Tipped adds new features. Local reviews war continues

Local reviews startup Tipped has launched some new features. These include some categories covering 150,000 new businesses. They also have a new ‘Tip Stream’ allowing you to tell when your friends have written reviews or done something else on the site, a la Facebook. The new Tippster program recognises heavy contributors a ‘badge’. Tipped is running affiliate ads for now and sent out a user request to start clicking on them to earn the site money: “For now we’re mostly running affiliate ads which means we only earn money if you click on the ad and buy something.”

CEO Joel Brazil tells me they’ve now “raised money” but won’t be releasing specifics. Brazil, until the end of last year the head of mobile for Microsoft UK’s Online Services Group, recently went to the US in search for funds.

Tipped is up against a raft of other local reviews sites including Wehanghere, Revmap, FridayCities, TrustedPlaces and Qype, with the last of those the best funded so far. Qype recently launched in France and is backed by UK investor Advent Venture Partners and Paris-based Partech International.