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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."
Why don't you put your money where your mouth is, Mr. Smartypants, and take a couple of months to clone Yelp and find out. Better yet, take four months and make a site that is twice as good! If it's so easy, then do it. Half a billion dollars for four months of work! What are you waiting for?
If you are going to pay me during that time, I'm all for it. However, I don't see the point - the American market is taken, and this site concept definitely wouldn't work in large parts of the rest of the world. I've just asked several friends from Western Europe (ages 20-40), nobody ever heard of Yelp, nobody knows of a similar local site and nobody would care.
The point still stands: the website is shitty and could easily be made functionally better in a very short time. That doesn't mean it would attract users, the same as the iPhone is popular and objectively better phones aren't, or insert-your-own-analogy-here.
If you know how to attract American users and have the money to pay me while I work, let's make a deal and we'll strike a goldmine.