Internet News

Gaming the + in Google Plus

Google Plus Connections Are The New Link, Andrew Shotland, Search Engine Land (Jan 23)

Who really cares that you + a result to get it into your Google Plus? Businesses - local directories and businesses so that they place well in Place Pages.

Will this lead to new ways to game the system? Very likely. "Where Google has frowned on “link schemes” to game rankings, I don’t see how it can control social promotion schemes. If I want to compensate you for connecting with me on G+ and mentioning my service, how can Google tell?"

Searching for local

Search Trumps Social For Local Business Information, Greg Sterling, Search Engine Land (Dec 14)

Makes sense to me - people use search engines to get information about local businesses such as restaurants. Some people still use print newspapers (29%) - good luck with that! This was a PEW Internet Life survey, and oddly they weren't asked if they use online yellow pages. Perhaps that fell under specialty websites.

Local search through Google Maps

Google Maps now available on 40+ new country domains, Google Lat Long Blog (Aug 19)

Maps domains provide customized entry points to a particular country - making local search much easier. Google has 40 of these.

",,, we are happy to announce today that we are adding more than 40 new domains on Google Maps. In total we have more than 130 countries with their customized maps domains and we support 60+ user interface languages. "

Google Place Pages

Google Overhauls Place Pages, Emphasizes Reviews & Kills Citations, Matt McGee, Search Engine Land (Jul 22)

Google's Place Pages for reviews of local services - restaurants etc - will be from Google users and not third-party sites like Yelp or TripAdvisor.

Place pages turn up in search results - marked "Place Page" - click through for specifics and reviews. Google does link to tripadvisor and yelp. Owners create the pages - if you have a business and want to be found, setting up a page would be a good thing to do.

Yelp is the Best

How Yelp Crushed Citysearch & Yahoo Local … & Why Google Is Stealing Yelp’s Playbook, Search Engine land (May 26)

Yelp beat out CitySearch and Yahoo Local.

"Yelp has far surpassed both now and has the biggest review collection on the web; it reported passing 17 million reviews last month, and doubled its regular rate of reviews with about two million added just in the first quarter of this year."

More local search

Google's Marissa Mayer: Local Topics Now 20 Percent of Queries, Beet TV (May 26)

20% of searches at Google are for local information and map use is growing quickly.

More local search

Google's Marissa Mayer: Local Topics Now 20 Percent of Queries, Beet TV (May 26)

20% of searches at Google are for local information and map use is growing quickly.

Google's HotPot recommendations

Google Hotpot now on Google.com and around the world, Google Blog (Feb 1)

Hotpot will recommend places in a city based on what you have said you liked or disliked. It's a "local recommendation engine". Places are restaurants, cafes, museums, hotels etc. Adding your friends to this may enhance results.

Now those results will show in Google search.

"You can now enjoy Hotpot recommendations in your regular search results on Google.com. So say you’re looking for a restaurant in Barcelona. Go to Google and search [restaurant barcelona]. If a friend has rated a particular restaurant, you might see their rating and what they had to say about it—as well as their name and photo—directly beneath that restaurant’s listing. To see all recommendations by your friends, click “Places” on the lefthand side of the page, and choose “Friends only.” Remember, you’ll need to be logged in to your Google account in order to see recommendations."

New Yahoo Local Coming

Yahoo Experiments With New UI, Content For Local, Greg Sterling, Search Engine Land (Nov 22)

Yahoo is renovating its local search which you can view for San Francisco.

Greg Sterling says - "The first thing you notice about the new Local UI is that it’s essentially a list, likely inspired by Twitter and/or Facebook’s news feeds. Another significant change is the absence of a map on the Local home page or internal pages. There’s a link to maps on the right, however."

Hotpot for getting recommendations

Google's new recommendation engine - Hotpot.

Tell Google's new Hotpot what restaurants you like and Hotpot will point you to more. You have to be logged into your Google account to do this - it will use your default address, but you can change that using another address or a Canadian postal code or US zip code.

Hotpot shows the restaurants in the area with photos or streetviews. It also does nightlife, pubs, and travel spots, and can call up places from your Web History. iSchool Institute at University of Toronto comes up for me, Massey Hall, other restaurants.

Of course, this gets even better if you can tap into the likes and dislikes of your friends. The social piece is there too.

