General Guidelines
Yelp allows users to contribute different kinds of content, including reviews, photos, events, private messages, and more. Playing nice isn't rocket science, but just in case, we've put together these general guidelines. Please also read the guidelines below for specific types of content that you might contribute to the site.
- Inappropriate content: Colorful language and imagery is fine, but there's no need for threats, harassment, lewdness, hate speech, and other displays of bigotry.
- Promotional content: Unless you're using your Business Owners Account to add content to your business's profile page, we generally frown upon promotional content. Let's keep the site useful for consumers and not overrun with commercial noise from every user.
- Find the right forum: Please make sure your contributions are relevant and appropriate to the forum. For example, reviews aren't the place for random rants about a business's employment practices, political ideologies, or other matters that don't address the core of the consumer experience. Some things are better addressed in other forums.
- Privacy: Don't publicize other people's private information. While some businesses may be identified by the people behind them (e.g., real estate agents, doctors, etc.), you should generally avoid posting other people's full names, personal phone numbers and email addresses — and avoid uploading close-ups of other people without their permission.
- Intellectual property: Don't swipe content from other sites or users. You're a smart cookie, so write your own reviews and take your own photos, please!
Review Guidelines
The best reviews are passionate and personal. They offer a rich narrative, a wealth of detail, and a helpful tip or two for other consumers. Here are some additional thoughts for conscientious reviewers.
- Personal experience: We want to hear about your firsthand consumer experience, not what you heard from your co-worker or significant other. Try to tell your own story without resorting to broad generalizations and conclusory allegations.
- Accuracy: Make sure your review is factually correct. Feel free to air your opinions, but don't exaggerate or misrepresent your experience. We don't take sides when it comes to factual disputes, so we expect you to stand behind your review.
- Conflicts of interest: Your reviews should be unbiased and objective. For example, businesses and their employees shouldn't write reviews about themselves or their competitors.
- Review updates: Review updates should reflect a new experience or interaction with the business. Don't tell the same old story you've already told.
Photo Guidelines
A picture is worth a thousand words. You can upload photos to your personal account and any business listing. The best business photos reflect the typical consumer experience (e.g., what the business looks like, what the business offers, etc.). Photos and captions that reflect your personal experience are better uploaded to your personal account.
User Profile Guidelines
Don't be shy — use your account profile to let people know who you are and what makes you tick. Users want to read reviews from people they know and trust (not those with profiles that are empty or laced with inappropriate content).
Messaging Guidelines
BENNY DORO has a handy messaging feature to keep you connected with your fellow doronians. First off, please don't use this feature to harass other users or send other inappropriate content. Second, user accounts are for personal, non-commercial use only. Business owners should message reviewers using their free Business Owners Account. In order to do so, we ask that they upload a clear photo of themselves to help personalize their message.
Public Comment Guidelines
Private messaging is often the best way to resolve a dispute with an unhappy customer, but business owners can also address issues publicly by posting a public comment. As with private messaging, we ask that business owners upload a clear photo of themselves to help personalize their message. Don't use public comments to launch personal attacks, advertise, or offer an incentive to change a review.
