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No. One way in which we differ considerably from Yelp is that the venue itself produces the initial content. The profiles are fuller and more meaningful because

No. One way in which we differ considerably from Yelp is that the venue itself produces the initial content. The profiles are fuller and more meaningful because the venues are building the initial product rather than users. Very few Yelp pages, for example, have any photos. When a venue is paying for inclusion in this service, they are more attentive to the page than a user. Every venue on our web application has people behind it, working at the venue, who are reading the user reviews, adding content, creating announcements, writing a short description of the place, uploading pictures of products or services they offer, and describing their venue using up to fifty tags. Users can do many of these things, too, but the initial set of content is created by the venue.

aaronblohowiak 18y ago
that's a good way to guarantee slow growth. yelp is so popular because they made it a competitive sport to review new places and add in new information (with the reward being elite yelp status and access to special elite parties.) a lot of yelp's paying customers do have dates and times and photos and menus and such. in fact, afaik, the only way to get some of the info on there is to pay yelp. i wish you the best of luck, but i hope you have a bigger differentiator than placing more of a burden on small businesses.
- jpsnell 18y ago
  My pitch is ill-defined and I realize now how similar it must seem to Yelp. However, I would like to elaborate on this point that you made about "slow growth" with a question: Would Facebook be as popular if anyone could create anyone else's page? They would upload basic information - maybe a picture or two, a few interests, add a few friends, hardly ever write in the blog. When the person writing content for these pages has a personal investment in the business or venue, the page becomes much more vibrant. Users on Yelp are given points for adding and reviewing places, but the number of pictures they upload, for example, is a non-factor in their user ranking. Thus, I respectfully disagree with your assessment that this will slow growth. I'm planning on starting with a small and well-defined geographic reach - say, one small area like a city or a state. Once that user base is satisfied, then I'll work to expand the application's reach. One more thing, though - I would not be quick to call the profile creation on this web application "burdensome." Most venues, including several branches of a national chain, have difficulty reaching their customer base. The chain "Chili's" for example, has a Web site for their national chain, but few if any (I couldn't find any on a recent search) of their individual venues have Web sites. That means there's very little interchange between the consumer and the venue. This web application was initially created so that people could not only organize their places, but shape them to some extent. If enough people complain in reviews of an individual Chili's venue that the cash registers are understaffed, that venue will take notice.
  - aaronblohowiak 18y ago
    I may well be missing something, but you still haven't differentiated yourself. Companies can upload photos to their yelp page, if they pay. The people can also put their info in google base or other directories. What I want to know from you is: Why are ou going to beat yelp? Why are you going to beat citysearch? Why did judysbook and insiderpages fail? How do you compare to americantowns.com ? I wish you the best of luck. Really, i do. I am in the minority of people who go to the internet for everything, and hope/expect that everything is going to be on there. if there was more than just the hipster-overridden yelp, then i'd be a happier man. I just don't see the business case.
  - anamax 18y ago
    > If enough people complain in reviews of an individual Chili's venue that the cash registers are understaffed, that venue will take notice. What are the odds that such a Chili's will maintain a web presence? Better yet, to observe such a community. Hint - go to a different restaurant. You'll be happier and you'll be helping to solve their understaffed cash register problem.

aaronblohowiak 18y ago

that's a good way to guarantee slow growth. yelp is so popular because they made it a competitive sport to review new places and add in new information (with the reward being elite yelp status and access to special elite parties.) a lot of yelp's paying customers do have dates and times and photos and menus and such. in fact, afaik, the only way to get some of the info on there is to pay yelp. i wish you the best of luck, but i hope you have a bigger differentiator than placing more of a burden on small businesses.

jpsnell 18y ago
My pitch is ill-defined and I realize now how similar it must seem to Yelp. However, I would like to elaborate on this point that you made about "slow growth" with a question: Would Facebook be as popular if anyone could create anyone else's page? They would upload basic information - maybe a picture or two, a few interests, add a few friends, hardly ever write in the blog. When the person writing content for these pages has a personal investment in the business or venue, the page becomes much more vibrant. Users on Yelp are given points for adding and reviewing places, but the number of pictures they upload, for example, is a non-factor in their user ranking. Thus, I respectfully disagree with your assessment that this will slow growth. I'm planning on starting with a small and well-defined geographic reach - say, one small area like a city or a state. Once that user base is satisfied, then I'll work to expand the application's reach. One more thing, though - I would not be quick to call the profile creation on this web application "burdensome." Most venues, including several branches of a national chain, have difficulty reaching their customer base. The chain "Chili's" for example, has a Web site for their national chain, but few if any (I couldn't find any on a recent search) of their individual venues have Web sites. That means there's very little interchange between the consumer and the venue. This web application was initially created so that people could not only organize their places, but shape them to some extent. If enough people complain in reviews of an individual Chili's venue that the cash registers are understaffed, that venue will take notice.
- aaronblohowiak 18y ago
  I may well be missing something, but you still haven't differentiated yourself. Companies can upload photos to their yelp page, if they pay. The people can also put their info in google base or other directories. What I want to know from you is: Why are ou going to beat yelp? Why are you going to beat citysearch? Why did judysbook and insiderpages fail? How do you compare to americantowns.com ? I wish you the best of luck. Really, i do. I am in the minority of people who go to the internet for everything, and hope/expect that everything is going to be on there. if there was more than just the hipster-overridden yelp, then i'd be a happier man. I just don't see the business case.
- anamax 18y ago
  > If enough people complain in reviews of an individual Chili's venue that the cash registers are understaffed, that venue will take notice. What are the odds that such a Chili's will maintain a web presence? Better yet, to observe such a community. Hint - go to a different restaurant. You'll be happier and you'll be helping to solve their understaffed cash register problem.