Google Launches a Recommendation Engine, ResearchBuzz (Nov 17)

Google's Places Pages

Google Segmenting, Categorizing Reviews On Places Pages, Greg Sterling, Search Engine Land (Oct 15)

Google Maps has Places Pages - with information about locations, transit, hours, type of business - and reviews - most useful for restaurants and shops. The reviews are now categorized into from the web (such as Yelp) and from Google users.

This works in Toronto too - see this page about Biryani, an Indian restaurant in Toronto.

Marissa Mayer gets transfer

Google's Marissa Mayer Promotion Signals Future of Search, Louis Gray, (Oct 13)

Google's public face for search products, Marissa Mayer, has been transferred to oversee "location and local services". Louis Gray sees this as an indication of where Google will be putting its attention. Makes sense to me.

"While much of what Google does today with search is focused on one-time explicit searches, the market is moving toward persistent implicit searches, which can tap into your own preferences as an individual, including your purchasing behaviors, your reading preferences, your location, hobbies or business."

Google Places vs Facebook Places

Google Places vs Facebook Places: It’s Search vs. Social, Lawrence Coburn, The Next Web (Aug 31)

Google Places and Facebook Places give a whole new meaning to local search. Both offer a landing page for business. This article shows how the two differ in distribution strategies.

Google is through the search box and the display of a map with local businesses marked with balloons.

Facebook shows individuals checking into a local business and employs personal recommendations.

Concludes that - "Any way you measure it, Google is pretty far ahead at the moment. "

Facebook Places

Facebook has added a new feature called Places by which users can disclose their location to make it easier for friends to find them - and for them to find services where they are. More than 25% of users access Facebook from their mobile devices. This has considerable potential for marketers.

Three Ways Business Can Take Advantage of Facebook Places, Tony Bradley, PCWorld (Aug 19)

The new Facebook Places service "provides businesses with a platform for marketing and promotion, and provides an opportunity to build customer loyalty."

"Like current social location-based check-in services, Facebook Places lets people share where they are, see which friends are in the local area, and discover new places by following where others from their social network have checked in. The real value of services like Foursquare has been the integration with Facebook and the ability to share the check-in details with the broader social network, so Facebook Places seems like a natural evolution of the concept."

Related: Facebook Unveils Service That Lets Users Share Their Locations, Brian Womack, Business Week (Aug19)

Facebook Places checks in to Foursquare’s location-based service turf , AP via Globe and Mail (Aug 19)

FourWhere for Finding Venues

Fourwhere unites Foursquare, Yelp, and Gowalla listings, Josh Lowensohn, Web Crawler (June 21)

If there are 2 or 3 sites that do something similar, there will be an aggregator soon after to pull them together. FourWhere picks up listings and reviews by users in Yelp, Gowalla, and Foursquare and shows them on a Google Map. That's some mashup.

This also works in Canada - and was built by Sysomos, Toronto-based social media software company.

For example - looking for venues and comments in the small town of Wiarton - we can easily pick out Tim Hortons (though it took some time to get the Wiarton area up on the screen).

Google's Nearby Search

Google has added an option on Show Options for search Nearby - but, as of Feb 27, this shows in Google.com but not Google.ca

The idea is to find the stores or events or other locally relevant thing near where you live or plan to be - mainly the city.

You can pick a location (override the default) to localize results. In my search for locavore markets toronto I didn't notice any particular improvement when using Nearby However, using Nearby on the query locavore markets returns results related to Toronto. But they were only so-so in quality. Google has said Nearby works on geography, not a keyword. Relevance was much better with Toronto as a search term.

For Canadians, it's not worth using Google.com to get this feature. It will turn up in Google.ca in time and perhaps by then it will be better at selection and relevance.

Two articles:

Google integrates Nearby location in search results, Don Reisinger, Digital Home (Feb 26)

Google said the Nearby tool works by geography, rather than keyword, which means that results will include surrounding areas; they won't be limited to the single town or city a user selects."

Google search goes local with new ‘Nearby’ option, Martin Bryant, The Next Web (Feb 26)

Does it work - the UK perspective

"We’ve found mixed results so far. Searching for “Bars” near Manchester brought up a mixture of results, including the usual Google Map with pins marking local bars (no different from a usual search) and a mixture of local results and disappointingly general results from Wikipedia."

