To Accept Reviews or Not To Accept Reviews -- That Is The Question

As user-generated content and review sites become more popular and take on mainstream appeal (see Google paying for business directory info), will we start to see businesses who opt-out from being reviewed? Yes, says one coffee shop in Oakland, California.

Greg speaks about an experience he had the Cafe Rooz where a sign said that Yelp'ers are not welcome. After speaking with cafe management, he noted, "What I was told, in a nutshell, is that the café staff has encountered a stream of would-be critics “with attitude,” predisposed to take issue with or be critical of the business. Whether or not this is a correct perception, there are many more outlets (Yelp being only one) for customers and consumers to voice opinions about businesses on the Internet. And there’s little most of these businesses can do about it, for better or for worse."

The listing is still on Yelp and is relatively positive overall. While I can understand their fear about bad reviews affecting their business, wouldn't it be better to work on correcting the issues that are mentioned? The business says they prefer any issue be brought to management's attention before posting online. I do believe that this is the best course of action.

And one thing this draws attention to is how each of us differ in what is good service vs. bad service. What is acceptable in one region of the country, might not in another.  I would love to see a review site that tells me something about the user providing the review -- age, income, gender, lifestyle - so I can put a frame of reference to a review I read. This is especially important when looking at hotel reviews.

And lastly, how will video change the way reviews are handled. Will be interesting to watch, especially as the big players get into the game.