Yelp, as many of you know, is a user-generated website that allows people to write both negative or positive reviews for local restaurants, hotels, stores, nightlife scenes, and more. Users rate and leave comments about establishments for other consumers to review.

However, recent websites, like Yelp-Sucks and IHateYelp, have popped up in response to Yelp policies and reviews. These sites are used by angry business owners who have received negative feedback and complaints on Yelp, which has resulted in a loss of business. Many business owners have turned to Yelp for competitive reasons and are now frustrated with the site’s lax comment policies.

One major complaint is over the issue of negative reviews and how businesses can’t get rid of them. Another is that good reviews are often deleted from business pages by Yelp due to infrequent logging in by the owner. The site also allows users to review a business, even if they never used the service. Many business owners feel that they are not getting what they paid for, and that the site ultimately hurts their business.

Boris Levitt, owner of Renaissance Furniture Restoration, has actually sued Yelp for its “unfair and unethical conduct in promoting, marketing and advertising its website as maintaining unbiased reviews.” Levitt argues that the site is unlawful, and believes that Yelp has hurt his business. Yelp has had previous claims for similar issues in the past.

Do you think Yelp maintains its mission to promote companies in an unbiased fashion? How could Yelp change its policies to best serve business owners while providing consumers with truthful and relevant information?

Two stellar companies, Girls in Tech and Ubergizmo are teaming up tonight to present: Digital Summer! This event will bring together the most international, professional, and glamourous crowd in San Francisco to celebrate photography, fashion, art, and technology. Among the unique features of this one-of-a kind event is a live runway fashion show. Invitees will also have a chance to enjoy a professional photo-shoot and lots of time to socialize.

Ubergizmo has become one of the top consumer electronic websites, and is distributed in six languages and read in 212 countries. They have been recognized as a leading high-tech website and is ranked as a Top 100 Blog by PC Magazine. Girls in Tech is one of our favorite female run social network enterprises that is focused on the engagement, education, and empowerment of like-minded, professional, intelligent, and influential women in technology. They have made it their personal desire and passion to create and sustain an organization that focuses on the collaboration, promotion, growth and success of women in the tech sector.

Media partners include Yanko Design,Cult of Mac, Techie Diva, Tech Mamas, Mashable, Burdastyle, FashionablyMarketing.me, Thread, and We Blog the World! Sponsors for the eve include Intel and Vorizon. That said, there are some great people behind this and it should be a fun one!  Will you be joining us?!

Get your tickets here on eventbrite, or get your $10 ticket at the door!

Follow the event on Twitter @ #DS2010

The fact that you are reading this blog proves one thing: You’re hooked on technology! Don’t feel bad about it because pretty much everyone else is too, but when was the last time you unplugged, unhooked and shut down long enough to participate in a technology free activity? If you’re like me, the answer is not in a while.

Technology is undoubtedly one of the most important factors in our lives today, but some scientists say the constant juggle of e-mail, phone calls and other incoming information can change our thoughts, behavior, and ability to focus. A recent article in the New York Times discussed that while the negative effects are often minor, like spacing on dinner plans, information overload can cause work, family and relationship issues. Research has also shown that technological multitasking can cause the brain to think less creatively and deeply.

On the other hand, technology has shown itself to be good for the brain too. Studies show that Internet users are more efficient at finding information, video gamers have better visual acuity, and, as I think most would agree, the cell-phone and computer have pretty much solved the issue of boredom. In this case the good and bad don’t outweigh each other so it’s important to find a balance between technology and creativity so it doesn’t take over your life. Like the saying goes, “stop and smell the roses.”

How do we keep ourselves from falling too deep into information overload? Can technology inspire creative endeavors?

The Amazon Kindle has been around for a few years, and its amazing quality has made it a success, but with the recent release of the Apple iPad, will the Kindle survive or be forced to change in order to compete?

An increasing number of readers have turned to e-book readers, and for the past three years the Kindle has been the device of choice. The Kindle offers readers an easy to read and adjust electronic display, a built-in dictionary, and access to the internet and Amazon store where users can download books, magazines and newspapers in a matter of minutes.

However, in April 2010 Apple released the iPad which allows users to do more than simply store digital books. The battle between these e-book readers sparks from the iPad’s ability to provide reading, Web browsing, movies, and games; although, most consumers agree that the Kindle is the better reading device. The iPad also offers a popular Kindle app with a limited library collection.

For now it seems the Kindle is safe, but as Apple continues to push the boundaries of technological advances, how do you think Amazon will respond to ensure a future for the Kindle?

Every event planner in the industry, experienced or not will benefit from the newest Apple App “Mark On Call”. It’s designed to keep all those pieces of papers and stickies with numbers, figures, sample layouts, and tailored customer requests organized into a clean (paperless) software. Now all those files and notepads can be a thing of the past!