2009 for Local Search

Year In Review: Local Search & Maps, by David Mihm, Search Engine Land (Dec 31)

Local search did well in 2009 - at least for the search engines - and especially the mobile market. Yellow Pages might be hurting - who thinks to use them?

+ 1) Local goes universal — big time.
+ 2) Tough times for the Yellow Pages industry.
+ 3) Major upgrades to the Local Business Center(s).
+ 4) Continued problems with local data.
+ 5) Continued problems with Map Spam and Map Jacking.
+ 6) Continued problems with small business advertiser "churn."
+ 7) The rise of local-social interactions.
+ 8) Major partnerships and almost-partnerships.
+ 9) A groundswell of hyperlocal content.

Problems with local search

Reviewing Some Bad Google Search Results With Sergey Brin by Danny Sullivan, Search Engine Land (Oct 7)

Danny Sullivan showed Google's Sergey Brin a few examples of poor search results for ordinary questions such as search engines, california car rentals, and car rental california. Local Search is especially problematic, as Danny Sullivan shows in a Where 2.0 video. [15 min]

CanPages for Local Search in Canada

Rewriting the future of the phone book by Grant Robertson, Globe and Mail (Aug 25)

CanPages, based in Vancouver, aims to become "a key mobile and online search tool for Canadians".

+ It acquired GigPark, "a Toronto-based social media site that helps communities of friends recommend businesses to each other rather than rely on the plethora of anonymous reviews populating the Internet."

+ Has "Street Scene. The visual search tool gives online users a 360-degree photographic view of streets." Competes with Google's Street Views.

+ Bought online listing companies as Ziplocal.ca and PhoneGuide.

Hyperlocal resources

It's time to go hyperlocal with these resources by Don Reisinger, Webware (Aug 18)

Citizen journalists are moving in to fill the void from print newspapers closing - one would surmise from this list of news services in the US.

+ "EveryBlock, which was just acquired by MSNBC, features some outstanding hyperlocal features. The site provides local news, crime reports, and other information at the block level."

Interesting mix of information: public records (building permits, fire department dispatches, liquor licenses, land use bulletins, restaurant inspections), real estate, press releases, photos.

Can subscribe to rss feeds and alerts. Currently available in 15 cities including New York, Washington, Seattle.

+ Outside.in - from a zip code will find "local news, discussions (it has a message board for each neighborhood), and establishments for you to check out."

+ Patch - "employs local editors and contributors to run a local news site." - New Jersey and Connecticut

+ Placeblogger - finds placeblogs about areas. Placeblogger is international - has main Canadian cities.

Bing v Yahoo for Local Search

What Micro-Hoo Might Mean For Local Search by Matt McGee, Search Engine Land (July 31)

Microsoft Yahoo agreement is to affect web, images, and video, but what about local and maps? Google Maps and MapQuest lead in market share for maps, but Yahoo and Bing have good products.

This posting compares treatment of local listings between Yahoo and Microsoft.

US City Guides

MSN Overhauls City Guides, Integrates With Live Search, Matt McGee (May 11)

MSN users in the US will be glad to learn that MSN has overhauled the City Guides.

"The new city guides integrate Live Search and Live Search Maps, which should give greater visibility to local businesses that both rank well in Live Search and score well when reviewed by users. Other new additions to the city guides include video from MSN Video, better localized filtering of events and information, and one-click directions to businesses and other locations."

More local search results at Google

More Generic Results on Google Web Search Queries by PageTrafficBlog (Apr 9)

Google makes it even easier to get local results on web searches.
"Google explains this change as:

“In most cases, we match your IP address to a broad geographical location. You can also specify your likely location using the "Change location" link on the top right corner, above the map.”

Users can use these searches for a wide range of keywords, like restaurants], [dentist], [groceries], [sporting goods], [flowers], [bank], [gym], [post office], or even [111 8th ave]."

Growth in Local Search

Local Searches Are Now 12% of All Searches, The Praized Blog (Mar 27)

"According to this study done by the and ComScore, local searches online are growing at a faster pace than regular Web searches. Year over year, local search volume grew by 58% (vs. 21% for regular search) for a total of 15.7 billion searches. This represents 12% of all searches at the top 5 search portals."

