“Yelp is Evil” – SF Chronicle Newspaper Ad

UPDATE 1/2014: Thanks to the overwhelming interest in this topic, we have recently published two books that talk about online reviews.  We hope you will find them helpful!

• [e-book for Kindle] Yelp for Business: Quick-Start Guide to Managing Your Reviews

• [e-book and paper book] Five Stars: Putting Online Reviews to Work for Your Business

We often hear local small business owners lamenting their presence on Yelp – and the strongarm tactics that some describe hearing from Yelp salespeople.  A recent ad in our local San Francisco newspaper proclaims: “Yelp is Evil.”  The ad was taken out by Brass & Glass, which currently has a 2.5 star average on Yelp.

Stomaching negative online reviews has got to be one of the most difficult aspects of small business ownership these days.  Readers, do you have any advice for companies like Brass & Glass?