Some Thoughts on Online Business Reviews

An interesting legal case about online reviews is discussed in this Wall Street Journal article:
 Yelp Reviews Brew a Fight Over Free Speech vs. Fairness 

As someone who runs a neighborhood blog, I have found that there's a pretty simple solution to this controversy: Run the comments section and business reviews the same way you would do it in person. I think too many people involved in online ventures mistakenly think that just because there's some digital distance between you and the people or business you are discussing that means you can deal with them differently than if you were in the same room together. Not in my opinion. I think people and businesses deserve respect in every case. That's why on this blog, when I review a new restaurant, for example, I highlight the positives and may throw in some recommendations for ways they could improve. I am, after all, a resident of Forest Hills and want great new businesses to improve.

Notice how I say "great new businesses." If you're coming into this neighborhood with a business that I believe will reverse the great improvements we have seen in Forest Hills over the past few years, I won't tear you down with some scathing post. I just turn my attention elsewhere.

I think some of the controversy discussed in the WSJ article is the result of laziness. If you put your mind to it, there is always a way for a website to be both respectful and informative at the same time.

More Wi-Fi Coming to Subway Stations

Five years from now, if all goes as planned, pretty much every subway station in NYC will finally have wi-fi.

Free Wi-Fi comes to New York City via Google Offers, Boingo

Six subway stations and more than 200 hotspot locations in The Big Apple get free Wi-Fi as Boingo rolls out its massive wireless plan that will eventually reach all of the city's underground transit stations.

But this article also says that the wi-fi will no longer be free in the stations after September? Really?

To Pay, or Not To Pay

For those of you who care about how The NY Times' new digital subscription policy is faring - as I do, because I really do love The Times and want them to find a profitable way forward to the inevitable: their transition to becoming a purely digital newspaper - there is finally some information about that in their latest quarterly report, just out:

"For the first time, the Times Company provided information on how digital subscriptions were faring. The company said that since it started limiting the number of articles readers could read on NYTimes.com for free, it has signed up more than 100,000 subscribers. While it said the program was still too young to judge a success, “early indicators are encouraging.” Subscriptions start at $15 every four weeks, but many subscribers have so far paid discounted introductory rates."

By the way, in case you haven't noticed, I tend to post a lot of links to Times stories and videos. I do this for the simple reason that no one can beat them in terms of interesting articles and multimedia you just won't find anywhere else. As part of their new digital policy, if you click through from blogs like this one to read a Times story that article will ALWAYS be free for you to read, however, it will count as one of your 20 free articles each month. The good thing is even if you surpass your 20-free-articles-a-month limit, you will still not be charged for any articles you read at NYTimes.com through blogs like Edge of the City.

Ok, so now I've totally confused you. This Frequently Asked Questions excerpt from The Times website explains it better:

Can I still access NYTimes.com articles through Facebook, Twitter, search engines or my blog?
Yes. We encourage links from Facebook, Twitter, search engines, blogs and social media. When you visit NYTimes.com through a link from one of these channels, that article (or video, slide show, etc.) will count toward your monthly limit of 20 free articles, but you will still be able to view it even if you've already read your 20 free articles.

NYTimes.com Announces Subscription Plan

I love the comments from those who are angry and upset that the Times will begin charging them to read some of its content online. "How dare you make me pay for your hard work!! Journalists, after all, shouldn't be paid for what they do for a living!!" (Even though what they do for a living is one of the hardest jobs around and often goes with little pay, very long hours and little if any appreciation from the public!)
READERS' COMMENTS: The Times Announces Digital Subscription Plan

Brave New World

I believe the ongoing revolution in Egypt - which is spreading this week, not dying off as the pathetic mass media in our country would have you believe by their sudden pulling back in coverage - very well might be the most important news event of our time. We are seeing the rise of the "Internet Generation," and it will probably change the world as we know it. I don't see how repressive dictators like Mubarak will be able to stay in power in a world where all people are connected and are able to freely communicate and see for themselves the truth.

This a lengthy interview, but I highly recommend Part 2 if you can find the time to watch it:

The Lede: Subtitled Video of Wael Ghonim’s Emotional TV Interview
By ROBERT MACKEY
Published: February 8, 2011
Video of an interview on Egyptian television on Monday night with Wael Ghonim, a Google marketing executive who devoted his spare time to a Facebook page that helped spark the protest movement.