Yellow Pages - What They Tell Us

Numbers Show Search Has Changed, But Not How You’d Think by Larry Small, Search Engine Land (Nov 24)

The Yellow Pages and what we search for tells us a lot about our socio-economic change.

"If you want to get a snapshot of a specific era in American society, I’d suggest the Yellow Pages industry is a good place to take that picture. The companies and headings listed can provide a footprint in time for people’s needs and interests of the day."

Citysearch and Yelp in the US

Citysearch pulls a total overhaul by Caroline McCarthy, Webware (Nov 17)

Citysearch, the online directory for US cities, has "received a makeover". It covers more of the US, and is strong in Australia. Other international places are Toronto and Copenhagen.

I've used the Seattle guide and found it useful for entertainment and restaurants. But it does have more.

The new interface is at http://beta.citysearch.com/. It lists only the US cities. The new Seattle guide is organized differently and features the neighbourhoods. Of course like all sites it has to be social and the mugs of members are on the front page.

According to CNet review, "First of all, instead of focusing on a select number of metro areas, Citysearch has expanded to a whopping 75,000 towns and neighborhoods, meaning that you can narrow down your focus to New York's East Village or Los Angeles' Culver City. Additionally, there's Facebook Connect integration, meaning that you can see what your Facebook friends have recommended or reviewed on Citysearch. Also on the social side of things, reviewing businesses on Citysearch is easier and more up-front. Previously, there had been more attention on editorial reviews as opposed to user reviews."

Competitor is Yelp - also worth checking for reviews of stores and services.

Google Street View - Pittsburg

Google Street View: The musical extravaganza by Josh Lowensohn, Webware (Nov 6)

Google's street view car got slice-of-life in Pittsburg thanks to artists Robin Hewlett and Ben Kinsley who brought together locatls to "participate in a variety of activities on-camera, including organized jogging, a sword fight, and a parade--complete with band instruments and uniforms."

Article has a video of the event.

MapQuest Local

MapQuest Goes Local, MapQuest (Sep 9)

Diehard users of Mapquest will be happy with MapQuest Local. Nice page for Seattle with news, gas prices, movies, restaurants. Much of the information is coming from City's Best. Available for Toronto and Montreal and, I presume, other Canadian cities.

Worth looking at.

Local results at the main search engines

Google Shows More Results in the Local OneBox Google Operating System (jan 27)

Google is showing more local results (when it can) in the One Box on searches for local things (restaurants, business, stores). This posting shows the changes and compares to Yahoo, Ask, and Live.

Local Search results at Google

Google Maps: From "OneBox" To Ten Local Links Greg Sterling, Search Engine Land (Jan 23)

Signs that Google has increased the number of local search results to show on a web-results page to 10 from 3. Number will depend on relevancy, says Google.

YellowPages and Microsoft Virtual Earth

Yellowpages.ca makes room for Virtual Earth By: Shane Schick, ComputerWorld Canada (Jan 23)

YellowPages.ca, Canada's largest telephone directory, has adopted Microsoft's Virtual Earth software to display places and directions on maps. Users with Virtual Earth installed will also be able to see 3D, satellite and aerial images.

"YellowPages.ca on Tuesday said it had gone live with the software, which will allow users of the site to see 3D, satellite and aerial images of locations in order to figure out driving directions or other information. Yellow Pages Group, based in Montreal, turned to Toronto-based Microsoft partner Infusion Technologies to handle the deployment."

The new mapping applies on business search - for example, this one for Books for Business in Toronto. Click on the box for "display on a map".

Full page for Books for Business . Look for the Microsoft Virtual Earth map in bottom right corner.

Directions and maps do not show for people search.

ZipLocal in Canada

Ziplocal.com for local search in Canada - if you don't like the results you get from Google Local or Yellow Pages, try ZipLocal.

From the About page: "Formed in August 2006 from the merger of redCity Search Company and Zip411.net, ZipLocal Inc. (TSX-V: ZIP) is Canada's new online search directory that provides a rich, user-defined local search experience. ZipLocal provides relevant search results from over 1.3million businesses with maps and capability for users to review, rate and tag business listings. ZipLocal is focused on creating the most comprehensive and engaging search experience at the neighbourhood and city-wide level."

