Q: I absolutely hate the new Yahoo mail! It’s difficult to read and is missing many of the better features of the old version. Is there any way to convert back to the prior version? And how do I contact Yahoo to let them know I don’t like the new mail?

A: It seems a lot of people — about 275 million or so — are upset with the new version of Yahoo mail. This is the fifth time the design has changed (many people are noting it seems to be a knockoff of Gmail) and unfortunately the company has disabled the option of reverting back to the old version. But there are a few things you can do to get back to the way things were, as least a little.

Yahoo is stopping support for older browsers, but if you’re still running Internet Explorer 6 you should be able to go back to the old version. You can also use the latest version of Firefox and install a plugin called User Agent Switcher, which allows you to make websites recognize your browser in whatever version you choose.

Another option is to use only the “basic” version, which is as close to “classic” as you can get and is free of all the bells and whistles of the regular version.

But unless the folks at Yahoo change their minds, it appears as if the new Yahoo Mail is here to stay. If you want to join the millions of others voicing their displeasure, you can write a rant at http://

yahoo.uservoice.com/forums/210695. There’s also an online petition you can sign at change.org.

Q: Someone posted a negative review about my company on Yelp and I think it’s fake. How do I get it removed?

A: This problem is becoming increasingly prevalent due to Yelp’s open forum policy, which allows anyone — jealous competitors or disgruntled ex-employees included — to post a review. The first thing to do is flag the comment for review. When you do, it will prompt you for an explanation of why you flagged the review, and often the post will disappear in a day or two.

You can also send an email to [email protected] when you flag the post for review, and be sure to include your business name, city and state and the name of the reviewer in question when contacting Yelp about a review.

However, be aware that Yelp doesn’t arbitrate disputes, so a good course of action is to contact the reviewer or post a public response, which may clear up the problem. But if the suspicious review violated Yelp’s content guidelines in any way — if they admit to describing a second-hand experience or use profanity—be assured the company can and will take it down immediately.

Terry and Clarence Low are co-founders of Byte Technology, a web design firm based in Monterey, Denver and Minneapolis. Their personal technology column appears on alternating Saturdays. Read more news on their blog at www.byte-technology.com/blog. Send questions to [email protected], or write to Bits ‘N’ Bytes, 400 Camino El Estero, Monterey 93940.

 
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