The Next Subject for Local Search: Parking Spots?
Greg Sterling points out an interesting company called SpotScout (having “spot” in a company name is becoming something of a trademark for companies with interesting models, i.e., Spot Runner ).
The start-up is taking local search to a brand-new area: parking search. It’s a nice idea that has some interesting possibilities for ad models but could ultimately be more of an acquisition target for Google, or someone else (perhaps IAC), to integrate this capability with a suite of local search products. It would seem to have more value as an overlay to a local search engine or city guide (shopping, dining, etc.) than as a standalone product.
Nonetheless, it’s a very interesting idea. More on the company, its model and local ad possibilities in this previous post.