On November 1 it enhanced its service:

Site Platform: said to be faster and have "cross browser support"

Online Consumer Community: users can add reviews of places. "Reviewers with the highest ZipScores will have their reviews ZipFeatured on the site. All ZipPeople reviews are searchable and appear when a Zip reviewed business is displayed in search results."

Enhanced Business Review Content: Picks up other reviews. "Relevant business and service reviews from Sweetspot.ca, Eye Weekly, HomeStars and Fresh Daily will appear in ZipLocal searches, greatly adding to users’ search experience and confidence in local businesses. "

Proximity/Neighbourhood Search: "Retail outlets, restaurants and services can be searched outwards from any address in a wide range from one kilometer to two hundred kilometers."

Yellow Pages Group in Canada

Canada’s Yellow Pages Group Expands Google AdWords Agreement, Now Reselling AdWords in Canada Loren Baker, Search Engine Journal (Oct 10)

"Yellow Pages Group has entered into a new strategic agreement with Google to become the first Canadian based reseller of Google AdWords. Under the agreement, Yellow Pages Group will be able to provide its 425,000+ advertisers with setup and consulting on Google AdWords campaigns."

"Yellow Pages Group owns Canada’s most visited online yellow pages, YellowPages.ca and Canada411.ca, along with CanadaPlus.ca, a local search network."

Yellow Pages clicks with Google MATT HARTLEY , Globe and Mail (Oct 9)

"Advertising partnership allows benefits of online market without challenging Web leader"

Of interest:: "In Canada, 86 per cent of Internet users are Google users, according to ComScore MediaMatrix data."

Search Engine first for Local Search

Survey: Search Now Top Resource For Local Information Greg Sterling, Search Engine Land (Oct 11)

Survey of 2000 U.S. consumers "validate(s) the consumer reliance on search generally and for local information in particular. The survey data also reflect a consumer preference for "relevant" ads (as in SEM) vs. other forms of "push" advertising."

Superpages for US Yellow Page Search

SuperPages Cleans Up Its Act by Greg Sterling, Search Engine Land (May 7)

New design to Superpages for yellow and white pages search in the US. Sterling likes it, saying that it is "a great deal cleaner and easier to navigate than the old site"

The new design for business has maps and reviews. Data is from Acxiom, maps are from Microsoft. The People Search, which is quite unadorned, is powered by White Pages. Of course, there is a My Superpages.

After the first search in which you show interest in a city, you get some search aids such as categories, wifi hotspots, and sundry other items. There is the now unavoidable tag cloud. I'm not sure how useful a tagcloud is in this instance - why would I care to know what other people are looking for at a yellow pages?

Citysearch with video

Citysearch Gets New Look And Video, by Greg Sterling, Search Engine Land (May 2)

Citysearch, an early local search service in the US, has relaunched its site with video, and "improved search and navigation".

The videos are ads and are sure to be useful in considering a restaurant or event. See an example at the New York Citysearch.

Register with Citysearch to receive personalized recommendations.

Citysearch connects to Toronto.com but that site is unaffected by the Citysearch changes.

Canpages for business search

Contrary to what I reported earlier about Canpages, this new yellow-pages service for Canada, does have a distance search. In fact, Canpages (www.canpages.ca) has several features that make looking up businesses very easy.

1. Distance search - within n kilometers of an address.
2. Reverse lookup for a phone number
3. Search history - done through cookies
4. Category search - will show relevant categories. Entering computer repair brings up 5 computer-related categories.
5. Business search results have business-card like listings of the businesses showing addresses and methods of contacting the company (email, web site).
6. text me - will send the listing to your mobile phone
7. Businesses are shown on the accompanying Google Map. A zoom link on each business entry, zooms right into the map saving you the trouble of fiddling with the adjustment.
8. French language interface

There is one drawback still - no postal code on the business cards or as a search parameter.

In total, it makes for a pleasing search experience. People will enjoy using this and businesses will want to get listed.

Canpages may still be growing. On the computer repair listing, Canpages had 143 results, whereas Canada411.Yellowpages.ca has 363. Categories are different between the two services as well. Canpages has a category for Computer Consultants - 476 all in Toronto; and Canada411

People search is limited to person plus city - no option to enter an street address. Canada411 has more options including reverse address and area and postal codes.

