Zipingo Team Blog

My Name is Earl

One of the nice things about the Internet is the ability to assume a new personality when you use different Web sites. In the case of Zipingo, you can choose whatever you like (within reason) for a screen name. But what if you decided the one you chose didn't fit you? Now whatcha gonna do?

Help Us Help You

The Zipingo Web site will launch a new "look and feel" pretty soon. I've been working with team members on revamping the design and functionality of the Help area. Soon afterwards, I'll tackle the Forums and this Blog.

Damned If You Do...

Sometimes a business owner is upset when he discovers that he's listed on Zipingo. And sometimes a business owner is upset when he's not.

Pride and Prejudice in User Feedback

I try to keep an open mind when someone contacts us to suggest a change to content on Zipingo. For example, a fishy review might be one that appears to have been written by the business owner ("This place is wonderful!") or by a competitor ("This place is awful."). But not everyone agrees. Personally, I think the "Sounds Fishy" link should go away, in favor of a user-driven rating system. Only time will tell.

The Business of Strangers

Recently, a user asked me if we notify business owners when they've been rated on Zipingo.

Telling a business you will be rating them

So whenever I use a new business I always talk about how I work on the Zipingo product for Intuit.

2005 vs 2006

I haven't written since December, so a Happy New Year to you all! And because it's a new year, I thought I'd share my overall reflections on last year and what is coming ahead this year.

First, I'll share my reflections on 2005 with respect to Zipingo.

Separation of Church and State

You can only imagine what business categories some of our users have suggested we add.

It’s all a matter of perspective

User feedback is very important.  It helps give the Zipingo team plenty of perspective about our product that sometimes we miss from our lavish offices (well, cozy little combined space) in San Diego.

Excuse Me. Do You Work Here?

During one of my post high school jobs, I wore a dorky uniform with an ugly hat. At lunchtime, I'd take a break in another store at the mall, still sporting my employer's garb. It always amazed me how people would mistake me for another store's employee.