Yelp is a website with the slogan, "Real People. Real Reviews".  Users of Yelp are free to post reviews of local businesses such as restaurants, nightclubs and more, a useful resource developed with the customer in mind-think TripAdvisor.

In a surprising move, Yelp is scheduled to begin allowing small business owners to publicly respond to posted reviews next week.  Previously, the site stringently adhered to its preference to limit business access to the pages.

Yelp is attempting to appease both sides, which is a delicate balance.  On the trapeze that is marketing, it is important to alleviate skepticism in favor of neutrality.  While the voices of businesses were previously muted, it has become an issue that both sides were not being heard.  For the most part businesses appreciate reviews and can gain from them a chance to improve and grow. Competition can lead some businesses to behave poorly and post negative reviews of their competitors, a practice that Yelp frowns on.

Users are not supposed to use the comment section to make attacks on competitors or to advertise, and while Yelp does not screen comments prior to publish, users are able to flag inappropriate material and comments for review by the customer service team. Brought to you by Blue Interactive, your Fort Lauderdale web design and SEO firm.