22 Oct BlockAvenue Aims to Be Yelp for Neighborhoods
When people are looking for a restaurant or salon to try, many turn to Yelp, a social networking site that allows users to rate and review businesses. Now, BlockAvenue is aiming to do the same with neighborhoods. The new service rates the livability of urban neighborhoods using millions of data points, including user reviews via social media. The service launched recently in New York City, Washington D.C. and Boston, and founded Anthony Longo says they will expand to other urban areas around the country.
The site’s searchability function is powered by Google Maps, and when users search for neighborhoods, “BlockScores” that are essentially letter grades pop-up on the map. In the same fashion as a report card, the best receive “A” grades while the worst receive an “F.” Additionally, users can see pins for restaurants and other businesses as they zoom in, along with user-generated reviews.
BlockAvenue is still in the beta testing stage, so there are some kinks to work out, like actually seeing all block rankings at every zoom level. They are also looking to integrate with other social media platforms soon, in addition to boosting their revenue via licensing and traditional advertising methods.