A Canapages search for a name in Toronto finds people in Etobicoke, York and other parts of the amalgamated city, whereas Canada411 is still quite literal - Toronto is Toronto, and Etobicoke is something else.

Canpages is certainly a strong competitor to Canada411 for business. I would use it rather than Local Google Canada, but until Canpages adds postal codes, I'll stick with Canada411 for person lookup.

ZipLocal in Canada

Rebranded Canadian Local Search Site ZipLocal Launches, Search Engine Land (Mar 26)

ZipLocal does local search for Canada.

From the site - "ZipLocal was formed in 2006 from the merger of Zip411, redToronto, and redMississauga. We are Canada's second largest local directory... with 1.3 million business listings nationwide More than 22 million searches conducted annually Over 1 million average unique users monthly An average 45% growth in traffic, searches, and unique users in the last year alone"

More local search

Piper Jaffray Expert Says Local Search is set for a Boom by Matthew Nelson, CLickz (Mar 20)

Safa Rashtchy, Sr. research analyst, at Piper Jaffray, said that "Local search is the second most popular activity other than e-mail. You will have more and more focus on local search, whether it's information or product searches that are happening….The adoption of local search by both local and search advertisers will see an increase."

He also sees a move away from portals to search but I think he means for buying products.

"The navigation method from portals is changing from portals to search,” he said. “People are saying 'we know what we want, help us to find where it is and don't tell us what we want to buy.’” Rashtchy continued, "The trigger point [for local search] is likely to be when you have a large number of major merchants that have their inventory easily available online. I thought we might see something by now, but nothing significant has happened yet, but once we see a good part of inventory easily accessible online, we will see a shift."

AskCity Maps

Ask City's Shape Search Tool For Local Search Results, Search engine land (Mar 8)

Map local search results for businesses and services through Askcity.com - but only in the United States.

Superpages with Maps

SuperPages Upgrades Mapping With Virtual Earth, Searchengineland (Mar 7)

More use of Microsoft's Virtual Earth for local search purposes. Google and Yahoo Maps should watch out. Ths time Superpages shows businesses on a map. But of course, Superpages.com is just for business in the United States.

Yahoo Local Content

Social Features Key to Yahoo Local By Kevin Newcomb, SearchDay (Jan 11)

"Last month, Yahoo added another user-generated content feature to Local, Consumer Submit. That feature allows users to add or edit a business listing, updating contact information, store hours, or identifying businesses that are no longer open. The modifications do not change the listing permanently, but appear as notes that can be reviewed by others, who can agree or disagree and build a consensus on the accuracy of the information."

AskCity

AskCity From Ask.com: Fast Facts About the New Service by Gary Price, ResourceShelf (Dec 4)

"The best way to get to know the service, any search service for that matter, is to run some searches. That said, what follows is a brief but hopefully fact-filled guide to a few of the many features that the new AskCity service offers."

US AskCity

New AskCity Integrates Local Content, Technology, and Tools
by Paula J. Hane, Newsbreaks (Dec 11)

There are good reasons for people in the US to use the new AskCity.

"The folks at Ask.com claim that AskCity offers users a superior local search experience for several reasons. It integrates four specialized search engines into one service—Business and Services, Events, Movies, and Maps and Directions. It uses Ask.com’s proprietary search algorithms. It taps some of the best local-themed content from around the Web, including from sister IAC properties such as Citysearch and from many other content partners. And, finally, it offers unique tools for interacting with the data and then moving from information to action—such as buying tickets or booking a restaurant reservation."

CitySearch at Ask.com

Citysearch Content Available Through Ask.com's AskCity Citysearch's Content and Ask.com's Search Technology Create a Comprehensive Local Search Experience, MarketWatch (Dec 8)

"Citysearch, an operating business of IAC/InterActiveCorp, today announced the company will serve as the core local content provider powering Ask.com's new local search product, AskCity. For over 10 years, consumers have relied on Citysearch's trusted content and directory structure for information on local goods and services. Ask.com provides quick access to much of the Citysearch content with direct links to Citysearch's deep content for users who want more. With AskCity acting as a gateway, millions of consumers will be able access Citysearch's editorial and user reviews on over 12 million local businesses nationwide."

