February Food-Free Yelping Challenge

This seems to be the most challenging challenge of all challenges we've seen.

Libraries? Yoga Studios? Strip Clubs?

Elite Yelp? Is it food and drinks related but it is under "local favour"

what about supermarkets??

@Kat: In the Yelp hierarchy of needs supermarkets are listed under the "food" category. Ex. when entering the category for adding a new business to Yelp you click on "Food" then "Grocery".

Omgoodness.. it's leap year ALREADY?

It's going to be really tough!

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I am almost all food reviews..................... just can't help it!!

this is gonna be tough but I'm willing to try!

This is definitely going to be tough, but I'm up for it...time to visit some TO museums,

Oh I am down like a clown Charlie Brown!

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@Dishan - great idea re:museums!  We (I mean you and Susan) should organize some UYEs.  We can be Toronto tourists!

I'm not even joining this!

Okay, maybe I"ll try, and then in March you'll get a myriad of food related reviews all the the same day.

@Melanie - your comment made me laugh, because we are so obviously a unit!!

I am definitely in - both for the challenge and for some more UYEs!

It's impossible not to eat out.  I think I will adopt Laura's strategy of hoarding, I mean, holding.

I need to stop eating out so this may be a good challenge for me. Bring on those subway reviews! Museums and art galleries are good too. And now I have to think of every single clothing shop I've been to. :)

but we can still do food reviews!! Just make sure there is one NON food review a day! :)

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IS this a 30 day challenge?? Start hoarding your non food reviews.

It' about time!!!!!!!!! I smell adventure!!

Vivek - will updates count?

For everyone in fear - Feb is a short month.  ^_^

xoxo
M.

Hm... sure, let's count updates for this adventure. I'm pretty sure it will be hard enough as it is.

break it!! :)

can we update the sheet once a week or do we have to update it daily? I feel like every time i touch this sheet, it increases the chances of me breaking it...

I've already stockpiled my reviews so BRING IT! I wrote down a list of every store or service and park or cultural attraction I found interesting and I was able to come up with a list of 72. Vivek's directory linked above also helped a lot. Maybe it's an excuse to get a manicure this month? Hmm. Plus, I spent no money on doing these reviews! So guys, it's very doable. But updating the spreadsheet, do I have to? I like doing it on a weekly basis.

Oh man spreadsheet?  This is feeling like homework now! Hope that doesn't bring the Yelp truant outta me.

Question: do liquor stores count?

I'm with Sara K!

Jennifer K's notebook is hardcore, IMO, and this spreadsheet is kicking Yelp into my mental folder titled, 'Work'.

Here's a link that would help for this challenge, I plan to check out as much of the stuff under "Toronto" as I can since I do have the Cultural Access Pass.
http://www.icc-icc.ca/...

So it turns out I have at least 15 reviews in my draft list that are non food places.
this will be easier than I thought!

Argk! I'm in. I need something to get me back in top yelping form. Perhaps this is that thing.

@Vivek: Do I take the fact that in your spreadsheet the link beside my name goes to your profile instead of mine as a compliment or an insult?

I'd be down if I wasn't spending 1 wk of feb deep in the mountains! yelp fail!

@vivek Amazing spreadsheet! thanks =)

It's really not that hard. I sat down with a notepad (easier to do on the subway when you're not as distracted by the internet) and thought of every non food-related place I've been to. Think parks, museums, libraries, stores, gift shops, galleries, churches, etc. I wrote pretty much all of my reviews in one night (yup...28 reviews in a night). But I am a freak of nature.

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Okay, did we define what's "Food"
It falls under the category on Yelp?
So the Elite event counts?

In the Developer List seems like Food and Restaurants are under it's own category.

Ok!  Just got on board... lots to yelp about!

I'm looking forward to reviews about Religious Organizations.

Heh.

Really Nightlife/Pubs?

OMG, we'll starve! :P

I'm not cheating! I have em stockpiled and then boom. I'm not done ALL of them but still. Sometimes, I get on a roll  or have no life. I'm not sure which. Are you guys ready for this?!

