3 ms·

Remember when Yelp did that? And yet, somehow not dead.

by djbusby 3y ago

paxys 3y ago
Yelp isn't dead but no one I know uses it anymore, specifically due to all the issues with reviews.
- emchammer 3y ago
  Yelp rating, photos and reviews come before the street address when you click on a place in Apple Maps. I have to scroll down to get the street address, somebody decided that is less important.
  - healsdata 3y ago
    Bing gives Yelp similar priority for queries like "tacos near me", so all the Bing-serving alternative search engines like DuckDuckGo do the same thing.
MattGaiser 3y ago
Yelp has no real alternative for vetting unfamiliar restaurants, at least not one which doesn’t have similar conflicts.
- aledalgrande 3y ago
  If you're in UK look at Harden's http://www.hardens.com/ http://www.hardens.com/
- OJFord 3y ago
  TripAdvisor? They charge for advertising/sponsored positioning, but it's free to claim your business and it allows you to respond to people but pretty sure not do 'moderation' like that.
  - internet101010 3y ago
    TripAdvisor is good for everything outside of the US but I pretty much just use Google Maps now for restaurants in the US. I'll keep an eye out for who gets awards in my city as well.
  - waylandsmithers 3y ago
    The reviews might be real, but the order you see anything, say Top 10 hotels in Indianapolis, is the result of an auction
- AaronM 3y ago
  Google Maps?
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- kelvie 3y ago
  I find this is generally region-specific, as what review sites are most commonly used will differ somewhat from region to region.
- hoistbypetard 3y ago
  I have found it preferable to visit the restaurant in question, look around, read the menu, and decide based on those cues around me whether it's worth risking a meal there. Yelp has become useless, and TripAdvisor is as bad if not worse. The reviews on Google Maps are wholly unreliable as well.
wnevets 3y ago
> And yet, somehow not dead. I can't remember the last time I looked at yelp, pre-covid maybe?
ipqk 3y ago
I think Yelp only survives through its integration with Apple Maps. If Apple ever decides to build its own review feature I can’t imagine Yelp surviving.
- lcnPylGDnU4H9OF 3y ago
  Given the integration, I'd expect that Apple's decision to build their own would start with buying Yelp if for nothing more than the data Yelp already has.
- mikestew 3y ago
  Apple seems to be working on it. A lot of times when I press that POI icon, I get Trip Advisor reviews and not Yelp. Additionally, there is thumbs up/down UI in the Apple Maps app to rate a POI. An example would be Fairhaven Village Inn, Bellingham, WA: no Yelp droppings anywhere to be found.
renegade-otter 3y ago
I basically stopped reading Amazon and Yelp reviews. They do more harm then good. Now it's all about human-curated information. Find someone you trust - on social media, a new site, or a newsletter. Get the info from them. Should I eat here? Should I buy this product? Etc. With restaurants it's tricky - sometimes you just need to take a chance. There is some old-school magic in that.
- astura 3y ago
  >Find someone you trust - on social media, a new site, or a newsletter. Get the info from them. OMG please don't do this - it's more gamed/scammy than online reviews: people will routinely post sponsored content disguised as personal recommendations. The FTC occasionally cracks down on it (or sends warning labels) but it's still so ubiquitous.
  - renegade-otter 3y ago
    If you are following an "influencer" peddling products, yes, but there are plenty of good resources available. The choice is between "scam" and "bias".
    - astura 3y ago
      If you think this is only a problem with "influencers peddling products" then I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.
- onemoresoop 3y ago
  > I basically stopped reading Amazon and Yelp reviews I've done that too and am sure many people here on HN realized how gameable and gamed they are but sadly it still works for the masses who fall into these traps like flies to a candle. When these this kind of deception will stop working we will have reached a total trust of 0.
- kelnos 3y ago
  > With restaurants it's tricky - sometimes you just need to take a chance. There is some old-school magic in that. Absolutely agree, and I try to do this more often now. A visit somewhere new and untested for lunch or dinner isn't like a product purchase, where I might regret a bad purchase for months or years. If a restaurant doesn't work out, I've only lost an hour or two of my time, and a bit of cash that likely still went to providing me sustenance, even if the experience and taste was poor. And if it turns out to be great -- well... great!
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]

Remember when Yelp did that? And yet, somehow not dead.

paxys 3y ago

Yelp isn't dead but no one I know uses it anymore, specifically due to all the issues with reviews.

emchammer 3y ago
Yelp rating, photos and reviews come before the street address when you click on a place in Apple Maps. I have to scroll down to get the street address, somebody decided that is less important.
- healsdata 3y ago
  Bing gives Yelp similar priority for queries like "tacos near me", so all the Bing-serving alternative search engines like DuckDuckGo do the same thing.

