Lou MC Yelps a Lot

2017 was a thrilling year for me. I spent a lot of time on taking better photos and sharing more with the communities. Not just Yelp, I also Google a lot.  Funky YES! Here is my status on Yelp : Completed 111 reviews in 2017 Updated 14 reviews in 2017 Uploaded total of 8025 media files (7549 photos & 476 videos) since the day I started Yelping, March 2011.   As of December 30th, I had 6 Baronies. Somehow, it's no longer visible in 2018 (Android). I could never broke my record of 300 reviews from 2016. Due to reviews disappearance, I've included a counter at the end of each review. I also saved the direct link to each published review with my archive. This process was extremely time consuming. I completed my 111 reviews in 2017. You can only see 110 reviews because 13th review was removed. Here is my story .  As of January 2, 2018, before I added more stuff. As for Google, I joined Local Guides sometime last year. I am currently Level...

I've been an Elite Yelper for 6 years. I was curious with a constant popup from Google Maps app to join Local Guides. Here is a quick comparison with Google Local Guides and Yelp Elites. Lack of Connection - There is connections with Google Maps reviewers and the readers. If you are a Local Guide, there is LocalGuidesConnect.com to have some sort of conversation. Most of conversations are fillers - users wants to get badges. Lack of Social Interaction - Unlike Yelp, you can't follow a reviewer and read his/her reviews first. The reviews are sorted chronologically with ratings (non-verbiage review) on the bottom. It's meaningless to write a long review on a popular destination. I normally say a few words with dozen of photos. It knows you're here. Some biz don't have one. Content Quality - There's no standard with Local Guides.  Level 5 Local Guides - Unlike Yelp Elites, there is no prestige to be recognized. Anything over 500 points is Level 5....

Mike M has been hosting BOTM “Burger of the Month” UYE since last February. This was from a Talk thread when Rachel B returned from her ACRONYM meeting in 2015.  After a long gap in Houston, BOTM was born. First few months, they were hosted by Rachel B. Then, Belly G, Jamie A finally, Mike M. This mock up t-shirt was an idea to generate interest.  Here is a quick overview of his 12 successful BOTM's. The attendance has increased month after month. It has became a popular and well-known event in Houston. UYE Page in… Event Page February 2017 UYE: February Burger of the Month @ Rachels Cafe January 2017 UYE: January Burger of the Month@Stanton's City Bites December 2016 UYE: December BOTM @ Bernie's Burger Bus November 2016 UYE: November BOTM @ Killen's Burgers October 2016 UYE: Burger of the Month@Little Bigs September 2016 UYE: September Burge...

One day, I wanted to produce a photo collage from all Around the World UYE's. I came across this page - Best Unofficial Yelp Events in Houston . Wow. I'm so honored.  UYE: Asian Heritage Celebration @ Strings Noodle made on the list. This is why we need to get in the culture of attending UYE's and writing reviews on the UYE biz pages. We promote each other's events when it comes to event planning. Another benefit is to use reviews as a feedback. This is only seen on desktop version. I believe reviews posed on UYE (unofficial Yelp event) or OYE (official Yelp event) are not eligible for ROTD (review of the day). So you can write anything to your desire, just don't be rude.

I would love to nominate Belly G as Yelper of the Year in Houston, if there is a place for it. We've been to Indonesia, Peru, Bosnia, Poland, Ethiopia & Belgium. This brilliant man with plenty of ideas started the World Travel UYE since January 2016. Every month, the world travelers went from one country to another trying different cuisines without leaving Houston. Check out the chart below for the places we've been to so far. Event Page Reviews 01/16/16 UYE: Around The World @ Rice Bowl II - Indonesia 02/06/16 UYE: Around The World @ La Guitarra Con Sazon - Peru 03/09/16 UYE: Around The World @ Cafe Pita - Bosnian 04/20/16 UYE: Around The World @ Polonia Restaurant - Poland 05/18/16 UYE: Around The World @ Lucy Restaurant - Ethiopia 06/15/16 UYE: Around The World @ Cafe Brussels - Belgium 07/21/16 UYE: Around The World @ Emporio Brazilian Cafe Stay tuned w...

