My fried chicken craving hit me like a fierce tidal wave, and there was only one thing I could do. My fingertips flew to the yelp app to search for the best local fried chicken in my area. A few hours later, my wife and I were enjoying a couple large plates of Taiwanese fried chicken while we tried to contain our 16-month-old son in the restaurant.
During the course of the evening, my mind went down something of a rabbit hole. I realized that I use yelp several times a month (often several times a week), yet I’ve only ever left a couple reviews myself. I love what yelp provides for me, but I never take the time to contribute to the yelp community to be of use to others. Why? Because I’m too busy, and I only use yelp when I’m on the go and in need of a quick food fix.
And that’s when it hit me: I use yelp the same way that I often use my relationships and church community.