A whole new meaning to the term "Peer Review"

Anyone in the academic or scientific community understands the idea of "peer review." See, when you right something really complicated that no one is likely to understand, your publicher will probably ask other really smart people to review the piece just to be sure that you're not crazy (well, you may be, but they really want to be sure you're not just wrong).

Yelp.com takes the idea of peer review to the masses -- but don't worry, you won't have to write something incredibly erudite. I suppose it's not technically "peer review", it's just plain old regular reviews from plain old regular people. On the site you can read useful, detailed reviews of local restaurants. stores, products and experiences by joe and jane public. You can also write your own! Be sure to check it out before heading out for a meal out, or make sure your favorite places have positive comments online.

Frankly, Yelp.com is going to be around for a while. Local businesses that want drive business should double check their reviews -- if there are trends indicating problems, it's time for the restaurant to take action. It's kind of like a free secret shopper service.

I'm heading off to Minneapolis today -- I hope they have information on that city!