The world can be a cruel and hostile place. Yelp is likely one of the most negative review sites on the Internet. Take any business, and their reviews are likely lower on Yelp than on any other platform. This speaks to the type of reviewers that flock to Yelp.
With Yelp’s stock tanking, it may be time to reconsider its current business model. Instead of conditioning users to leave novels of negativity, maybe Yelp should encourage users to leave 5-star reviews or nothing.
The adage if you have nothing nice to say, it’s better not to say it, should apply to Yelp. Most negative reviews on the site should be scrutinized as psychological/verbal abuse towards staff.
Instead, Yelp should attract positive posts that uplift staff and recommend the very best of the business community. It shouldn’t list every business on its site to bash them. That’s a quick way not to make friends. But instead, it should be an honor to be listed on Yelp, displaying how many great reviews a particular business has earned.
When we share music, we share the best. We don’t share the worst song we’ve ever heard. Restaurants, dealerships, and hotels should be no different.
At the very least, Yelp should hide its negative reviews and categorize them into constructive areas for improvement seen privately by businesses. Highlight the best companies to patronize and shut off the spread of toxic negativity that is psychological abuse toward staff.
Notice that Yelp can’t be reviewed on Yelp. If business owners honestly reviewed it, Yelp wouldn’t fair so well.
Aside from being mainly damaging or hostile to most businesses on its site. Yelp also makes up its own rules on how a company should present itself. That isn’t for Yelp to say. That right belongs to the businesses.
Also, Yelp takes too long to update business hours, sometimes reporting the wrong business hours. That, too, should be a right reserved for businesses. These should be updatable instantly and controlled by a central hub. This criticism applies to all review and map sites.
Each site that pops up gives business owners more to keep track of and can harm a business by providing inaccurate information.
In summary, Yelp should focus on positive communication about businesses. If negative reviews are still collected, they should be categorized for constructive criticism to be shared privately with the firms that wish to improve. Business information should belong to the businesses themselves. Yelp makes too many rules about how companies should present themselves, even though no business ever asked to be on their site. Who does Yelp think they are? And finally, Yelp should be reviewable on Yelp. To challenge themselves to improve.
It’s always painless to dish out criticism about other businesses, but how about the same fair treatment, Yelp? Would you be withered to scorn by all the world’s business owners? I think so.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. Yelp can focus on being more positive and spreading positivity instead of being a magnet for ungrateful customers with bad attitudes who spew out verbal abuse on those who serve them. YouTube still has a dislike button. Still, they realized that giving people an option to be negative brings out the worst in people.
I challenge Yelp to be better. Share this article if you agree to help inspire the world to be more positive or, at the very least, more constructive and less toxic.