Local Matters has announced a new publisher platform called Guidespot. The company works with a global who’s-who list of publishers to power their IYPs and online sites. This move extends its capability include community and UGC-driven local guides.

This comes at an opportune time when many IYPs and newspaper sites are integrating social media in various ways (mostly user-generated ratings and reviews). Most major IYPs have done this, with the exception of Yellowbook.com, which feels it’s premature.

Some newspaper publishers and radio or television station groups have meanwhile begun to build off-brand sites focused on social or community interaction. CityVoter is one company that has begun to work with some of these traditional media players to power their social sites. Pegasus News is another.

Local Matters has a strong product, and has its feet planted firmly in the local space. Guidespot should allow it to address this growing demand and to work with traditional local media companies more comprehensively.

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Related: See recent TKG interview with Local Matters CEO Perry Evans.