VB: “For several months, Google has been rolling out enhancements to its Google Maps offering, including aggregated reviews from TripAdvisor, Citysearch and other sources. Most recently, Google Maps began integrating more comprehensive business profiles with its Google Favorite Places initiative, and announced in early December that it was distributing 100,000 window decals to popular businesses with a QR code that links back to a Google Maps listing. Seen at the time as a threat to Yelp, which also distributes stickers to local businesses, the strategy now appears to be the first step towards an attempt to assimilate Yelp’s user base and market share.”

SEL: “In some ways this would be as dramatic or more dramatic than the recent AdMob acquisition announcement. Google is increasingly serious about the local market – from both a content and advertiser/small business perspective (extending into mobile). Yelp helps fill in several gaps for Google on both sides. – If this does happen it will reverberate through the entire ‘local ecosystem’ for many months to come. No, it would be an earthquake.”

Sterling: “Buying Yelp would be a different sort of acquisition for Google – a major one – because it’s not really a technology platform so much as a local brand, community and sales channel.”

Jarvis: “Yelp + GoogleMaps + StreetView + PlacePages + GOOG411 + Google Goggles + Android + AdSense = Google synchronicity“