To test guest columnist Terry Thomas’ claims [“What is Yelp? An impartial review site or an aggressive ad company?” Opinion, Jan. 16] that the reviews are biased based on sponsorship, I did a quick search for businesses that were offering “Yelp Deals.” This is something the consumer must purchase through Yelp, and a…

Terry Thomas’ guest column, “What is Yelp? An impartial review site or an aggressive ad company?” [Opinion, Jan. 16] and the letter from Nete Olsen, “I’ve also been extorted by the online reviews site” [Northwest Voices, Jan. 21] rehash a conspiracy theory that lacks evidence (see: Woozle effect) and has been debunked by an independent…

Terry Thomas’ guest column, “What is Yelp? An impartial review site or an aggressive ad company?” [Opinion, Jan. 16] puts into words the exact experience that our business has gone through with the online review website. Start with extremely positive reviews from customers and colleagues, written in long thoughtful paragraphs with five stars. Next,…