With the popularity of social networking sites and forums, it was only a matter of time before something like Yelp came along to give 'social' reviewers a place to post opinions about eateries and retail/service outlets.

www.yelp.co.uk .

Want to know what people are saying about restaurants in Birmingham, bars and clubs in Manchester, shopping in London - or all of these things in one place - Yelp has it.

Users post reviews, businesses can participate, and the public can get some first-hand feedback before they try out a new service.

It has RSS, chat, mobile, maps and other services. It's the citizens' city guide - and after success in the US and Canada, it has moved to the UK.

Read what new media blogger Craig McGinty has to say.

It's a sign of the times. And businesses should take advantage of and participate in this virtual marketing.

It's always more fun to participate than be on the sidelines.