ReachLocal has continued its efforts to add sticky usage for small businesses and diversify beyond reselling Google with the launch of “Bizzy” in New York, San Francisco and Dallas. Bizzy itself, which has a 21-person team, was launched by ReachLocal in early 2009 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California. It is being held separately from SMBLive/CLoud Profile, an SMB company acquired by ReachLocal in February.

In addition to offering a Bizzy city directory, the site offers SMBs a variety of marketing tools, as well as several ways to communicate with customers’ “commercial graphs.” The site, which is the latest of several social directory-type sites (i.e., AT&T’s Buzz.com, etc.), has no overt association with ReachLocal.

Consumers can use Bizzy to save offers and make lists of businesses that can send them updates, tips, offers and special invitations through a Bizzy Feed. Information can be shared with friends via e-mail, Twitter or Facebook — or consumers can interact with consumers who have similar tastes. Consumers can also use Bizzy to engage with business owners on a public wall or privately.

“Personal relationships and great customer care are the main reasons customers love the businesses they do, and local businesses are all about that,” said Bizzy GM and President Gadi Shamia. “Owners know that the success of their business revolves around keeping their customers happy, but they have no effective tools to accomplish this when the customer leaves the store.”

The post ReachLocal’s ‘Bizzy’ Launches in 3 Markets appeared first on BIA/Kelsey - Local Media Watch.

ReachLocal has continued its efforts to add sticky usage for small businesses and diversify beyond reselling Google with the launch of “Bizzy” in New York, San Francisco and Dallas. Bizzy itself, which has a 21-person team, was launched by ReachLocal in early 2009 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California. It is being held separately from SMBLive/CLoud Profile, an SMB company acquired by ReachLocal in February.

In addition to offering a Bizzy city directory, the site offers SMBs a variety of marketing tools, as well as several ways to communicate with customers’ “commercial graphs.” The site, which is the latest of several social directory-type sites (i.e., AT&T’s Buzz.com, etc.), has no overt association with ReachLocal.

Consumers can use Bizzy to save offers and make lists of businesses that can send them updates, tips, offers and special invitations through a Bizzy Feed. Information can be shared with friends via e-mail, Twitter or Facebook — or consumers can interact with consumers who have similar tastes. Consumers can also use Bizzy to engage with business owners on a public wall or privately.

“Personal relationships and great customer care are the main reasons customers love the businesses they do, and local businesses are all about that,” said Bizzy GM and President Gadi Shamia. “Owners know that the success of their business revolves around keeping their customers happy, but they have no effective tools to accomplish this when the customer leaves the store.”

The post ReachLocal’s 'Bizzy' Launches in 3 Markets appeared first on BIA/Kelsey - Local Media Watch.

AT&T Interactive has put up a beta version of its new Buzz.com site dedicated to eliciting positive social recommendations and answers to questions from friends, friends of friends and throughout the Buzz site (which, unfortunately, may get confused with Google Buzz, which was developed after AT&T had announced plans for Buzz.com.)

The site’s main purpose is to zero in on nontraditional categories that aren’t really met by Yellow Pages (such as “romantic hotels”). While no advertising is currently being sold, it will be sold in the future. There is currently no plan to integrate with the reviews that users provide Yellowpages.com, or its new prototype, YP.com. Buzz.com users will have a different intent in mind.

The beta hooks in with Facebook Connect, and will roll out over several weeks after initially being limited to invites only. Project leader Charlie Hornberger notes that Buzz will eventually also be enabled for Twitter, instant messaging platforms, Q&A sites (such as Answers.com), and other social networks as well. “Social search is the future, but not in 2010” he says. As with AlikeList, which we also wrote about this week, the positive nature of a recommendations-only site represents “extremely qualified leads.”

Hornberger notes that the user interface remains a work in progress for the project team, which has less than two-dozen people. Initially, for instance, the site was going to limit its big red heart for favorites to a single choice. It quickly found out that people want to have multiple favorites. The site also currently has a list of favorites for each user. But in the future, that list might take more creative forms, such as tag clouds.

The site will also eventually feature “best recommenders.” Future versions may also have some aspects in sentimental analysis and reputation and presence management. AT&T is investing in these areas. But Buzz.com is actually a fairly simple idea. It just needs strong execution. “You don’t need a Ph.D.” for it, says Hornberger. Current plans are to market it virally, with some advertising on social media likely as well.

AT&Ti Executive Director Greg Isaacs is a featured speaker on the New Directories Panel at Marketplaces 2010, along with execs from Local Matters, SuperMedia and MerchantCircle. r

The post AT&Ti’s Buzz.com Now in Beta appeared first on BIA/Kelsey - Local Media Watch.

AT&T Interactive has put up a beta version of its new Buzz.com site dedicated to eliciting positive social recommendations and answers to questions from friends, friends of friends and throughout the Buzz site (which, unfortunately, may get confused with Google Buzz, which was developed after AT&T had announced plans for Buzz.com.)

The site’s main purpose is to zero in on nontraditional categories that aren’t really met by Yellow Pages (such as “romantic hotels”). While no advertising is currently being sold, it will be sold in the future. There is currently no plan to integrate with the reviews that users provide Yellowpages.com, or its new prototype, YP.com. Buzz.com users will have a different intent in mind.

The beta hooks in with Facebook Connect, and will roll out over several weeks after initially being limited to invites only. Project leader Charlie Hornberger notes that Buzz will eventually also be enabled for Twitter, instant messaging platforms, Q&A sites (such as Answers.com), and other social networks as well. “Social search is the future, but not in 2010” he says. As with AlikeList, which we also wrote about this week, the positive nature of a recommendations-only site represents “extremely qualified leads.”

Hornberger notes that the user interface remains a work in progress for the project team, which has less than two-dozen people. Initially, for instance, the site was going to limit its big red heart for favorites to a single choice. It quickly found out that people want to have multiple favorites. The site also currently has a list of favorites for each user. But in the future, that list might take more creative forms, such as tag clouds.

The site will also eventually feature “best recommenders.” Future versions may also have some aspects in sentimental analysis and reputation and presence management. AT&T is investing in these areas. But Buzz.com is actually a fairly simple idea. It just needs strong execution. “You don’t need a Ph.D.” for it, says Hornberger. Current plans are to market it virally, with some advertising on social media likely as well.

AT&Ti Executive Director Greg Isaacs is a featured speaker on the New Directories Panel at Marketplaces 2010, along with execs from Local Matters, SuperMedia and MerchantCircle. r

The post AT&Ti’s Buzz.com Now in Beta appeared first on BIA/Kelsey - Local Media Watch.