I do not think people participate on Yelp to get badges. That is ridiculous. I have a friend who recently fell in love with Yelp. She uses it to figure out what

I do not think people participate on Yelp to get badges. That is ridiculous. I have a friend who recently fell in love with Yelp. She uses it to figure out what restaurants she wants to go to in New York City. She likes reading the reviews, good and bad. She feels like she's become good at figuring out what places she will like, even when they have bad reviews. Reading between the lines on Yelp has become a kind of sport for her. Even more recently, she began contributing reviews. I think for her it is a way of sharing with others what she likes, and participating in the Yelp community, which is a community that she likes. The question is sort of similar to "Why do you have the friends that you have?" Why are any of us drawn to one group of people, and not some other group of people? Or why do we go to some show, some party, follow some musicians? We get something out of it, but it clearly isn't badges or money, or merit points, or anything ridiculous like that.