From Nay to Yay What to do about bad reviews on customer feedback sites

The popularity of user-review sites such as Yelp and Citysearch can be excellent resources for inexpensive publicity for a small business. The downside? The inevitable bad review can cause havoc if it's not handled with savvy.

"There is an enormous level of trust between social network user and social network user--much more so than between a brand and end-user," says Carisa Miklusak, co-founder of social media marketing company SoMedios in Vancouver, British Columbia. She calls Yelp "the online Consumer Reports."

To combat an unfavorable comment and lone star rating, Miklusak suggests you publicly address a complaint, politely explaining your organization's side of a dispute or correcting erroneous information. For example, a poster who warns against patronizing an eatery because of its unhealthy offerings could be met with a rebuttal describing low-calorie options and a link to the restaurant's menu. "That way you appear like a transparent organization that takes feedback seriously," she says.