those of you who are interested to become an Elite member, here is a good article to read and understand how to become Elite Yelper.  http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-become-yelp-elite-2014-8

Yelp Challenge 2014

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Orange is my trademark In 2014, I spent exorbitant amount of time on Yelp. The challenge was to write 100 reviews, but I was beyond that point by Summer. I had total of 157 reviews (started at #96 and ended at #253). I was not just writing reviews, I was focused on biz pages accuracy and provided value by adding/updating their pages. Because Google, Yahoo Local and Mapquest used Yelp biz listing and reviews on their result pages. I like the fluency on Yelp. Unlike Google Local and Google Marker, I can't simply send them updates with my local expertise ability to convince them of changes. I couldn't even delete a photo from Foursquare. I was very unhappy with their inconsistency on web and app platforms. I deleted the app from my phone. Here is a list of biz pages I added and Yelper followed in 2014: Legend: # NR = Not reviewed | ^ Hot = Highly appraised Hot NR Name Locality Notes ^ 7-Eleven   Sugar Land update