An Open Letter to Yelp Management

Since Yelp does not publish email addresses for their management team, I’m stuck with writing an open letter on my blog in hopes that they will read it after I target them on Twitter and LinkedIn.

To the Yelp Management team,

I agree with and support a filtering system on Yelp. There was nothing I disliked more than seeing businesses try to game the system and leave dishonest reviews for their own benefit. But after finding all my reviews filtered out without reason, I’ll never use your service again and will persuade others to do the same. Who knew that all my efforts  would not be seen by the general public. This will be the quickest way to lose your users.

I understand that algorithms can catch regular, honest reviewers like me. But what’s frustrating is Yelp’s FAQ section basically saying I am out of luck. Too bad. better luck next time. There’s no contact to resolve my problem and no way of knowing if my reviews will ever be read. I’m just caught in an algorithmic black hole. I’m not going to spend my time writing reviews and uploading photos and business information to be treated like a bot.

It’s really too bad because I loved Yelp and was an evangelist for some time. But now I just feel betrayed.

Off to find another review site,
Marcel Moreau

If anyone out there has any comparable services they use for business reviews, please leave a comment with your favorite one.

Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling

Around Christmas, I purchased Bret Hart’s book Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling from Amazon.com. I’m not sure who Bret worked with on it, but the book is a smooth read, with Bret (or whomever) describing the differing aspects on his life in great detail, perfectly placing the reader in Bret’s life. I don’t doubt that Bret wrote most of it on his own, as we find out he kept detailed journal entries throughout his career. In addition, he has a creative streak as he was somewhat of an accomplished artist backstage, drawing elaborate illustrations on the dressing room’s blackboard.

Lots of dirt

Bret tells it like it is. He leaves no stone unturned, talking about his brother Owen’s death, the rivalry with “drug addict” Shawn Michaels, his extra-marital affairs, the turmoil of his family life, and the downfall of so many wrestling peers into drugs and death. He takes the time to praise the great workers of wrestling, such as Curt “Mr. Perfect” Hennig, Dynamite Kid, Tiger Mask, and The Undertaker among others.

If you followed the WWF while Bret rose to prominence (1985-1998), you will love this book. You get to place yourself at every arena, in the middle of all the cutthroat bullshit that happens in the wrestling business.

Obama is the Cool

President Barack Obama fist-bumps custodian Lawrence Lipscomb in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building following the opening session of the White House Forum on Jobs and Economic Growth, Dec. 3, 2009.

Source

A Who’s Who of Build Guild

On the second Tuesday of every month, there is a web meet-up called Build Guild that occurs in Salem, MA. Last night I attended for the first time in a while with my co-worker Tracey. Since I’ve been to more dates than Tracey, I found myself trying to tell her what everyone is involved with as we were leaving. I wasn’t nearly getting to everyone, so here is a blog post dedicated to the names and projects of Build Guild attendees.

If I missed anyone, leave a comment with your name and link and I will add you.

• Andrew Choy
• Angelo Simeoni
• Art Lawry
• Brian Thopsey
• Brian Wilkins
• Bruce Spang
• Chris Traganos
• Dan Perrera
• Forrest Frazier
• Fred Leblanc
• Jason Robb
• Jeff Turcotte
• Jen Strickland
• Jeremy Krantz
• Jim Kelly
• Joel Oliveira
• Joey Brunelle
• Johannes, Booyant
• Kevin Grocki
• Kirby Turner, White Peak Software
• Kyle Fielder, Atedrake
• Kyle Ridolfo
• Leanne Lawry
• Marc Amos (founder), Boston Web Studio
• Mark Reeves, Slim Kiwi
• Michael Bester
• Mike Kivikoski, Atedrake
• Mike Susz, Square Design
• Mike Witwicki, Booyant
• Niki Brown
• Patrick Haney
• Paul Kelley
• Pete Karl
• Peter Wood
• Rob Day
• Ruthie BenDor
• Ryan Westphal
• TJ Kelly
• Tom Clancy
• Tom Dennesen
• Tracey Greene
• Victoria Fiorini
• Wesley Miles

Colt 45 – It Works Every Time

From wikipedia:

Malt liquor is a North American term referring to a type of beer with high alcohol content. In legal statutes, the term often includes any alcoholic beverage above or equal to 5% alcohol by volume made with malted barley.

My definition:

People with no money who like to get destroyed.

I was never big into malt liquor growing up. I’ve had your Colt45 and Steel Reserve, but it never stuck with me; probably because cash flow has never been that bad. Being from Lynn, MA, you always had those people who would grab some Mad Dog 20/20. Those people would eventually vomit later on in the night. My friends from Lowell usually go with some Old English (O.E.).  I remember having my first Hurricane in Manchester, NH with Rev. Johnny C years ago.

If I want a 40 these days I usually grab a Budweiser, it’s easier than carrying a 6 pack around.

Do you still drink malt liquor?

Colt 45 It works Every Time