Why We Yelp

"My Name is Corey Gray, and I'm a Yelpaholic."

E-logging (for work), blogging (for me), Yelping (for everyone)----man, there's so much to write about in this world!

I think ever since my 8th (Ms. Tavidian) & 9th (Ms. Silvus) grade English classes, I've always had a secret desire to one day become a devilishly wicked writer. I'm obviously not a published novel-writer, but I still aspire.

For years, I have had opportunities to write technical pieces related to work, our instruments, or how my shift went. For the most part, this scientific prose was written in websites we call e-logs (electronic log books). For my work at LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational wave Observatory), there were two elogs where I re-honed literary skills: the e-log for the Hanford observatory and the Seismic e-log for the new Advanced LIGO Seismic Isolation hardware.

During LIGO's two-year Science Run #5, writing e-logs was like breathing. I took in technical issues and exhaled shift summaries. My writing fix was appeased. After S5, there was a void. I still wrote technical stuff, but not as much. There was a hole. This is where blogging came in, but probably even more---this is where Yelping came in.

The Beginning

Basically I happened upon Yelp.com by utter randomness. I was working at MIT in Cambridge for the summer, and I wanted to find cool places to eat. With google, I happened upon some Boston restaurant reviews, and even a laundry service near my hotel. I used the site to help navigate my way around to places I would have never found on my own (my personal favorite from that trip: Muqueca--a corner Brazilian restaurant in Inman Square. It's one of those places I still daydream about). Later that year, I started my own account and was on my way writing my own reviews.

I liked being able to keep track of places I've been to. I guess I was sort of in "e-log" mode. Instead of writing about earthquakes in New Zealand shaking our instrument around, I was writing about other-worldly cocktails or curries with magical flavorings. Oh, and it's not just food. One of Yelp's plusses is you can write about just anything. As long as it has an address (you can even ballpark them), you can review anything. I've Yelped favorite hikes, a towing service, a Sheriff's department, a newspaper, a city, even Yelp.com! Someday, I have to remember to Yelp the Earth (not sure of the street address for that one though).

I travel a decent amount, and with that Yelp can be a really cool tool. Wherever I go I always do a quick scan with Yelp. I bookmark restaurants I wanna try out. I like to find out nuances about hotels which you won't find on the hotel's websites. You can also post questions on the Yelp Talk forums and get specific questions answered as well.

Getting A Life & Becoming "Cool"...Finally!
Once you get in the swing of Yelping, you become privy to more options when going out. You find yourself really searching those non-chain restaurants. You look for those places which are unique, and you become more adept at researching places to go. But randomness is also virtuous. There's nothing like discovering new and then writing about it for the sake of others. I used to not put much thought into going out (for a meal, a drink, fun, etc.), but now I try to always be on-point when & ready to go when I go out nowadays.

With that, there's a pressure. Once you become good at being able to find cool places (with thanks to Yelp), everyone will now look at YOU as a resource for picking out places to go---in other words, you become "Mr. In-The Know", or "Mr. Cool". There have been some misses, but there have been many more purely memorable places discovered via Yelp (I mentioned Muqueca, but there's also Quinn's & Paseo in Seattle, and Jimgermanbar in Waitsburg to name a few). Because of these treasures, one is always seen as the go-to person for picking out an evening's itinerary.

Inner Reporter
It's good to use Yelp as a resource, but it's also fun to be a part of the resource. I like being able to find new places to Yelp. I like being able to document all the taco trucks in my fair city. Yes, sometimes when I'm at a restaurant or other business, I snap a few pictures at the storefront or at my plate. Overall, I think Yelping has made me a more observant person when giving my business to an establishment. I'm far from being a well-seasoned foodie or cuisine critic, but I'm definitely good at giving opinions.

Yes, there's a Yelp sticker on my new bike (c/o Katie S.)

Stimulating The Economy
Yelp definitely does some stimulating. Yelp's a fairly new website, but it's quickly become fairly huge. It's used on the iPhone and on their commercials. If you look at some storefront's, you can see some "People Love Us On Yelp" stickers. When one thinks of review-websites, Yelp.com is definitely up at the top.

With its popularity, many of the 4/5-star business have to be getting stimulated. There's a big Yelp community, and many of these Yelpers will frequent places which are the haps. Even if this tough economy, people really need to think carefully about where they want to give their business. So Yelp helps to support those good businesses.

For people like me, who like to go out and explore new & independently-owned places (so that I can review them), it can only help these small businesses. So yeah, Yelp has done its part to help the economy, and Yelp should get its props for that.

Cool Reviews, Cool People
What keeps me coming back? The Yelp community--definitely. Yelpers are definitely cool (well, for the most part). I don't live in a big city, but I do find myself in Seattle quite a bit. And with that, I've made lots of Yelp Friends in Seattle and in other cities. I can't wait to make it to a Yelp Event in Seattle, Portland, or San Francisco---one of these days. These are parties held at pretty cool places, with free food and drink, and with tons of Yelpers. They look like fun. One of these days I'll make it to one.

And Then There Are The Never-Ending Yelp Puns:
Yeah, I find myself swapping Yelp for other words in everyday language, and I do twitch every time I do! I can't help it, I'm just like a Smurf trying to Smurf everything.

C&C Yelp Factory
H.R. Yelp N' Stuff
"Good Morning, Can I Yelp You?"
"Yelp. Yelp Like The Wind"
"I'm Not A Playa, I Just Yelp A Lot"
"Yelp is Dead. -Friedrich Nietzsche"

And the list can go on.

Yes, I'm a Yelpaholic, but there is no Yelpaholic's Anonymous, so I'll just have to make do with this vice.