A Rave, a Pan, or Just a Fake?

By DAVID SEGAL
NYT

IN this episode of the Haggler: gaming Yelp.

As a consumer review Web site, Yelp is so big and influential that it has given rise to a small, semi-underground group of entrepreneurs who, for a fee, will post a rave about your company. Others will post a negative review about your rivals.

Yes, this is very sneaky, and it’s a continuing problem for Yelp, which is locked in a “Spy vs. Spy”-style contest with fake reviewers. Let’s see how that contest is going by looking at, of all things, the field of dentistry.

“I was in need of teeth whitening and my friend referred me to Southland Dental,” begins a thumbs-up for a clinic in Sherman Oaks, Calif. Then there’s a description of the whitening procedure favored by Southland, and this closer: “Pain or no pain, it was very much worth it. I can’t stop staring at my bright smile in the mirror.”

(More here.)