Yelping at Yelp!

This article isn't exactly new, but it's worth looking at Yelp! again. Business owners get bent out of shape about negative reviews. I choose to look at a negative comment as a chance to communicate with the customer. Just responding to someone's concern can be very powerful. The trick is to detach your ego from the response. Their comments usually reflect more on them than you.

Yelp! What happens when an online review site itself becomes the subject of harsh public scrutiny? Such is the case of Yelp, the review site that carries the motto, “Real People. Real reviews.” In recent weeks, Yelp has been hit with three class-action lawsuits from businesses claiming that Yelp sales representatives tried to press the businesses into advertising by offering — or threatening — to manipulate reviews. Jeremy Stoppelman, a Yelp co-founder and its chief executive, has seen the tables of Web 2.0 turned against his company as angry business owners have taken to Internet boards to pan Yelp. A condensed version of a conversation with Mr. Stoppelman follows.

Facebook at Bottom of Customer Satisfaction

A recent consumer index by ForeSee Results, ranks Facebook at the bottom in terms of customer satisfaction of all the major social media sites with just 64 out of 100 points. Google by contract, was at the top with 80 out of 100. Highest, yes, but down seven points from 2009.

I guess I'm a little surprised, but just a little. Facebook tends to be talked about most when it comes to privacy issues and has a fondness for revamping its site. Does that make Facebook vulnerable to defections? It would seem not, as FB is celebrating its 500 millionth user worldwide and seems to have overcome threats of mass exoduses by disgruntled users.

It is a bit ironic that I got wind of this survey from a Google alert, delivered to my AOL account, and that it will be broadcast to many of you through my Twitterfeed link to my Facebook account. And, of course, I haven't been particularly thrilled with the lack of access to customer service reps, but that seems to be a pervasive problem in the online world.

You can see this article on ABC.com for recap of the rankings.

Keep Your Cool

I liked this post on Bloomberg Businessweek. People, don't let your public behavior hurt your brand.

I’m often called to do crisis communications work for major corporations that find themselves in a bind or damaged by an event in their industry. Unfortunately, by the time I get the call, the company has already missed the most important lesson: The best way to prevent a brand-damaging experience is to avoid doing something or saying something harmful in the first place. Small business owners are especially vulnerable. In today’s world, where people consider themselves "citizen journalists," your behavior could easily find its way onto public forums or social media networks such as YouTube, Twitter, or Yelp.

As a business owner, you are your brand. An angry tirade or rant can leave a negative impression on your customers. For example, the other week I saw a well-known real estate agent standing outside a local restaurant yelling and cursing into his phone. He was standing near the alley of the restaurant, close to the parking lot, probably thinking nobody would see him. He was so loud, however, that he called attention to himself. It was clear that he was yelling at someone he knew (his wife or daughter). Not for a minute would I ever consider using him as a realtor after witnessing his behavior. He might be the best real estate agent in the country, but in that moment he forever tarnished his brand without saying a word to me. Saying something in anger is often the easiest way to lose friends and supporters.

Here’s a second example. Several weeks ago I boarded a cross-country flight and as happens so often, we were delayed on a runway at New York’s JFK Airport. When the pilot announced the delay (45 minutes to an hour), a man next to me in his late 40s made his anger very public, cursing and yelling so loudly that passengers a few aisles away turned in our direction. I sunk in my seat so nobody would think I was with the guy having a meltdown. A couple of hours into the flight we started talking and Mr. Meltdown, a consultant, began to pitch me on his services. I thought to myself: He’s got to be kidding. After the behavior that I had just seen, I’d be scared to be in the same office with him. The consultant’s behavior "off stage"—when he wasn’t working—had ruined his on-stage performance.

These are tough times economically. Anger is rampant. Many people are out of work, losing their homes, afraid of losing their jobs. As a small business owner, you might be seeing your revenue and profits fall as customers spend less. I understand why people are angry. It spills over into their personal lives as well. But you must guard against meltdowns, especially in public. If anything, always have a smile on your face, a spring in your step, and a kind word. You are your brand.

Social Media Inside Companies?

There are some interesting points in this article on Forbes.com. While some companies are banning the use of Facebook and Twitter while on company time, others are using it to communicate within their organizations. That's obviously very different from the inside out model that we're all used to.

So, does it make sense to use a public medium to communicate company goals, information and ethics?

Are Newspapers Dead Yet

I love On the Media. For anyone in communications, it's a must. One of the points that I thought was important was how legacy news organizations are still struggling to find a way to make online profitable. Some are putting more behind subscription walls. The problem is, if you make your content hard to access, and with the overwhelming amount of content out there, won't you just lose your audience? The trick is to determine what content you provide has value to your readers and focus on that.

Facebook Hits 500 Million

This is probably no big surprise to anyone, but it still amazes me. Facebook can claim 1/12 of the world's population as users. No doubt, a percentage of these accounts are no longer active, or the users have died (Take a look at the New York Times on July 17 titled Ghosts in the Machine for reference). Still, it's just mind boggling.

The social networking phenomenon is expecting to grab its 500 millionth user this week, according to Andrew Noyes, a Facebook spokesman. With just about a half-billion users, Facebook has become a social networking powerhouse that has helped to transform the way people use the Internet and connect with one another.

"Half a billion users is quite a milestone no matter how you look at it," said Dan Olds, an analyst at Gabriel Consulting Group Inc. "This obviously makes Facebook the numero uno social network, which is a quite an accomplishment. However, they can't rest on their pixel laurels. Their position guarantees them additional scrutiny in terms of user security, appropriate content and stability."

Rumors have been circulating online that Facebook has some big plans to celebrate its 500 millionth user, but Noyes declined to say what they might be.