There’s been a lot of buzz around Corvallis lately about local business reviews. Yelp has been a platform of choice for many of these reviews, as it provides a chance for patrons to put a quantitative star-value on their experience(s) and couple it with a qualitative comment, for browsers to pay heed. This pairing has worked quite well, and Yelp is getting much-deserved attention as a purveyor of the democratic process.
However, not all businesses are equal (or even good), and this sometimes leads to a less-than-optimal review. The social-media Luddite shirks in fear that the negative reviews are open for all to see. His business may actually be influenced if someone sees it, and the less-discussed competition is likely to reap the rewards. In a fearful last-ditch effort, he calls out the reviewer as being biased and too influential, and he must repent by removing the review. Resigned, the reviewer admits that maybe he had a singular bad experience, and is willing to remove his bad review. After all, he doesn’t want to harm anyone’s business. He just thought that he finally found a place where he could be honest. With a sigh of relief, the Luddite settles back in his seat, content in the silence on the social media front. “I would rather have nothing said than something bad said,” he erroneously thinks.
Read the rest of this entry »
