Tag Archives: forbes

Do you Yelp?

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Image representing Yelp as depicted in CrunchBase

Yelp! hit 100 Million users in January, 2013. The local directory and review service has been around since 2004, and for many is the go-to site for choosing services of all kinds, based on user reviews.

Yelp! gives regular folks the opportunity to review businesses from dining, to merchants, to service providers.  Of course, if you are checking Yelp! to find a nearby sushi place or a mechanic in a town far from, the user has to make a leap of faith and accept the assumption that reviews are honest, and that there is no manipulation by either the vendor or Yelp! itself.

In a recent Google+ discussion someone brought up this Forbes Article – Think Yelp is Unbiased? Think Again!!  It bears a look, especially from those of us who have Yelp! business pages.  Yelp! filters reviews.  They are up front telling business owners that they use the filter: “The filter establishes an objective standard against which every review can be measured.”, and the FAQ goes on to explain why the filter is necessary to weed out bogus reviews, BUT the FAQs do nothing to explain what that objective standard is. Continue reading →

Misery, danger and damn good bar-b-q

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RE-POSTED – Originally posted October 15, 2010

I was born in Memphis.  I have moved away twice and returned to live here.  The bar-b-q is not the only thing brought me back and will keep me here the rest of my days.   Forbes gave Memphis the number 3 spot on its America’s Most Miserable Cities list back in February.  This week Forbes rated Memphis #1 among the Country’s Most Dangerous Cities.

So what’s going on here?  Is the sheer misery of life overwhelming Memphians?  Are we living in a state of anarchy where crime trumps law and order?  Are we crazy for choosing to live here?  While the suburbanites may smirk at the Forbes stories as they enjoy their lifestyles funded by Memphis’ commerce, most of the folks I know are happy to be in Memphis, many happier than they ever thought they would be.  We are in sync with Memphis’ unique culture – the culture of a true melting pot city, with the bonus of southern hospitality and manners.  Memphis is a city with a lot to offer.

I am not writing this post as a Convention and Visitors Bureau or Chamber of Commerce piece.  The positive, fun, safe, educational, entertainment, and cultural aspects of Memphis life are easy to research.

Imagine being a real estate agent specializing in in-city properties.  How would  you respond the Forbes stories?  How would you sell Memphis to someone relocating or considering moving here?  I would love to see your responses.  For me a driving tour with lunch at an authentic Memphis bar-b-q spot seems to be the perfect introduction.

photo: Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike by Marlon Bunday

Where are people moving to and from? Shelby County?

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Forbes has an interesting interactive map mashup showing where people are moving to and from in the USA.   I have spent way too much time interacting with it. This is a screen shot.

Moving Map

Here is the link to go live and  interactive.  Click on any county to see its comings and goings.  Black lines represent inbound movement; redlines, outbound movement.

Forbes states that  more than 10 million Americans moved from one county to another during 2008.  The maps are visual representations of those moves.

Source: Internal Revenue Service data. The IRS only reports inter-county moves for more than 10 people, so some moves are not shown on the maps.

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