Search Engines > Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines
May. 13, 2008 at 10:42am by Greg Sterling
EveryScape Improves, Beefs Up Community Strategy
Google and Microsoft have invested huge sums in their competitive mapping platforms. Yahoo, for its part, opted out of that arms race some time ago. But independent EveryScape is building an interesting alternative platform and destination. Today at the Where 2.0 conference, the company announced upgraded site features and a...
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May. 7, 2008 at 7:47am by Greg Sterling
Google, Sprint, Cable Companies Join Forces On Wireless Internet Initiative
Sprint, the troubled, third largest US wireless carrier has been mulling a spin off or sale of Nextel and has been the subject of takeover rumors itself. It had ambitious plans to roll out a national WiMax network that had seemingly been placed on the back burner. However, today, the...
See Related Stories In: Google: Maps & Local, Google: Mobile, Google: Partnerships, Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines
May. 6, 2008 at 8:38am by Greg Sterling
Myanmar Cyclone Maps, Paid Search Ads & Other Disaster Resources
This past weekend a cyclone hit Myanmar (formerly Burma), killing at least 15,000 with many more missing. It's a massive tragedy. Now data on the cyclone and its path, from the UN Institute for Training and Research Operational Satellite Applications Programme, are available as a layer in Google Earth. But...
See Related Stories In: Search Engines: Facebook, Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines, Search Engines: News Search Engines
Apr. 29, 2008 at 10:01am by Greg Sterling
Yelp For Business: New Tools Allowing Local Businesses To Speak For Themselves & More
As the phenomenon of local business ratings and reviews becomes more "institutionalized" and important, efforts are popping up to help businesses cope and/or take advantage of the trend. Merchant Circle is one business in the local space that has positioned itself as a platform for SMB "reputation management" as well...
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Apr. 28, 2008 at 6:14am by Danny Sullivan
Yahoo Paper: Finding The Local "Center" Of Search Queries
A new research paper from Yahoo and Cornell University -- with search legend Jon Kleinberg as one of the coauthors -- provides a fascinating look at how a search query such as "red sox" or "hurricane deal" can be centered around a physical location -- including one that changes...
See Related Stories In: Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines, Stats: Search Behavior, Yahoo: Maps & Local
Mar. 3, 2008 at 8:47am by Greg Sterling
Mobile 411: A Leading Indicator For Mobile Search
There are roughly 250 million cell phone users in the United States and more than ten times that figure around the globe. Approximately 42 million (or so) people use the "mobile Internet" in the US, with varying degrees of frequency. The number of people texting constitutes at least 100...
See Related Stories In: Locals Only, Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines, Stats: General
Feb. 14, 2008 at 8:11am by Greg Sterling
Citysearch And AOL Announce Reciprocal Content And Ad Distribution Deal
Citysearch has announced a deal with AOL that provides Citysearch reviews and content (e.g., video) and place local Citysearch advertisers on AOL local properties. The two firms will share revenue from clicks or leads generated from AOL distribution....
See Related Stories In: AOL: Local, Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines
Feb. 6, 2008 at 7:15pm by Danny Sullivan
Searching For Southern Tornado Maps
Now that you can search for user-generated content more easily on Google Maps, I checked to see if people had been creating and sharing information about the tornadoes that tragically tore through the Southern US states of Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Surprisingly, there wasn't much there in contrast to...
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Jan. 24, 2008 at 8:23am by Greg Sterling
Hyper-Local "News" Site EveryBlock Emerges
EveryBlock is a new local "news" site that seeks to answer the question, "What's happening in my neighborhood?" It aggregates data and content from a variety of sources and currently covers three US cities: Chicago, New York, and San Francisco. EveryBlock competes with Outside.in, YourStreet, and Topix to some degree....
See Related Stories In: Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines, Search Engines: News Search Engines
Jan. 2, 2008 at 1:17pm by Greg Sterling
WhatsOpen Aims To Disseminate Local Business Hours Data Across Platforms
Local search site WhatsOpen was rumored to be the first application for the Google Android mobile platform. Now the site has launched in public beta, including an Android application. The site is launching simultaneously in the US, Europe, and China, on mobile platforms (Android, iPhone) and on Facebook, MySpace, and...
