This is from the “CNET” article with the ethics professors being quoted:
“‘Somebody is lying, or there is just too much confusion. Either way, Yelp’s got a problem,’ said Thomas White, director of the Center for Ethics and Business at Loyola Marymount University. ‘Trust is too easy to compromise and lose.’
Kirk O. Hanson, an ethics professor and executive director of the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University, said Yelp needs to better understand and manage the ethics risk that its business model presents.”
I don’t necessarily think anyone is lying. But I do think the power of the last words hadn’t even been thought of until recently. I often take a swipe at yelp for focusing too much on drunken youth culture versus running an important business. I will say that if they hadn’t really gripped some of these concerns before…. they are mired in them for now.
Good reading:
https://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10168065-2.html
Cnet’s question of credibility? (with a reprint of yelp reviews… might be interesting especially if you are mark W or fawn P. I doubt they asked you to use that eh?) This is amazing, as the reporter covers internet security and privacy, and an ethics professor call yelp out directly about there being “a problem”.
https://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=13222
Commentary about yelp focusing on reporter during rebuttal, not reporter; suggests Stoppelman isn’t doing much to resolve problem head on and really lays into his approach to business, etc.
https://www.nbcbayarea.com/around_town/dining/Town-Hall-Mardi-Gras-Yelps-Twitter-Onslaught.html
Stoppelman going totally unhinged and loco on Twitter – he responded to me too. Unhinged might be strong, but he obviously doesn’t know how to use twitter. Maybe it is the right way I think it is *hilarious*. The site that helped deconstructing a brand’s ability to control the message, or do PR damage control is the one trying the most desperately to do so. IRONY is rare… oh so rare. What else it begs whether the leadership there is just surfing keywords on the internet or actually running a business.
https://consumerist.com/5157591/companies-accuse-yelp-of-review-extortion-yelp-says-no-way
The Consumerist weighs in, but the comments suggest the readers are experiencing ethical issues or confusion, at the least.
Pc World comes out with an article about not trusting yelp with your rep as a business
https://www.thestandard.com/news/2009/02/22/yelp-blames-review-filter-part-bad-press
(More Stories from businesses)
https://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2009/02/20/yelp-disputes-extortion-story/
Wall Street Journal
https://www.examiner.com/x-2727-Chicago-Cats-Examiner~y2009m2d21-Vets-in-Chicago
Can you trust reviews for important decisions like vet? One blogger suggests you can no longer truly trust yelp.
https://blogs.ft.com/techblog/2009/02/yelp-rejects-claims-of-extortion/
The financial Times, so one twitter user suggested that this will be picked up into Europe a bit… good point @shmooth