Consumer review aggregator Yelp has revealed that it is keen on partnering with social networking site Facebook on its ‘graph search’.
Yelp CFO Rob Krolik has discussed his interest on this possible collaboration while speaking to Reuters.
Facebook, however, has refused to comment on any possible collaboration.
Earlier in January, Facebook launched its graph search feature, available now only in a beta version, which would allow users to "trawl their network of friends to find everything from restaurants to movie recommendations."
Though Yelp feels it would end up being a symbiotic relationship for both the companies, analysts do not see the partnership fructifying.
Using Yelp’s mobile app will enable people to discover local businesses easily. It is said to add Yelp’s reviews and other relevant information with knowledge of the consumer’s location.
On the other hand, using its Google Plus Local product, Google recommends users businesses based on circles, past reviews, location, besides allowing them to publish reviews and photos of favourite places.
Yelp expects to benefit as its competition would be reduced, but Facebook is of the belief that it can launch the feature on its own, given the amount of data it has.
Krolik was quoted by the news agency as saying: "Facebook and Google and some other players really are attacking the local space via technology."
Yelp, which is incorporated into Apple Maps product and their Siri product, would surely keep tabs on Facebook’s graph search and see what it’s all about, according to Krolik,
"I just don’t think people go to Facebook to find a great local business. I think they connect with their friends, see a lot of photos," added Krolik.