For the bargain price of $2.99 (download at www.iTunes.com), you can have:
*All of your units of measurement questions answered
*The ability to take pictures of actual rugs, painting, floral arrangements, fabric ideas, and table linens to directly show clients
*Customized room items for use in all your floor plans
*Creation of shopping lists, or write down last minute notes for a client.

And, get this…it’s easy to use!

BONUS: The reviews for customer service are superb. You are able to send emails write to the creator and get a response back within one hour! This app was created by event planners and interior designers so it’s not too far fetched. Watch the short clip above from the creator of the app, and hear more interesting tips and ideas!

Looking for something fun to do tonight, or every Thursday night? Well, look no further. We’re excited to share that Dolores Park movie night is back, as well as the Academy of Sciences Nightlife Event. Hope to see you all there!

1.  Dolores Park Movie Night: This is a really great community-run activity that is held in the heart of San Francisco’s most popular park and showcases a series of locally themed movies for free. Donations and popcorn sales cover the costs for the movie rights, city permits, and equipment. What’s better than packing a picnic and bringing a few friends to hang out and watch a great flick under the stars? Anyone is allowed to join in and be apart of the neighborhood! Kicking off 2010 is the Michael J. Fox 1985 time travel flick “Back to the Future.”

2. California Academy of Science Nightlife. All this April, join them for “Extreme NightLife” in honor of their new Extreme Mammals exhibit. This event attracts a large turn out of young 20′s and 30-somethings to come, mingle, and have a few drinks and appetizers. Tonight is Yuri’s Night, an annual celebration of humanity’s achievements in space and our favorite DJ collective, the Space Cowboys. The event occurs every Thursday night from 6-10pm, and tickets are $12 at the door.

How many times a day do you see those thin, white headphones coming out of someones ears and connected to an iPod or MP3 player? Everywhere you go people have headphones on- at the grocery store, crossing the street, in the elevator, and on the bus! Have you ever wondered if everyone started to wear their headphones during the daytime commute to work, or while they did their shopping? Apple reported in late January of 2010, that their net profits for 2009 were $10.17 billion, which was up from $9.6 billion a year ago. The company sold 22,727,000 iPods during the quarter which was their highest amount yet. To say and to notice that more and more people are becoming “walk and listen to music” people, isn’t a stretch of the imagination.

With sales of iPods increasing at a record high, I began to think about what the daily commute to work would be like if every single person had an iPod on. Silent, yes, but ideal? Have you noticed that people don’t really talk to each other on the buses and public transits as much as they used to?  Not to say that I want each person to strike up a conversation with me while I’m busy and on my way, but think back ten years when no one had little iPods or MP3 Players; on average, you probably greeted the the person that walked by you in some small way.

The other day I decided to put my white headphones in, and just stick the end into my pocket.  No iPod connected. Just headphones connected to nothing. And guess what, homeless people didn’t talk to me (but continued to beg from others around me), people on the bus didn’t try to talk to me, and even little kids knew that I “couldn’t hear them” with them connected to my ears. It was interesting to see how different people react to your presence when you have white plastic connected to your ears.

I’m skeptical that our society is becoming too impersonal.  Are we using technology to make us less social with ourselves? To create this environment of no emotions and no character? How often to do you listen to your iPod or MP3 Player?

In this video, five simple rules are exampled on how to build trust, use the tools you already have to build and grow, as well as communicating and using feedback in a positive light.  There are many tips explained in this video, some are literally spelt out for you, while others are more “read between the lines.” It’s a short clip, but the abilities to help you are endless!

[Image from VatorNews]

There is a new controversial social media tool in town! Well actually, not really in our town, but the promotion of the social networking service dubbed “Bubbly” is making quite the splash in India even without the efforts of any real advertising. That, however, does not mean we will be seeing Bubbly in the US anytime soon. There is a marketing scheme to officially launch it in India, Japan, and Brazil first, which are faster growing mobile areas. This reason, however, is somewhat debated among critics who believe there might be other reasons involving literacy and cultural differences.

Bubbly is a fast networking medium that is based in about 30-second voice clips (there is a cap at a minute), instead of 140 characters like Twitter. The principle idea is you buy air space to listen to a new recording, after which you can follow it or post new messages for free. This was originally thought to be an application for smart phones, but when the social media boom occurred, they changed their take on the pilot.

At this point it is unclear if this idea will truly take off, especially since voice mediums like this are available entirely for free. Furthermore, listening to a 30-sec clip requires much more time and attention than reading a short sentence something. But in the end, you never know. For now at least, this bubble shows no sign of popping.

The prestigious Nobel Peace Prize is given to entities that exemplify peace and aid in the promotion of a more cooperative society: recipients include Princess Diana, Former Vice President Al Gore, and President Obama. This year, an unusual nominee has arisen, the Internet. The campaign video, shown below, explains the Internet’s role in bringing people together and creating an open environment for people to communicate. This allows for uncensored information to reach the masses in order to promote awareness and stop hatred. In that sense, we are all part of its peace effort and deserving of a Nobel too. Let us know what you think about this campaign and the Internet being a means to peace.

[via Wired]