It's been in my wildest dream to host a Cross+Cities UYE with a road trip. I always want to try something exotic, exciting and unique to link Yelpers across the Lone Star state. From Houston to San Antonio takes about 3 hours. After reading a blog  Seattle & Portland Yelpers Swap Cities Road Trip , I posted my idea on a  Talk thread . I found Phillip B of Austin hosted a BBQ Crawl UYE in Lockhart on July 26, 2014. Yelpers from Houston, San Antonio and Austin (maybe Dallas) met at the center of these major cities. That was an epic. ( Reviews ) I am not able to pull something like his scale without Yelpers from other cities. In November 2015, I hosted a  Cross+Cities UYE - Austin Edition . Since I didn't have many Yelper friends in Austin, we had a small party. ( Reviews ) After my recent trip to San Antonio, I saw the city's beauty and tourism opportunity. I want to revisit the idea. I am hoping the Yelpers in San Antonio could help me put to...

At the New Year’s Elite badge release, some Yelpers were excited with another year's elite status. But some left out wondering, "Where is mine?" I'm guessing there is a formula to calculate how much you contribute to the Yelp community. By checking in and posting photos do not impact Yelp's business objective, reviews do. I printed out my friends list before and after the badge release, I concluded a reason why few of my Elite Yelper friends couldn't carry the status from last year. They had something in common. I see everyone had a gap of review writing for more than 3 months during 2015. I can't say how long and how much they need in order to catch up. Let's prove me wrong. If you want to give this a try, start writing again - post at least one review a week. It may just do the trick. HQ gives Elite badge almost weekly. Here are some examples - monthly review posts:  Meriem B . from Houston, TX This gap in reviews costed his continuing Eli...

It's expected to see our colorful background disappear right after midnight new year eve. No worry. This happens every year. I captured this image to share with you. The apps have been evolving in 2015 and the layouts are little different. Our Elite badges will be released on the next business day. They normally come in several waves. We'll see what will happen next year. Here is a Talk thread from our CM Farrah in January 2014. Android & iPhone version of my profile on New Year's Day 1/1/15. It's always fun to send and receive compliments whenever we get the badge. Badge in different colors Red Badge - 1st to 4th year Gold Badge - 5th to 9th year Black Badge - 10th year and more Here is an example of a tenured Elite Yelper . I can't wait to see what color after 15 years of Elite.

First of all, I am not affiliated with Yelp and I write reviews on Yelp for fun. Secondly, I don't ask for special treatment from businesses because I write reviews for fun. Third, I am a hard-core Elite Yelper. I always encourage Yelpers to write reviews. Now, let’s go to the featured presentation. Many ideas created this UYE . Since my ROTD (Review of the Day) on 2/11/2014, I have been a regular customer to Eatwell Bakery Cafe for my yogurt fix and remain in contact with the owner, Ziad. The more I talk to him, the more I like to feature Eatwell in my UYE choices. Ziad has a passion in promoting healthy gourmet with a Mediterranean twist. It was perfect timing to wrap up the challenge while Eatwell celebrates its anniversary in October. The UYE was named "Zoom Zoom 100 & Beyond" as a result from a Talk thread . This UYE was dedicated to the Yelpers who participated in the  2015 Yelp Challenge . I started the cyber event as a challenge to encourage my fellow Yel...

A new category for UYE, only available from a computer post. I love to plan events, especially UYE's (Unofficial Yelp events). Once I learned how to use the event feature on Yelp site, everything comes naturally. Many Yelpers who attended UYE's often ask me, "how many UYE have you submitted?" Well... I never bother to count. But, I decided to publish it here. Name Date Purpose Biz Page Attended Review UYE: Eat Hot Pot like you're in Winter Olympics 2/23/14 Chinese New Year here 7 Yes Asian Heritage Month UYE 5/15/14 1 st Annual Asian Heritage Month here 7 Yes Pholkloric UYE 11/9/14 Meeting Elite Yelpers couldn’t attend Elite Events here 11 Yes UYE - 2B or Not 2B UYE - 2B or Not 2B Sequel 1/27/15 Before / after of a lite-bite YEE (new concept) here 20 Yes Year of ...

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