Yelp, the big search-and-review site that’s no longer just about food, relies on user reviews for the bulk of its content—which means it has to worry a lot about fake reviews, both negative and positive.
The site, which recently bought its European rival, Qype, has now begun “sting” operations to catch out merchants who give cash, discounts, other incentives as pay for writing reviews. When caught, there’s public shaming on the site. This article from the Telegraph (UK) explains.
Reading the Comments to Ms Curtis’ article it looks like the public have a different view.