Yelp, potential to go to far?
Unlike Facebook that seems to be reaching out of the computer screen to get us hooked up for life on the epic social network, Yelp is more subtle. However, after interacting with the site throughout the semester, I began to notice certain elements that seemed to mirror social-networking sites. By filling out my entire profile, which, mind you, asked what my biggest fear and pet peeve are, would that somehow be incorporated into the site as it continued to grow? I see Yelp's growth as having the potential to be almost a shared notebook of reviews/thoughts/ideas where people go to check their dinner reservations, talk to diners, talk about their experiences, ask if it is kid friendly or not-- a place that combines bits of Facebook, open table and a product review forum all in one. So imagining that in the future, and having yet to decide if I appreciate its potential or not, I also saw my information becoming more than just my information but a pool for Yelp and other's to swim in and pick out or "like" things they found. On Facebook, my profile lacks a lot of "about me" and it felt unnatural for me to put down that "I liked dogs" on my Yelp account, so I kept myself very anonymous. But, still, looking at Facebook as the future of all networking/review sites potential, I wondered, should I be contributing?
I think that the difference is that while you are building a profile of "yourself" and what you want to present as you socially on Facebook, you are trying to present a more professional (at least in terms of being a foodie) self on Yelp. I would assume that on Yelp, a person (an average person, not a troll) would want to appear credible. Before practicum, I envisioned everything on one site, but I think that things like Yelp will still stay strong because it seems more credible if its a site purely based on reviews.
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