City.Ask for U.S.

Ask.com Debuts AskCity -- "All-in-One" Web Application Raises the Bar for Local Search PR Newswire (Dec 4)

"Ask.com, a leading search destination and wholly-owned business of
, today introduced AskCity, a new local search service that integrates the best local information on the Web with a distinctive, "all-in- one" user interface and intuitive search tools. A free service, the new AskCity is immediately available at http://city.ask.com , as well as via the Ask.com homepage Toolbox ( www.ask.com)."

Beautiful maps, snapshots, links, drawing tool,s business search, categories - the works - for places in the United States.

Social Local Search

Social Local Search Sites Up 44% in Past Year, by LeeAnn Prescott, Hitwise (Oct 4) - interesting figures comparing traffic to yellow page directories to those that are user-generated such as Yahoo's Get Local.

"The chart below shows that growth over the past year to the yellow pages custom category has been relatively flat, while the market share of visits to the custom category containing Yahoo! Local, Yelp, Judy's Book and Insider Pages has grown by 44% when comparing August 2005 to August 2006. While standard yellow pages sites are receiving significantly more traffic in terms of volume, these newer directory services, with maps, reviews, and community features are quickly catching up."

Local Search Growing

comScore: Local Search Gains Momentum, SEW Blog (Sep 29)

People are finally using the Internet for local searches -- ""According to the study [comScore], 63 percent of U.S. Internet users (or approximately 109 million people) performed a local search online in July, a 43-percent increase versus July of 2005. Google Sites (30 percent) and Yahoo! Sites (29 percent) garnered the largest share of local searches in July. Microsoft Sites captured 12 percent of local searches, followed by the Time Warner Network with 7 percent.""

Social Local Search

Yahoo Adds More Social Features To Local, SEW Blog (Sep 15)

"Yahoo has been rolling out its "FUSE" (find, use, share, extend) strategy across its many properties and has just made its popular Yahoo Local site more personal and simultaneously more "social." A number of new features have been integrated into the site that allow people to create customized profiles and lists of local favorites but also to tag and share those favorites for discovery by the larger user community."

Yellow Pages Canada

New Look YellowPages.ca Comes Out Of Beta by Greg Sterling, SEW Blog (Sep 7)

Yellowpages.ca has a very well done demo that helps you see the changes from the old to the new design.

Yellow Pages Group

Yellow Pages to buy Allstream directories, CP via Toronto Star (Aug 14)

YellowPages Group is buying the Winnipeg based MTS Allstream directories.

"Yellow Pages Group is Canada's largest telephone directories publisher with more than 330 Yellow Pages and residential directories.

The company also owns and manages online directories YellowPages.ca and Canada411.ca,, as well as CanadaPlus.ca, a network of seven local city sites."

Windows Live Local - Review

A Closer Look at Windows Live Local by Greg Sterling, SearchDay (July 20) -- runs through the main features at Windows Live Local - the bird's eye view of places, the ability to save searches with various points of interest, a "locate me" function, and traffic for certain cities.

Windows Live Local is best for the United States. But it does have aerial views of some European cities (London and Paris). It doesn't appear to have aerial views or traffic for Canadian places.

Of interest: "Currently of the top four mapping sites, Microsoft is in fourth position in terms of traffic, according to comScore. It goes, Mapquest, Yahoo, Google and WLL in that order. Mapquest is the least dynamic of the four but still dominant. Part of that is the brand and consumer habit and part of it is the use case. Most consumers have not discovered the full utility of mapping sites as a starting point for local search. The dominant use case today remains driving directions after I've decided where I want to go."

Canada's Yellow Pages

Intuitive Search Capabilities and Structured Results: Only on YellowPages.ca, press release (June 20)

"Yellow Pages Group (YPG) has developed a unique online search platform, which allows users of YellowPages.ca™ to obtain structured results with unstructured queries. Like other search engines, users will now be able to perform intuitive searches with keywords like products, brands or even landmarks, while obtaining accurate results structured according to the needs expressed in numerous usability studies. Few other search engines deliver structured results like these."