Mauricio you can still eat and review; you just have to do a non-food one in addition. Plus, did you hear BestEllen is doing soft openings right now? Exciting. That said, I'll probably wait unless I get invited to the resto. *crossingfingers.

three words: POST WEDDING REVIEWS :)

I'm so nervous to commit... but I'm going to try! Especially if nightlife/pubs count!

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@Vivek - So can I talk about Pub food if I eat at a Pub? or I just have a drink at a Pub?

Good luck to everyone who's in the challenge.  You have my moral support.

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Are updates acceptable?

good luck you guys, I'll cheer from the sidelines. :D

Hey vivek i posteded my Feb 1 review after midniht  and it still logged as Jan 31. Can i have one free day?

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So no supermarkets.

Can I revew parking lots ??????

of course you can review parking lots!! As long as they are a business....

They are operated by a business.... hmm.

laura u can yelp about wedding stuff lol

So I wrote about a business before Feb 1 but because it was a new business I couldn't stockpile it and it was posted immediately (before Feb 1). Can I just use it as my Feb 29 post? Pretty please? With a cherry on top?

Just wrote a grocery review... and determined it doesn't count!! Sadness.

nooo!!! i messed up already =(

Vivek, can we have a free day because this Feb is a weird one? pretty pleaseee

Even though 10 days ago I thought this would be a breeze - 6 days in and it's trickier than I first thought !

I'm grabbing at straws the last two days with reviews that are non-food related and thank goodness I'm travelling the rest of the week so that will give me a couple out of the ordinary to choose from.....but cudo's !! - this is tricky......

So I just remembered Vivek mentioning this challenge....and realized I am 6 days too late to start this challenge!! Oh wells...:(

We're a third of the way through. Keep it up boys and girls!

Crapola.. This is harder than I tought.
Tots failing at this. -_-

Free for you all
http://www.yelp.ca/biz...

@Laura: This gives me a fantastic idea for my review tomorrow, and it will be an FTR too!

@Laura C: Thanks for the freebie!! :)

I only reviewed way back when because it existed and Karl wrote a review.
@Chris, careful we don't border between creative and lame.

@Laura: How can the world's longest skywalk network be considered lame: http://www.yelp.ca/biz...

That is actually pretty darn cool, Chris!

I would have never thought of that @Laura C. Awesome.

okay - i've run out - I have no more non food reviews in me....i don't want to give up - but I also don't want to review the tuck shop or The Bay for their crappy customer service...... what's a girl to do ?

@ Cynthia - I just went wine shopping yesterday which gave me a handful. And Doctors are always good to review, in my opinion. When searching for a doctor in the past I have always found it difficult to get any recommendations. You travel a lot it seems. What about reviewing more travel services? Hotels? YOU CAN DO IT!!!

We're into the home stretch! Just a week left.

I even post a non food review in my half drunken stage in Montreal... I almost forgot to post though! :)

I can not wait until this challenge is over!!!
How many people actually have completed it following the rules 100% up until now?

Well, I've written 24 reviews to date (some days really hard to write a review on something that isn't stupid)  and some of my reviews I've needed to wait until the weekend to post - so...not sure how the "rules" are defined by, but a review a day yes.....I do them daily, just can't post daily......I guess it's a matter of how you interpret the "rules"...... How have you done Nicole ?

@Nicole: I did! :)

Yeah I've been lucky enough to have had quite a few non food ones stored up to have me going for this challenge. I came extremely close on for my review on the 17th where it was literally midnight when I submitted.
So close in fact that if you were to just view it on the businesses page (Yorkdale) it comes up as the 18th, but if you see it on my profile or click on the link from the google doc it comes up as the 17th.

Sweet!

@ Cynthia - as for me, I am tired out of the challenge. :) But I'm also super competitive with myself so if I make a commitment I MUST follow through. Where I work there is no internet and cell phones aren't allowed and I'm usually there for 12-16 hours at a time so getting the reviews posted each day has been tough but I've gotten it done. Are all of my reviews top-notch? Absolutely not. But what can be expected when they are generated as a task opposed to out of desire? :)

Whew, didn't think I'd make it, but finally I'm done.  Btw I don't think I broke the spreadsheet, but my links for the last two reviews for some reason are ginormous?

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Done. No spreadsheet, and I technically didn't post on two days, but made up for it with bonus posts the day after. I count this as a win.