Google In Talks To Buy Yelp

There have been many rumors floating around concerning a possible buyout of Yelp by Google, but it appears that at least a few details have escaped, painting this as a much more serious possibility. Pointing the needle to something north of $500 million, the acquisition would mean a substantial step into localized business for Google. "Google has been showing greater interest in the local business market in the United States. It has expanded its profile pages for local businesses, which include location and hours, maps and reviews from other Web sites. In June, Google gave local businesses the ability to manage what people see on their profile pages, similar to what Yelp does. Google has been reaching out to local businesses with simpler ways to advertise on the search engine. It is also distributing stickers that businesses post in their windows and passers-by can scan with cellphones to get coupons or information about the business. The deal between Google and Yelp could still unravel, one person said, particularly if another acquirer comes forward now that details have leaked."

Comments

Does this remind anyone of...

[Jurily]

CueCat?

One of these days

[Anonymous Coward]

Google is just going to buy the internet.

$ yelp --help

[Rick Richardson]

$ yelp --help
Usage:
    yelp [OPTION...] GNOME Help Browser

Help Options:
    -?, --help Show help options
    --help-all Show all help options
    --help-gtk Show GTK+ Options
    --help-bonobo-activation Show Bonobo Activation options
    --help-gnome Show GNOME options
    --help-gnome-session Show session management options

Application Options:
    -p, --private-session Use a private session
    --with-cache-dir Define which cache directory to use
    --display=DISPLAY X display to use

This can only end one way

[onyxruby]

The conspiracy nuts will now be convinced that Google controls the back end and the front end of today's society. I'm just waiting for Google to buy out a transit agency or six in order to start giving the world Google Bus so they can advertise to those offline. They will then transport you to your destination using Google Bus after you will have picked it based upon finding them in Google Maps and reviewing them on Google Yelp.

Meanwhile the rest of the world will be grateful that Google will not try to extort them for ad revenue to get a good rating.

Re:what you're missing

[ratnerstar]

Yes, everyone knows Europe is not known for its restaurant culture. Oh wait, I meant bizarro Europe.

Re:good

[Ethanol-fueled]

Seconded. I ate at a restaurant after seeing good reviews in Yelp and ended up shitting the food out. What a gyp.

Does anybody else find eating out unattractive? I went out to dinner with a hot chick and all I could think about the whole time was the food being enqueued into my bowels, turning into shit, and finally being squirted out my anus into a small pool of water. Then, no matter how well each of us would wipe, there would still be trace amounts of feces in our underleg regions. The plan was to go clubbing afterward, which would cause us to sweat booty juices. I knew for a fact that both of us don't wear underwear on a regular basis.

I tried to explain this all to her to her as she was eating her filet mignon, but she dropped her fork and knife and crossed her legs before she asked me to take her home. She never called again :(

Google is like a rich friend

[ClosedSource]

who buys all kinds of crap without knowing what he's going to do with it.