Is Your Business Being Impaired By Yelp? You Are Not Alone...
But Time Is Coming...
April 05, 2010
Today Yelp made a first step, and only a first step, to acknowledge and begin to correct a history of misrepresentation. They stepped over the point of no return. The Yelp’s website has previously been given the appearance of a “marketplace for the exchange of ideas.” Yelp is slowly releasing the marketplace from the appearance of a free exchange of information and maybe someday will permit a free exchange of ideas on it.
As we have demonstrated in the lawsuit on file, Yelp has a history of controlling and limiting the exchange of ideas in an effort to financially profit for them. Yelp has three independent class actions lawsuits in which allegations are that Yelp’s conduct is tantamount to extortion in how they manipulate and limit the information in order to secure advertising revenue. Yelp has needlessly damaged the reputation and financial well being of so many other businesses in an effort to expand their own business. If a local newspaper were to do this, they would be run out of town. Credibility has to be earned, not purchased.
Unfortunately, rather than admit the error of their ways and to release the hostages of American Businesses, today Yelp continues the process of controlling “the free flow of ideas,” virtually the First Amendment of the internet. As Yelp’s CEO Mr. Jeremy Stoppelman said: “Most consumers probably won't notice the product changes announced here, but we hope this new ability to "look under the hood" will help everyone understand the lengths we've taken to ensure Yelp is the most trusted resource on the internet for connecting people with great local businesses.” How Yelp might be “the most trusted resource” if even their own business page has, as of today, 2246 published reviews, and 1053 both “filtered and removed” (32%) reviews? We can just wonder what the average rate of those reviews was.
If Yelp’s business model continues, our First Amendment would come with a price tag only after a profit for Yelp. Isn’t it time that Yelp swallows their pride, admits their mistake, and leave Americans to exchange ideas rather than control the free flow of ideas for a profit for Yelp? One can only wonder what it will take for them to get there.
Today Yelp made just a first step.
Today Yelp made a first step, and only a first step, to acknowledge and begin to correct a history of misrepresentation. They stepped over the point of no return. The Yelp’s website has previously been given the appearance of a “marketplace for the exchange of ideas.” Yelp is slowly releasing the marketplace from the appearance of a free exchange of information and maybe someday will permit a free exchange of ideas on it.
As we have demonstrated in the lawsuit on file, Yelp has a history of controlling and limiting the exchange of ideas in an effort to financially profit for them. Yelp has three independent class actions lawsuits in which allegations are that Yelp’s conduct is tantamount to extortion in how they manipulate and limit the information in order to secure advertising revenue. Yelp has needlessly damaged the reputation and financial well being of so many other businesses in an effort to expand their own business. If a local newspaper were to do this, they would be run out of town. Credibility has to be earned, not purchased.
Unfortunately, rather than admit the error of their ways and to release the hostages of American Businesses, today Yelp continues the process of controlling “the free flow of ideas,” virtually the First Amendment of the internet. As Yelp’s CEO Mr. Jeremy Stoppelman said: “Most consumers probably won't notice the product changes announced here, but we hope this new ability to "look under the hood" will help everyone understand the lengths we've taken to ensure Yelp is the most trusted resource on the internet for connecting people with great local businesses.” How Yelp might be “the most trusted resource” if even their own business page has, as of today, 2246 published reviews, and 1053 both “filtered and removed” (32%) reviews? We can just wonder what the average rate of those reviews was.
If Yelp’s business model continues, our First Amendment would come with a price tag only after a profit for Yelp. Isn’t it time that Yelp swallows their pride, admits their mistake, and leave Americans to exchange ideas rather than control the free flow of ideas for a profit for Yelp? One can only wonder what it will take for them to get there.
Today Yelp made just a first step.
