Yelp has gotten a lot of attention lately due to a class action lawsuit filed by a disgruntled local business owner. While we’re not taking sides and have no way of knowing whether the suit has merit, it does raise some questions about the nature of anonymous review sites, especially those that feature negative reviews.

Anonymous negative reviews understandably make local business owners nervous. They feel powerless trying to control their own brand because a few negative reviews can have a devastating impact on their reputation. And whether the threat is real or imagined, there is the perceived potential for abuse.

So how does AlikeList fit in?

AlikeList.com is an online platform based entirely on positive recommendations between friends, where users can easily find, share and organize friends’ recommendations into lists. The positive nature of the site’s content gives business owners a better way to manage their reputations without having to worry about negative reviews.

When you ask your friends to recommend a business, they don’t give you a long list of businesses they don’t like – they refer you to businesses they trust. AlikeList makes it faster and easier for users to get recommendations by providing results that are trustworthy and relevant – because they come from friends who share your interests and preferences. The ability to access the businesses your friends recommend 24/7 takes the guesswork out of finding local businesses that are right for you.

Jim Delli Santi, AlikeList co-founder and CEO, gives insight as to what makes us different: “We created a faster, positive alternative to review and rating sites. In doing this, we’re answering the common question, ‘Which businesses should I use?’”

By answering this question, AlikeList.com upholds the most positive way to do business by creating an online platform for people to quickly connect and share trusted local businesses (via email, Facebook and AlikeList). It’s designed to make smarter decisions faster. Need a dentist…now? A quick search or ‘Ask’ will produce a few dentists that your friends trust.  Add the dentist to your ‘TryList’ and to your ‘LikeList’ upon your return.
 

Finally, AlikeList isn’t prone to being ‘gamed’ by anonymous negative reviews due to the social circles filter that is applied to each search. Computer consultant and social media advisor, Clyde Lerner, commented:

“There’s really no way for people to start ranting and raving about a business in a negative way, nor competitors coming on and just cutting you down…”

The result of word-of-mouth recommendations online is this: With rating and review sites that contain negative posts, local business reputations are at the mercy of the reviewer’s perspective. AlikeList is in a position to serve local businesses better by giving them back the control of their brand and personal reputation – and at the same time, helping people recommend and discover local favorites. 

Campbell based Realtor, Karen List, told us:

“You can find just what people like.  We don’t need to know what you don’t like.”
 

Karen, we couldn’t agree more.