User-Generated Content for Business Owners

User-generated content can have a great impact on a business’ word of mouth, but what happens when the content is negative? How do businesses respond? These questions have long been asked of sites like Yelp.com, which lets users rate their experiences in restaurants, spas and other businesses. Businesses got their response, as starting next week, Yelp is allowing them to respond to reviews. This comes after long battle for businesses who felt it unfair to defend their companies, and try to fix any problems for their customers and users on Yelp. As the New York Times reports, “As Yelp has become more important in major American cities, its relationship with small businesses has become more contentious… Yelp has angered some small businesses because it has not allowed them to respond to reviews, as TripAdvisor and other review sites do”.

How will businesses use their newly gained ability to respond to Yelpers? New York Times explains, “Yelp requests that business owners use the public comments to correct inaccuracies, provide their side of a story or explain how they have fixed a problem. They are not supposed to use comments to advertise or make personal attacks”. In true user-generated content form, Yelp will not screen business’ replies. However, users will have the ability to flag inappropriate comments. How will Yelp’s decision affect the feel of the site? Only time will tell what businesses will do with its ability to respond.