Mobile search is seen as the big problem to solve in the directory business. But in the mobile business, many eyes are also on the development of location-based services, which are on the cusp of serious rollouts after years of…
Location-based services for mobile haven't been given the marketing-friendly monikers of say, "iTunes." Some solutions were presented this week at CTIA Wireless Entertainment in L.A. by Joe Astroth, AutoDesk's executive VP of location services. Astroth proposes the following:• POtainment for…
At a presentation on Friday for the San Diego ad community, Microsoft reps played up local targeting as a key feature of its new adCenter, which is vying to win market share against Google and Yahoo! Search. Microsoft reps noted…
Yahoo! has appointed former Knight Ridder Digital head Hilary Schneider as senior vice president of Marketplaces, a newly formed unit including Autos, Classifieds, HotJobs, Personals, Real Estate, Shopping & Auctions, Travel and Yellow Pages. Schneider's arrival means that Yahoo! Local…
Many have written off their public libraries as quaint (and expensive) throwbacks in an era with ready access to Google, Borders and Starbucks. But as made clear in "Libraries in the Digital Age: Implications for Publishers," a stimulating new EPS…
My friends and former colleagues at Borrell Associates have released a new report projecting $7.7 billion in local online revenues for 2007 — a dramatic jump of 31.6 percent from 2006. But a major chunk comes from paid search and…
Citysearch says its pay-for-performance ad program is taking in an eye-popping "average" of $500 per month from advertisers, or $6,000 per year, according to a Sept. 4 article by Ann Meyer in the Chicago Tribune.If the figure is accurate, that…
Travel is a special side of "local." Some local sites in travel-heavy locales, such as SignOn San Diego and Vegas.com, get 60 percent or more of their traffic from visitors.But I have never really been an early adopter of travel…
Newspapers are said to be culturally inclined to fail on the Web. But people make exceptions when Rob Curley or Adrian Holovaty is involved. Curley transformed Morris Communications' Topeka Capital-Journal into a highly interactive platform from 1997 to 2002 (with…
Local search engine TrueLocal, which provides enhanced listing info for franchisees and brands, is trying out direct sales via a five-person call center. According to Founder Jake Bailes, the call center will target specific verticals, market-by-market (i.e., tire stores in…
Yahoo! Local now relies on more than a dozen resellers, in addition to its own self-service center, says Yahoo! Local GM Paul Levine, who was speaking on a Small Business Commando Tele-Seminar with Dick Larkin and Kelsey's Matt Booth. "They…
About 50 percent of small businesses in the U.S. now have "Web sites" — or pages, microsites, listings, pages or even e-mail addresses that they might call Web sites when asked in phone surveys. The number of real Web sites…
Yesterday, I wrote about PremierGuide's innovative Microsites, which can act as searchable, full-featured alternative to Web sites. They're highly effective if you want to be found by a search engine, and also put all your expensively produced TV commercials, Yellow…
As we reported last week, we've learned that eBay Motors is going full speed ahead with local. Now we have more info. Within four to six months, sources tell us that the auction leader will be launching a full-fledged, re-branded…
By some accounts, more than 50 percent of local businesses that advertise have Web sites. But they still need to be found by the search engines. That's the role that PremierGuide, a local search vendor that works with 250 newspapers,…
Newspapers need to prepare for the next generation by right-sizing their operations, diversifying their holdings, and finally grasping, from top to bottom, that there has been an online, pay-for-performance advertising revolution that is at least as significant as the online…
EBay Motors, which has more traffic than any other auto site, has just sold its two- millionth car. Of course, the status as traffic leader should be asterisked, as execs from Autotrader, Autobytel and Cars.com are quick to point out.…
Sometimes, you can tell a lot about where a company is going by who stays and who leaves — especially if you think you have an inkling why.I don't want to turn this into an Executive Turntable page or anything.…
A number of people wrote in to tell us that Google's entry in the local coupon space is validation of the segment and will help drive coupon traffic. But it doesn't mean that Google unilaterally wins the game. Premier Guide…
We are all watching YouTube. Long term, we know it isn't a business because of the copyright issue. But the site's success demonstrates real demand for aggregated on-demand video — including local video. I like what columnist Terry Heaton says…
