This week I decided to review a social web site that my Dad uses: Yelp.com. I have heard him talk about the site many times, but I never really understood what it was until I took a look recently. It turns out, Yelp is a great web site (And not just for restaurant reviews, which is what I thought it was from listening to my Dad). Yelp is a web site for people to write business reviews, as well as search and read reviews. As according to their mission statement: "Our purpose is to connect people with great local businesses." I think Yelp does a very good job in this bringing together of people and small, lesser known companies. How are they able to do this so well? They have a well designed web site! Firstly, their top banner with the site logo is very neat and organized; right next to the Yelp sign is a search bar. You can even refine your search by adding a place in the "Near" search bar. This makes it very convenient for a person visiting the site. They are not left browsing around the web site to find a review or specific location -- instead they can simply type in a search and quickly have results.
In addition to this helpful search bar, there is a nice menu with clear options of where to go from the Home page. Whether you want to write a review, find friends, or talk with others, these options make it very easy to do so. Another aspect of Yelp that I am a fan of, is the "Review of the Day" section. This is a good way for someone who is new to the site to get an idea of what it is about by quickly reading a review. It is also an interesting way for reviewers to get recognized! (I think it would be exciting to see your picture on the Home page of the web site under "Review of the Day.")
The next part of the web site I like is the "Best of Yelp" section they have designed. A social media site like this should be nicely organized and easy to navigate. This "Best of Yelp," which is sorted by city, is a fantastic way to get a lot of information about the site into a neat layout that is not too overwhelming. I think it's nice how you can click on different types of businesses under the "Best of Yelp." The options include, Restaurants, Food, Nightlife, Shopping, Bars, Coffee & Tea, Breakfast & Brunch, etc. For a social media site which has an immense amount of information, this "Best of" heading is a fantastic way to organize.
Yelp.com does a wonderful job using the trending topics in their web site, which is partly why I think this makes for such a strong social media site. Under the Popular Events they have postings about festivals, concerts, and other events occurring at locations near the viewer (adjusting to your current location). There is also "Today in Talk" where current "hot" discussions are posted. This is a really smart way to keep the web site updated with other social media. All in all, I think Yelp.com is a well designed web site, and a smartly put together social media site. I would definitely recommend others go here, especially if they are interested in reading or writing reviews. The target audience is definitely for middle aged adults, as well as younger adults who are new to the area and looking to find good places to eat, shop, go to the doctors, etc. Yelp is also in work with Facebook, which makes it convenient to link these two social media sites up and share reviews and network even further. Very smart Yelp! Well done!
The next part of the web site I like is the "Best of Yelp" section they have designed. A social media site like this should be nicely organized and easy to navigate. This "Best of Yelp," which is sorted by city, is a fantastic way to get a lot of information about the site into a neat layout that is not too overwhelming. I think it's nice how you can click on different types of businesses under the "Best of Yelp." The options include, Restaurants, Food, Nightlife, Shopping, Bars, Coffee & Tea, Breakfast & Brunch, etc. For a social media site which has an immense amount of information, this "Best of" heading is a fantastic way to organize.
Yelp.com does a wonderful job using the trending topics in their web site, which is partly why I think this makes for such a strong social media site. Under the Popular Events they have postings about festivals, concerts, and other events occurring at locations near the viewer (adjusting to your current location). There is also "Today in Talk" where current "hot" discussions are posted. This is a really smart way to keep the web site updated with other social media. All in all, I think Yelp.com is a well designed web site, and a smartly put together social media site. I would definitely recommend others go here, especially if they are interested in reading or writing reviews. The target audience is definitely for middle aged adults, as well as younger adults who are new to the area and looking to find good places to eat, shop, go to the doctors, etc. Yelp is also in work with Facebook, which makes it convenient to link these two social media sites up and share reviews and network even further. Very smart Yelp! Well done!
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