Lou MC Yelps a Lot

Whenever I write a review, I have to check if the biz page has been claimed by an owner or not. It makes big difference on the outcome. Claimed biz vs Unclaimed biz It doesn't mean I would give a claimed biz a 5-star for no reason or purposely write reviews at claimed biz. But reviews at claimed biz are likely to be read more often than unclaimed biz. However, biz owner can later claim a biz. It would change the dynamics. Biz owner can then delete my review if it's not to their expectation without warning. They can also remove my photos with undesirable caption. For example, my photos were removed from the page of Bel Furniture before I wrote a 5-star review. Anyone with less than 5-stars are removed, as I saw it happened.

I was adding a biz to earn airline miles on my bookmark and found an eye-catching ad on the side. Find more stories of  #YelpCashBack on Twitter. Can search #YelpCashBack on iPhone Wow. Yelp Cash Back for real? According to Yelp Blog "Earn Rewards and Save at Local Businesses With Yelp Cash Back" , "you can earn money for frequenting the spots you love" and earn up to 10% back. Within minutes, Yelp texted me 7% back. Sign up is very easy. You need a credit card. And, you can link multiple credit cards. The service is provided by Empyr . The reward program works like earning airline miles. The system recognizes your credit card purchase. Whenever I eat at JB Asian Cafe , I receive a message to tell me how much I earned. While Yelp app has not developed a search function for "Cash Back", I saved some links for you and me to use while on the go: Houston Cash Back Sugar Land Cash Back Dallas Cash Back San Antonio Cash Back Austin Cash Bac...

Last Saturday, I went to an event called "Red Carpet Meets Chocolate". My massage therapist Stan McDonald invited me to this celebration. Umar emceed Red Carpet Meets Chocolate. I didn't think much about the name until I saw the setup. It started with belly dancers by Sahara Dances and a fashion show provided by its next door neighbor Guyz 'N' Style and RF Lifestyles Boutique. As the models walked down the red carpet, they showcased some fabulous fashion. Some I've never seen on streets before. The host is Beauty by Umar, a talented young hair design artist. He moved to this tiny strip mall a year ago with Stan's Hands Massage and Wellness . The celebration was to demonstrate these successful black American business owners to the small business community. If I had hair, I'd come to get my hair done. Look at the beautiful style from Umar and his team on the website and on Yelp .

I feel disconnected after seeing duplicated biz pages for one location. There is no way to merge these 2 H-E-B pages. I post a review at the correctly named biz page " H-E-B " which started 2010 (see photo date) before the other one just " HEB " in 2011 (see photo date). Then, H-E-B claimed the biz page that has more reviews and renamed it with dashes. I reported to have them merged, but got denied. That's why I deleted the photos to give me room for correct experience with my review. HEB 1 - June 24, 2015 HEB 2 - August 9, 2014 HEB 3 - June 14, 2014 HEB 4 - May 27, 2014 HEB 5 - October 1, 2014 HEB 6 - Monster pumpkins on display - September 13, 2014 HEB 7 - Really creamy and yes, hint of buttery flavors. - April 21, 2015 HEB 8 - July 5, 2014 HEB 9 - Roasted delicious corn - from $3 each small to large - June 21, 2014 HEB 10 - Crawfish on sale - May 27, 20...

We love Six Ping Bakeries in Chinatown. I received a message from Yelper Que N. as she notice a Six Ping sign at Saigon Plaza. It is technically not inside of Chinatown on the east of Beltway. So, I went to investigate. Six Ping has 4 location in Houston Chinatown area On their website, there isn't any information about their 4th store at 10623 Bellaire Blvd Ste C120 (Next to Pho Dien & UT Medical). Then, I went to the Dun Huang Plaza bakery and asked about it. The store clerk said, it will open sometime early December. I went back to check daily. It finally opened on Saturday, 12/5/15. Then, I thought to write a blog to have a collection of the stores in one location: Bellaire Six Ping - 9384 Bellaire  yelp.com/biz/six-ping-houston Viet Hoa Plaza - 8388 W Sam Houston Parkway, Ste 184  yelp.com/biz/six-ping-houston-2 Dun Huang Plaza - 9889 Bellaire Blvd, Ste D246  yelp.com/biz/six-ping-houston-5 Saigon Plaza - 10623 Bellaire Blvd...

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...

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...

My recent Time for Taiwan UYE was filled with lots of fun, energy and conversations. I love it. That's how an UYE should be. This UYE was created with helps from many Yelpers. The UYE idea came from Jamie A . as I posted an event on  2015 Time For Taiwan-Restaurant Month in Houston (I also posted one in Dallas ). Then, I solicited on the Talk thread. Chris C recommended Cafe 101 because alcohol beverages are available. I was a little discouraged to proceed after many obstacles: can't modify the time, low RSVP turnout and scorching Houston's 101°F+ heat. But I was craving for some Taiwanese food. It actually went very well. Que N & Sarah Y; Lou & Depp; Sarah Y & Matt S I have so many ties with Taiwan. Yelp added Taiwan as 5th market in Asia this April. I made contact with CM Roxanne L . I have plans to visit my birthplace in October 2016. My recent review on the 2nd Annual Taiwan Yes Taiwan Way Festival. I saw an ad on local newspaper about th...

This is a question for business owners. If you had a business recently relocated, do you change the address on Yelp page or tell the world that you moved to a new address? It prompted me to this blog. I recently go contacted by a business owner in Chinese: Subject: 百利中医皮肤科 ( TCM Acupuncture & Herbs Clinic ) Mr lou  您好!谢谢您在yelp帮我们!我们现在搬到新址所以­还得麻烦您帮我们把旧的照片删掉!多谢多谢!   杨晓娜 (Hi, Mr Lou! Thank you for helping us on Yelp! We moved to a new address. Please delete the old photos you posted. Thank you. Xiaona Y.) I got very curious and found out the storefront  and store hours  photos were removed. I suspected that the biz page owner already removed them. My first expression was, "oh no. They did it all wrong." I was a little pissed off at first. But then, I realized Chinese are getting more adoptive to new methods of advertising. That's what Yelp is about. I drove by to see the old location. It is occupied by a massage therapist and TCM is still on the wall. ...

I've got a niche. I chose to be The New Biz Seeker - targeting businesses ready to start. I watch them like a hawk. Constantly asking the staff for info and post tips about its opening day. Then, post a storefront photo. On the opening day, I take lots of photos with my experience and a review. It depended on how I felt, I may go back for more and write a review with accumulated experiences. Or, I may just grab the "FTR" badge (First to Review) on the fly. After the review, this biz page will be placed on the Yelp site as "New Business Openings" and on Yelp app as "Hot and New" (iOS) or "Hot New Business" (Android). This is very effective. These are the businesses I boosted in my Yelp years 2012 to 2014: Frenchy’s Chicken (Sharpstown) Eastern Foot Spa  (Chinatown) Party City (Northwest) Piquin Mexican Style Subs (Northwest) Dollar City (Westwood) King Dollar (Sharpstown) Pho Binh 59 South (Sharpstown) Lu Xiang Village ...

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...

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...