Yelp Wanted

For the second time in as many weeks, a smitten New York Times takes a look at the Yelp phenomenon, and co-founder and chief exec Jeremy Stoppleman hints at the future of Yelp: "Among the biggest targets in Yelp's sights is the multibillion-dollar Yellow Pages market. 'Yellow Pages has always been a pay-to-play environment,' Mr. Stoppelman said ... In other words, consumers who once chose a business because it had the biggest ad in the Yellow Pages are now just as likely to make that choice on the basis of favorable reviews from customers." See, a system that allows a business to buy a Yelp sponsorship, host free Elite events, add pretty photos to its listing, and highlight favorable reviews might not be kosher, but it's just doing what the phone book has done all along, sillies. [NYT via Eater SF]