See Related Stories In: Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines, Search Engines: Mobile Search Engines
Dec. 12, 2007 at 10:19am by Greg Sterling
Microsoft Acquires UK-Based MultiMap Mapping Provider
Microsoft announced this morning that it has acquired UK-based mapping platform and consumer destination MultiMap. Deal terms weren't disclosed. MultiMap will reportedly operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft but within the Virtual Earth and search teams. According to the press statement issued, MultiMap brings "new location and mapping...
See Related Stories In: Microsoft: Business Issues, Microsoft: Live Search Local, Microsoft: Outside US, Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines
Dec. 11, 2007 at 8:18am by Mike Blumenthal
MapSpammers Getting More Sophisticated
After the first relatively unsophisticated Google MapSpam bulk upload attempt became public, I had a long and interesting conversation with a webmaster who had spent many years implementing a "long tail search" campaign on behalf of local business in a major market. He pointed out that with a little bit...
See Related Stories In: SEO: Spamming, Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines
Dec. 7, 2007 at 10:08am by Greg Sterling
Local Classifieds Site Edgeio Shutting Down
According to TechCrunch, classifieds site Edgeio is shutting down after having run out of money. The site was targeting a global audience but was fundamentally local. Edgeio competitor Oodle recently redesigned and appears to be doing well. And the classifieds category continues to gain traffic....
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Dec. 4, 2007 at 2:58pm by Greg Sterling
UK Yellow Pages Publisher Yell Adds "Web 2.0" Look And Features
Yell, which owns the yellow pages brand in the UK, has been fairly experimental with its site and product features, adding shopping search, classifieds, and mobile ahead of others and its American counterparts. It has also done several redesigns over the course of the past year in an effort to...
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Nov. 26, 2007 at 9:35am by Greg Sterling
EveryScape And 3-D Store Interior Mapping
The New York Times on Sunday covered mapping site EveryScape and its effort to create 3-D maps of urban environments, but also store and business interiors. (Here's our post from when the site formally launched in October.) The Times' piece focuses on the interior mapping dimension of what EveryScape is...
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Nov. 25, 2007 at 7:44am by Danny Sullivan
Malibu Corral Fire Maps: Burn Area, Evacuation Centers, & More
Fires are burning again in Southern California, and the map makers are hard at work helping people know what's happening where. Below, maps relating to the Corral Fire in Malibu:...
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Nov. 12, 2007 at 9:56am by Danny Sullivan
San Francisco Oil Spill Maps & Wishing For Better Community Map Search Tools
Trying to figure out the impact of last week's oil spill in San Francisco Bay, which happened after the container ship Cosco Busan hit the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge? There are maps to the rescue! Links to them below, along with some observations on the difficulty in finding community-built maps...
See Related Stories In: Google: Maps & Local, Microsoft: Live Search Local, Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines
Nov. 5, 2007 at 12:55pm by Chris Silver Smith
Why Many Web 2.0 Developers Are Search Morons
Web 2.0 sites have caught on because they offer slick user interfaces, with cool AJAX effects and lots of user-friendly controls and really useful mashups of content. But many Web 2.0 developers are apparently clueless when it comes to search engine optimization—often to the point where they're actively harming...
See Related Stories In: Locals Only, SEO: General, Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines
Oct. 30, 2007 at 9:44am by Greg Sterling
Zillow Direct Ads Turn Site Into Dynamic Ad Platform
Zillow has always seen itself as a media company. The real estate site, which launched in early 2006, has continued to add features and listings that are very real-estate centric. But with the introduction of its "DirectAds" program it has become something else -- a site that uses its considerable...
See Related Stories In: Search Ads: General, Search Engines: Maps & Local Search Engines
Oct. 29, 2007 at 8:42am by Greg Sterling
Everyscape 3-D Mapping To Give Google, Microsoft A Run For Their Virtual Money
Three dimensional mapping company Everyscape has been busy building its product out for the last several months. This morning it finally launched, with four US cities to show for its effort: Aspen, CO, New York, Miami, FL, and Boston. And while Google and Microsoft have been battling it out in...
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Oct. 24, 2007 at 9:54am by Greg Sterling
Local Search Site Judy's Book To Shut Down
TechCrunch first reported (confirmed on CEO Andy Sack's blog) that local search site Judy's Book is shutting down and/or looking for a buyer. After struggling to monetize its traffic, the site shifted its business model to emphasize coupons and local deals. The firm had raised over $10 million in two...
