Newspapers and Talking Cars
Every once in a while, I’ll allow myself to post something on the lighter side. Just a warning that this is one of those posts only tangentially related to local search, but having a semantic coincidence that I couldn’t…
Live Local Gets Social (and Other New Features)
Following closely behind the social media trend in local search, Microsoft Live Search Maps launched a feature that will allow users to read and contribute ratings and reviews of local businesses. This is part of a new feature set it…
Ready for Online Only? Seattle Paper Mulls It Over
I was recently stunned by a conversation with a group of newspaper execs mulling over which U.S. city would be the first to rely on an online-only newspaper. The switch might be faster in one of the handful of surviving…
Tribune’s New Owner Is ’Grave Dancer’ Sam Zell
How is one to consider Sam Zell's "purchase" of the Tribune Co.? We can be fairly certain that Zell, a "grave dancer" investor who is putting in $315 million and relying on an ESOP for the rest, didn't win the…
Topix Cites Progress, Launches Personal News Bureaus
After its founding in 2002, Topix was definitely an "A List" Silicon Valley company, leading the way for crawling news in a million interesting and valuable ways. Its founders were extremely dedicated and smart, and the company looked like it…
A Conversation with ZipLocal
Yesterday I had the opportunity to catch up with Elaine Kunda, CEO of newly launched (beta) Canadian local search site ZipLocal. The site currently covers Toronto and Montreal, but has 1.3 million Canadian business listings in 45 cities, which it…
Google’s Expansion into Radio, Cable Sales Not Easy
Google is pushing hard to jumpstart its radio ad business, leveraging its $1.245 billion acquisition of the DMarc rep business in 2005. The search leader says it is working with 900 stations in 200 markets. But so far, according to…
Yellowpages.com Joins MoLo Pack
Yellowpages.com today joined the ranks of local search providers that have an SMS-based mobile local search application. Similar to Google SMS and Yahoo! Mobile (and one from Starbucks), any cellphone user can send a business name or category in a…
Closing the Gap With Maps, Revenues
Map-centric directories from the likes of Google and Microsoft, enhanced with satellite and 3D imagery, are absolutely fascinating. They're also increasingly functional, with all kinds of searchable links. But is it really clear that they are the future of directories?…
Oodle and iPoste Team Up
Classified aggregator Oodle has offered to integrate its listings into community site iPoste. The press release doesn't mention if listings will flow in the other direction, but they should based on Oodle's aggregation model. Classified aggregation is all about in/out…
EStara Brings Click-to-Call to Singapore
EStara announced this week that it will power the new click-to-call functionality of Yellow Pages Singapore's online directory, Yellowpages.com.sg. YPS is the largest directory publisher in Singapore and its online directory is the most trafficked online business directory there, according…
EPrize Adds Games for SME Sites
EPrize, a Michigan-based promotions fulfillment company that typically works with the likes of Proctor & Gamble and others, is pushing hard to add its games and sweepstakes promotions to small-business Web sites. The "Caffeine" product can get users to register…
1-800-FREE411 Launches Category Search
The path to self-sustaining revenues for free directory assistance isn't clear yet. But if there is any real money to be made, it is going to come from category search. Unlike name search, users don't have a clear idea who…
Cable Cos Get in on Quad Play, Target SMBs
One of the foreseen deficiencies that could hold cable companies back in the battle for bundled services is the lack of wireless service assets. Though they possess short-run advantages in the relative ease in building a voice business (compared with…
Yahoo! Pushes Webification Trend Forward
Yahoo! this week launched a new version of its free Web site development and hosting product, through Yahoo! Small Business. Although it previously had a free tool for small businesses to establish a Web presence, this is an improvement because…
CTIA Under Way: MoLo News to Come
The CTIA Wireless confab is under way, and we're expecting a host of product launches and announcements that have implications for mobile local search. A prelude to some of these were given last week at TKG's Drilling Down On Local…
Local ’07: Ralph Kunz, Nokia Multimedia
The big picture guys know the battle of the future isn't just between newspapers or Yellow Pages and Google/Yahoo!. Indeed, as society goes mobile, it is also between the content owners and handset manufacturers. During his Day 2 opening keynote…
Local ’07: Peter Horan, IAC
Peter Horan, IAC Media and Entertainment's new head from About.com and other companies, says he's a "guy who has to run Web sites for a living and sell stuff," so he takes "a very pragmatic view. Visionaries and consultants aren't…
Local ’07: Nick Grouf, Spot Runner
Spot Runner, the high-profile video production house and media buyer for small businesses, is winning some big deals with national players that want to provide solutions for partners and affiliates and also target locally. During his Day 1 keynote at…
Yell for Sale?
It appears Yell Group may be the target of an unnamed private equity group hoping to pursue an LBO of Yell, which is the leading YP publisher in the U.K. and Spain and the largest U.S. independent publisher through its…