Yelp

The review Web site Yelp, which has garnered some criticism from the businesses put under its microscope, will soon let those businesses and others respond publicly to customers' critiques.

In an e-mail sent to some of Yelp's most active users Thursday, the San Francisco-based company solicited feedback about an upcoming feature that will let businesses post replies to user reviews. Businesses must first register for a free business owner's account. After a business posts a reply on the site, Yelp will alert the reviewer by e-mail.

For users of computers and mobile phones in big U.S. cities, Yelp has become a popular Web site for ranting, raving or just reading about local businesses, from the auto mechanic to the neighborhood bar.

Built almost entirely on five million reviews by zealous volunteers, the five-year-old San Francisco company shows how the Internet can amplify the voices of individuals to provide useful information to the community.