I was in New York this week, and as part of my visit, I decided to check-in (pun intended) with Foursquare co-founder Dennis Crowley. He showed off the company’s massive new office that is still under construction in the Village Voice building in New York’s Cooper Square. What’s gotten him most excited: small conference rooms where…  Read More →

Though Yelp steadfastly denies allegations — and now lawsuits — that its salespeople pressure local businesses to buy advertising in exchange for removing negative reviews and getting preferential treatment, the company tonight addressed them head-on. Specifically, it’s making two major product changes to become more transparent about its filtering process and give less favorable treatment to advertisers. First, Yelp is removing... 

Yelp, which recently launched “check-ins” via its iPhone app in a move that put it on the same playing field as Foursquare and Gowalla, is making those check-ins an integral part of its user-review services . As shown in the screenshot below, a review of a particular retail outlet or service in Yelp will now show whether that user has checked in at that location, and if so how many times. Users who check in frequently will get small... 

Om’s note: I wrote this long before the rumors about Google buying Yelp for $500 million started flying around. In my post from today that breaks down the Yelp-Google deal, I explain why it is a good move for Yelpers to take the money and run. I also say that it is a good move for Google in the short term. Over the long term, value of Yelp is limited. The cold and damp December weather has taken hold here in San Francisco. It’s the... 

Though the promise of earning mayorship and badges doesn’t inspire me to block doorways so I can pull out my phone and check in on Foursquare (ahem, Om), I do use the service quite a bit. For me the most valuable thing it offers are the tips left by its relatively small group of San Francisco users, many of whom I recognize. That’s how, during recent visits, I knew to order the Duchesse de Bourgogne at Shotwell’s bar (yummy,...