The Hive: Yahoo Local

Its seems like the American Society is a large bee hive; everyone is flying at warp speed, consumed in the rituals of their lives: Collecting nectar from flowers (jobs,careers)and taking care of the larvae (kids,school drama). When you actually have time to rest your wings, you want to do something relaxing, or go somewhere exciting. This is when Yahoo Local comes in, luring us busy bees with the fragrant scents of knowledge and Communication.

My first impression of Yahoo Local was that it was a clean cut review site, where members are free to voice their own opinions about a business. They have different categories for reviews, the most popular seem to be Beauty Salon, Health Care and Restaurants. Every reviewer uses the star method to critique a business, ranking from 1-5 stars, 5 being awesome and 1 being just plain terrible.

The Perks

Members have their own profiles, and are able to collect reviews from other users. Yahoo Local also lets member get updates of new events on twitter. But what makes Yahoo Local interesting is that Visitors to the site like myself who are searching for guidance in deciding where to go for entertainment, can rank the members articles; deciding if it was helpful or not. Visitors can give a thumbs up or thumbs down. So not only do businesses get judged but the users as well, on their credibility. Plus Yahoo Local offers a "Weekend Guide" to help visitors plan their weekends, by listing interesting events for Fri-Sun.


Spoiled Honey

As I was flying deeper into the site, my antennas stood up, something did not seem right. Yahoo Local offers people to sign up an have their business listed to be reviewed.

See your business in big bright lights on the Web.
Everything offered with an Enhanced Listing, plus:
• Guaranteed placement on the 1st or 2nd search results page2
• Premium placement at the top or bottom of the page
• Broader exposure because your listing is shown across larger geography

But since so many people would be competing to have their business shown first, not everyone will be featured. This goes against Yahoo's promise, which means that extra money must be used on the side to put the business in "the Spot light" Also I came across a review that really wasn't a review at all but an advertisement.




The user called," DJ C Hustler' works for Tattoo Warehouse aka Reaper Tattoo, which he has raved about the excellent prices and practically admits he's promoting the store. If Yahoo Local is allowing this to go on, can it really be labeled a trustworthy site? By completely pushing reviews aside, your telling the public you don't care about their views only the money, and not improving your business.

Since Yahoo Local has flaws, its hard to determine who is really a amateur reviewer or just an employee or owner trying to boost business. Negativity seems to sale, one bad comment can destroy a business. In a swarm of negative reviews the positive ones become lost.

The soul purpose of the site should be about the users taking a break from the hive, and try to help others not waste their time or money on places that aren't up to a high standard.