The online foodie community has been abuzz lately about apparently substantiated claims that review website Yelp! has been "extorting" businesses to advertise or face bad reviews.
There seems to be quite a stir about this, but all of the claims seem to come from two sets of customers: East Bay merchants who where threatened with bad reviews, and Chicago-area merchants who were badgered to hold Yelp Elite parties. All the other buzz is just repeats of these two sources.
As a Yelp! poster myself, I want to know: should I stop using the site? Let's do some deduction.
