A Cry For Yelp

I recently submitted feedback to Yelp about my frustration with first-to-reviewers who post reviews on restaurants and have never eaten at yet alone stepped a single foot inside the place.  They do it for the potential chance at popularity, for the virtual badges which makes their virtual selves feel special.  They want others to recognize their resourcefulness and for being so in-the-know of the latest and greatest local eats in the neighborhood.  Because without the recognition or acknowledgment by others, they feel indifferent with taking the time to write anything.  Their motivation to write reviews is proporational to the number of people reading them.  I understand this and don't think there's anything wrong with the mentality.  We're only human after all, and we all like to feel important.  However, it doesn't justify peoples' actions to fulfill this need by claiming a first-to-review in which they didn't earn.  This is a problem.

I complained to Yelp and got a curt response back from someone named Gail.  Quite frankly, I'm too apathetic these days to care.  Instead of following up with Gail, I'm posting our little exchange below as a means to archive this moment of brief yet empowering frustration.

Hi,

Thank you for contacting Yelp about this business listing.

While the business may not be open, often the first reviews provide some useful information about the soon-to-be-open business. However, we may eventually remove reviews if they are not updated after the business has opened.

Regards,
Gail
Yelp User Support
San Francisco, California

------------------------------------

dannlee@gmail.com
Yelp! Feedback: Ideas to improve Yelp
Comments:
--------------------------------

It happens all the time.  For the sake of snatching the "First to review" badge, people review a restaurant they have neither eaten at let alone stepped into.  The restaurants are not even open yet for goodness sake.  I cry bullshit!

As a fellow Yelp user and reviewer, I find this incredibly frustrating.  Achieving "First to review" is certainly a privilege and a reward in itself.  It's a raw first impression without the influences of previous reviewers who've posted before you. I find value in knowing what this impression was.  Instead, I find a meaningless to-be-reviewed note left by an attention-seeking individual who misinterpreted the concept of "First to review" as "First to leave an arbitrary comment against a new business not yet in the system". I understand the need to incentivize your reviewers to urgently post their thoughts, thus by adding to your growing wealth of user information. But come on! How about enforcing some basic criteria? Let's start with #1: You must have eaten here!