TKG Data and Analysis: A Weekly Recap
In case you missed any, here is a sampling of posts from the TKG blog this week. Click below to read each post in full.
Yellow Pages Odds n’ Ends
Charles Laughlin takes a look at the week in Yellow Pages. (read more…)San Diego Fires, My Family and the Web
A heartfelt thanks to all the people who wrote in out of concern for my family and me vis-a-vis the San Diego fires. We’re fine, and very proud of the wonderful and loving way our entire community has responded to a shared tragedy. I’m also very proud of the role our local Web sites played — and national aggregators, like Topix.net. They have been fantastic. (read more…)Getting More SMBs Online: A Vertical Challenge
Mr. Local SEO Andrew Shotland writes today about vertically oriented Web site development and hosting products for small businesses. This is an interesting concept because it brings together two local trends we’ve written extensively about: Webification and verticalization. (read more…)RHD Announces Dividend
Listening to the R.H. Donnelley third-quarter earnings call right now. The publisher announced that concurrent with first-quarter earnings next year, it will pay a dividend equal to 25 percent of free cash flow. RHD took some heat recently when it used money that might otherwise go to a dividend to invest in Business.com. (read more…)Microsoft Invests in Facebook, Extends Ad Partnership
After all the recent speculation that Facebook will create the next G,Y,M bidding war that will put the Right Media and DoubleClick deals to shame, news just hit the wires that Microsoft will be the one to invest in (not acquire) the social network. This will come in the form of a $240 million equity stake, effective in Facebook’s next financing round. At a $15 billion valuation, this gives Microsoft a 1.6 percent stake in the company and allows Facebook to continue its world domination unfettered. (read more…)Judy’s Book Closes Its Doors
I received an e-mail early this morning from Judy’s Book COO Chris DeVore saying that the company will wrap up operations. This comes as a surprise, because it was in the middle of a model transition from review-centric local social search to one built around local shopping search and coupons. (read more…)MyYahoo! Gets a Boost; 360 Gets the Boot
MyYahoo!, Yahoo!’s personal home page and news reader, was redesigned earlier this year and available as an opt-in upgrade in beta. Today I logged in to discover my page has been automatically upgraded, suggesting either a coming out of beta, or part of a slow roll out to all MyYahoo! users. In any case this joins a long list of recent online product redesigns. The new look and feel are more consistent with Yahoo!’s home page and the site is generally sharper with a more intuitive layout, tabs and Ajax functionality. (read more…)AT&T Backs Off N.C. White Pages Plan
AT&T Advertising & Publishing’s effort to assuage environmental concerns in North Carolina by curtailing print residential White Pages distribution has fizzled out as utility commissioners in that state have balked at the plan. The Raleigh News & Observer reported today that AT&T has withdrawn its proposal to eliminate residential White Pages delivery except to those that request print copies of the book. (read more…)Cars.com Mobile Sees Good Pickup
Auto sites look to mobile apps to generate leads, drive people to dealerships and provide info to auto shoppers when they are “on the go.” A panel during last week’s Automotive Internet Roundtable by J.D. Power in Las Vegas reasserted these mobile strengths. (read more…)Changes Throughout Yellow Pages
On Friday, I had the opportunity to spend some valuable time with Richard Zurawski, president and GM of Telmetrics, a leader in the increasingly important call measurement business. As my colleague Charles Laughlin, program director of The Kelsey Report, said today, “In this highly competitive world, measured value is far more important than perceived value.” Richard echoed this point when he said: “I’m selling leads. Sure, my customers are still selling print Yellow Pages, but they are also acting as media consultants for their clients.” (read more…)
