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Showing posts with the label Yelp

I got ousted

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I got ousted as Barons of Chinatown and Sharpstown within a week in May. I really don't care. My position is never changed since my blog post in 2016. Considered it as a term limit like for politicians, I am happy with my 3-year baronship Why do I don't check-in in Chinatown any more? I got a little disgusted after reading Food Inspection Reports on EveryBlock. This is one of the reasons I don't eat out after reading those restaurants with serious health violations. I learned how to enjoy cooking at home. Huzzah! As the Duke of the most businesses in Chinatown, you've got serious 'Good cred. May 13, 2018 was my last day as of Baron of Chinatown. Here are screen shots on my phone. Panel 1 and 2 were mine. Panel 3 was Fox E's. I checked my Baronship page every week. At 5 pm as panel 1 shows above, I had Chinatown. But I received a notification at 7:15 pm, mine was gone and it went to Fox. I called this a game over. Sometimes I don't check-in j...

Yelp vs Google Profanity Filter

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Profanity is not allowed in my family. I don't know about yours, but we were taught not to swear in any language. What if you start watching a silly movie on TV, you noticed lots of beeps at the beginning of a profanity word. I would flip the channel to watch something else.  Some people have different tolerance level when it comes to profanity. You are not supposed to swear in class, at work or at church. But people do. Some people even swear in reviews. Not clear why they had to use F-words at Arirang I have seen Yelp bypassed a few reviews with loaded F-words, B-words and A-words. I reported few reviews. They all came back with "We realize that different people have different tolerances for strong language, but our bar is pretty high so that we can allow reviewers to tell their story in their own words even when things get colorful. With that said, we've decided not to remove the review after carefully assessing it against our Content Guidelines, but thank you...

BOTM Anniversary

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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...

World Traveler UYE

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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...

Cross+Cities UYE Ideas

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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...

Polynesian Venue in Seabrook

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Hana Hou! Can you imagine a spectacular Polynesian dance performance with a luau dinner without leaving Houston? Perfect facility for a Polynesian Venue That's my way to show my appreciation by attending a well-coordinated event at  Seabrook Community House  last night. Happy Hula Polynesian Dance Group of Provo Utah took the stage. The delicious luau-style lunch plates were prepared by their connections locally. The room was packed with a hungry crowd. We were hungry for an island-style entertainment. It started with dinner and live music. Sorry, I arrived late. I didn't catch the gentlemen's names. Then, the show started promptly at 7:30. My favorite part of the evening was the fire dance. Everyone concentrated on the twirling fire while the room was peach black. This was my first time seeing it live. I first noticed this event posted on  Aloha TexFest Houston  on Facebook in mid-May. I was thrilled by the idea. So, I posted it...

Throwback at Melita's

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This is about a biz page I added 2 years ago - Melita's Restaurant . One day, I was driving to James Lee Park and saw this untapped treasure. I thought they should be on Yelp. I started to take photos and the bartenders got nervous. I told them I just wanted to share my dining experience with my friends. I think they were nervous because they never seen Asian guy speaks Spanish and eat Salvadorian food. I grew up in South America and this ain't nothing new to me. I don't remember how I told the owner Melita about Yelp. It might be after I took a photo of storefront or after I wrote the review. I also added photos to Google Places. I was over there few months ago. Upon check in, I noticed 4 more reviews and a "From the Business" section on the bottom. I think her daughter may have claimed the business. Not bad. They are catching on. I'm going back this spring after daylight savings time start. I got my Fitbit. I will walk the park and eat pupusas at M...

Desktop Updates

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I noticed a new features today November 3rd. It's kind of funky. Event page on Google Chrome Version 46.0.2490.80 m Compared with the old version.  I noticed these new features in October. They removed "To Review" and "To Try". It's Nothing now. Photo taking tips are kind of cool. But people can't see this on the phone. I can't disable auto befriending from Facebook. I kept seeing people I don't want on my friend list. Auto Friending is kind of embarrasing

UYE TOS

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I drafted this blog since February. Most of UYE hosts disagreed with me on writing reviews on UYE, they rather write on the biz page. I recently noticed this new category "Unofficial Yelp Events" on biz page categories. I was so excited.  I'm happy that HQ is seeing the value of such event. This also distinguish from being Yelp Events, but wasn't hosted by CM. There are sources on the Event Terms of Service  explaining about UYE and the article explaining to biz owners.  Rules for UYE... Ooooh... In short, I used Q&A format to summarize the idea: Why do you need a UYE page? It's a good idea to leave your UYE experience outside of the official biz page. A separate UYE page allows your guests to post photos and feedback on a review. If you choose not to, just be mindful how you describe the occasion. What exactly is UYE? According to the Event Terms and Conditions, "members of the Elite Squad and the Yelp Community organize their own meet...

Aloha TexFest 2015

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To tell you the truth, I lived in Houston for almost 10 years and I thought I would never see any folks from the Islands and listen to the familiar melodies. Last week, just so happened that I was poking around on Yelp Events and found Aloha TexFest during Labor Day Weekend. Oh yeah! I'm in! Mahalo to Nina P. for the posting. I, for one, waited 8 years for this one-and-only Aloha Festival since I heard about it. Suddenly, it disappeared from the cyberspace. According a long-time vendor, there were a few missed years due to hurricane and other emergencies. Various vendors showcase their crafts, talents and cuisine. The event was an eye-opener for many people who never seen live hula dancers and fire performers. For me, it was my opportunity to network with people of common interests and to get out of Houston to see Clear Lake for the first time. My impression was like, "wow, ocean!" (Not really, it was a lake close to the bay.) I didn’t stay for the entire show due ...