MattGaiser 3y ago

Yelp has no real alternative for vetting unfamiliar restaurants, at least not one which doesn’t have similar conflicts.

aledalgrande 3y ago
If you're in UK look at Harden's http://www.hardens.com/ http://www.hardens.com/
OJFord 3y ago
TripAdvisor? They charge for advertising/sponsored positioning, but it's free to claim your business and it allows you to respond to people but pretty sure not do 'moderation' like that.
- internet101010 3y ago
  TripAdvisor is good for everything outside of the US but I pretty much just use Google Maps now for restaurants in the US. I'll keep an eye out for who gets awards in my city as well.
- waylandsmithers 3y ago
  The reviews might be real, but the order you see anything, say Top 10 hotels in Indianapolis, is the result of an auction
AaronM 3y ago
Google Maps?
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
kelvie 3y ago
I find this is generally region-specific, as what review sites are most commonly used will differ somewhat from region to region.
hoistbypetard 3y ago
I have found it preferable to visit the restaurant in question, look around, read the menu, and decide based on those cues around me whether it's worth risking a meal there. Yelp has become useless, and TripAdvisor is as bad if not worse. The reviews on Google Maps are wholly unreliable as well.

wnevets 3y ago

> And yet, somehow not dead. I can't remember the last time I looked at yelp, pre-covid maybe?

ipqk 3y ago

I think Yelp only survives through its integration with Apple Maps. If Apple ever decides to build its own review feature I can’t imagine Yelp surviving.

lcnPylGDnU4H9OF 3y ago
Given the integration, I'd expect that Apple's decision to build their own would start with buying Yelp if for nothing more than the data Yelp already has.
mikestew 3y ago
Apple seems to be working on it. A lot of times when I press that POI icon, I get Trip Advisor reviews and not Yelp. Additionally, there is thumbs up/down UI in the Apple Maps app to rate a POI. An example would be Fairhaven Village Inn, Bellingham, WA: no Yelp droppings anywhere to be found.

renegade-otter 3y ago

I basically stopped reading Amazon and Yelp reviews. They do more harm then good. Now it's all about human-curated information. Find someone you trust - on social media, a new site, or a newsletter. Get the info from them. Should I eat here? Should I buy this product? Etc. With restaurants it's tricky - sometimes you just need to take a chance. There is some old-school magic in that.

astura 3y ago
>Find someone you trust - on social media, a new site, or a newsletter. Get the info from them. OMG please don't do this - it's more gamed/scammy than online reviews: people will routinely post sponsored content disguised as personal recommendations. The FTC occasionally cracks down on it (or sends warning labels) but it's still so ubiquitous.
- renegade-otter 3y ago
  If you are following an "influencer" peddling products, yes, but there are plenty of good resources available. The choice is between "scam" and "bias".
  - astura 3y ago
    If you think this is only a problem with "influencers peddling products" then I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.
onemoresoop 3y ago
> I basically stopped reading Amazon and Yelp reviews I've done that too and am sure many people here on HN realized how gameable and gamed they are but sadly it still works for the masses who fall into these traps like flies to a candle. When these this kind of deception will stop working we will have reached a total trust of 0.
kelnos 3y ago
> With restaurants it's tricky - sometimes you just need to take a chance. There is some old-school magic in that. Absolutely agree, and I try to do this more often now. A visit somewhere new and untested for lunch or dinner isn't like a product purchase, where I might regret a bad purchase for months or years. If a restaurant doesn't work out, I've only lost an hour or two of my time, and a bit of cash that likely still went to providing me sustenance, even if the experience and taste was poor. And if it turns out to be great -- well... great!

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]