Yelp is a mobile application and website that allows users to search for local businesses and write reviews about their experiences. It was founded in 2004 and has become one of the most popular consumer review sites. The app allows users to find nearby restaurants, shops, and services based on reviews and ratings from other users. While users appreciate Yelp's usefulness, some question whether it fairly shows all reviews or favors some businesses over others. Yelp continues improving its search filters and social features to enhance users' experiences.

1. Digital Technology Analysis
Mobile Application: Yelp
WSA Global Media Management
Xiu Lulu
Student Number: 27780163

3. Yelp mobile application
• Founded in 2004
• One of the most popular consumer evaluation sites (Kuehn 2013)
• Function: Helping people to choose local businesses based on
local reviews and social networking functionality (Ariyasriwatana,
W. et al 2014)
(Figure 1)

4. Yelp TV Commercial: Whatever you need, check Yelp first
https://youtu.be/pAXPY2dBq9I
Yelp: A local guide to help users to search
for nearby restaurants, shops, and other
services.
(Figure 2. locating nearby services)
Video 1. Yelp TV commervial promotional video

5. Yelp: Public comments software
Yelp port their digital strategies into social environments by broadcasting
their commercial messages or seeking customer feedback.” (Piskorski,
M. J. 2011).
Consumers can grade a mark to the merchant from
1 to 5 stars and write comments.
User Generated Content. Users write comments and post
photographs or video after their consumption
(mobilephone screenshot)

6. Yelp Homepage: Restaurants, Bars, Coffee &Tea, Delivery,
Reservations and other categories.
Three buttons on the bottom of homepage: Nearby, Search,
Activity.
(Mobile screenshot from Yelp APP)

7. In order to make the reviews more reliable and easy to spread,
Yelp users can...
Mark the reviews. Users can make comments on the existing
user reviews, such as “useful”, “funny” and “cool”.
Interaction. Users reviews can be report and shared with
Facebook, Messengers ,Wechat and so on.
(Mobile screenshot from Yelp APP)

8. Yelp owns social media features. Users can sign up with
Facebook accounts or Google accounts to log in.
Social network features. Yelp enables and encourages
reviewers to establish social images or reputation (Wang
2010)
(Figure 3. Yelp sign up and log in)

9. Yelp also focuses on building its own social networking
platforms to enhance communication with Yelp users.
such as...
Yelp Blog. http://officialblog.yelp.com/
Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/yelp
Twitter. https://twitter.com/yelp
Instagram. https://instagram.com/yelp

10. For
Users appreciate Yelp helping them to find satisfied services and get
useful information from others
Against
Some users doubt that Yelp may remove some low ratings and
negative reviews online, or delete some truthful comments.
Users have different tastes, Yelp can not meet different demands.
Search filter is not clear and concise enough to
find more detailed results.

11. Positive and negative voices on Apple Store
Figure 4. Consumer reviews on App Store

12. Why does Yelp hide reviews?
https://youtu.be/s1lJuu44cJA?t=58 (from this point to 2:37)
https://youtu.be/s1lJuu44cJA?t=324 (from here to 5:42)
Yelp's explanation
Video 2.
Why does Yelp hide reviews

13. To improve users research experience, Yelp Improving search filters
The former search filter
The advanced search filter (Figure 5 Yelp. com search filter)

14. As a mobile App, Yelp have powerful features to provide
local services.
Consumer comments on Yelp are effective to judge the
merchant.
Continuous improvement and innovation are necessary
for Yelp.

15. References
Ariyasriwatana, W. et al (2014). Categorizing health-related cues to action: using Yelp
reviews of restaurants in Hawaii. New Review of Hypermedia and Multimedia, 20(4), pp.
317-340.
Kuehn, K. M. (2013). " There’s Got to be a Review Democracy": Communicative
Capitalism, Neoliberal Citizenship and the Politics of Participation on the Consumer
Evaluation Website Yelp. com. International Journal of Communication, 7, pp. 19.
Piskorski, M. J. (2011). Social strategies that work. Harvard Business Review, 89(11), pp.
116-122.
Wang, Z. (2010). Anonymity, social image, and the competition for volunteers: a case
study of the online market for reviews. The BE Journal of Economic Analysis &
Policy, 10(1).

16. List of Figures
Figure 1. Westlake, A. (2015) Yelp sues websites that promise businesses all positive
reviews. [image online] Available at:
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Yelp&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj
JuM7o06LKAhWFuRQKHST5BTgQ_AUICCgB&biw=1366&bih=622 [Accessed 10/1/2016]
Figure 2. Yelp (2016) Locating nearby services. Available at:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/yelp/id284910350?mt=8 [Accessed 10/1/2016]
Figure 3. Yelp (2015) Yelp iPhone iPad and Apple Watch. Available at:
http://pttrns.com/applications/448 [Accessed 10/1/2016]
Figure 4. Consumer reviews on App Store. Availabel at:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/yelp/id284910350?mt=8 [Accessed 10/1/2016]
Figure 5. Yelp (2015) Yelp. com search filter. Available at:
NYhttp://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=after+work+bars&find_loc=New+York%2C+NY
&ns=1 [Accessed 10/1/2016]
List of Videos
Vedio 1. Yelp (2015) Yelp TV commercial 2015. [Online video]. Available at:
https://youtu.be/pAXPY2dBq9I [Accessed 8/1/2016]
Vedio 2. Washington Post (2014) Why does Yelp hide reviews. [Online video]. Available
at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1lJuu44cJA [Accessed 11/1/2016]