The new version is at http://beta.yellowpages.ca/

I prefer the directory approach, still available at http://www.yellowpages.ca where one can browse the categories to get a better idea of words to use and are guided through choices of businesses and location. The old version breaks Toronto into regions such as Central West and Central East. The new does not. But the new will show possible categories and does have more breakdowns by products and services, brands, hours of operation and payment methods. The usefulness of these breakdowns will depend on the search. There is a proximity search feature to make it easier to find services near a specific address.

Google and MSN use Yellowpage data in their local Canada search services.

Local Search Guide

Who's Who in Local Search by Chris Sherman, SearchDay (June 20)

Yellow Pages Association in New Jersey, USA, has put together an online guide to local search tools and providers.

"The Local Search Guide features profiles of 21 internet yellow pages providers, 21 search engines that offer some type of local search, 27 vertical directories that serve as an online index of local vendors in well-defined categories, and 30 search tool vendors, defined as companies that provide directory listings, transform existing print products to online content, combine Web services with VoIP and phone capabilities, or provide search capabilities through a network of users."

Local Search Slow

A Local Search Roundup by Phil Stelter, Clickz (May25)

Local search services at search engines aren't as successful as we might think. According to traffic ranking of travel maps by Hitwise, "... less than 1 percent of their total share. True local search adoption will likely only occur through successful integration into primary organic search results and other relevant properties. The comparison of map properties demonstrates MapQuest's enduring dominance, with Yahoo a distant second at 20.5 percent, and Google Maps trailing at 7.5 percent. It would be interesting to see this trended over time to see how market share might be shifting.".

New Version of Windows Live Local

Microsoft Upgrades Windows Live Local -- "Online mapping service adds real-time traffic data, Outlook integration." -- Juan Carlos Perez, IDG News Service via PC WOrld (May 24)

"Windows Live Local lets users search for local businesses, obtain driving directions and locate places on a map. It will eventually replace the local search service Microsoft currently offers on its MSN.com portal and thus become Microsoft's competitor to similar services from Yahoo, Google, and IAC/InterActiveCorp's Ask.com."

Coming in the new version:

+ For the US - traffic information along specific U.S. roads. Being done through Traffic.com
+ "users save their favorite places and locations to an online notebook, upload photos, and add notes."
+ "integration with the Windows Live Messenger instant messaging"
+ connect Windows Live Local mapping to Outlook e-mail, calendaring and contacts application

For Canadians (finally):

"Also on Wednesday, Microsoft is unveiling Windows Live Local versions for the U.K. and Canada, featuring local business search, aerial mapping images and driving directions, but not all of the features available for the U.S., such as the very detailed bird's eye images of certain areas and the real-time traffic data.

Bird's eye images will begin to appear for London in the coming weeks and in Canadian cities in the coming months, as well as expanded in the U.S., since they are only available for some parts of the country."

When is Microsoft going to drop the awkwardly long "windows live"? MSN was much easier to say and type. WL anyone?

Grocery Deals Online in US

New web site allows U.S. consumers to find local grocery deals....fast & easy!, PRNewswire via Marketwatch (May 15)

" mygrocerydeals.com announced today that its new site and search engine (patent pending) has recently expanded its market coverage and is now "live" in over 475 U.S. cities.

The free site which is localized and personalized, allows members to quickly create a profile and then search their local stores automatically for the sale items they are most interested in. The member can create a price- optimized shopping list of items, save it, print it, even e-mail it, and be ready to save big on their weekly in-store grocery shopping, all in a matter of minutes. Mygrocerydeals.com is targeted to heads of households age 25-54, passionate about the deals "hunt game", interested in health and nutrition and looking for a better way to save time and money in planning their grocery shopping. "

The New Infospace

Infospace is switching to being a local search engine for the U.S. The new search site will find people and businesses in places and neighbourhoods, as well as landmarks, events, festivals, movies. Phone listings are from Acxiom and InfoUSA; a metasearch using Google and Yahoo (and perhaps others) provides the web results.

See ResourceShelf Search Briefs (Mar 27)

MapQuest Enhancements

All Sorts of New Services, Search Options from MapQuest , ResourceShelf (Apr 3) - new options at Mapquest

Google's Real Estate Listings - U.S.

Google adds local real estate listings -- Search engine joins fight for attention of home buyers, sellers, By Kimberly Blanton, Boston Globe (Apr 6)

Looking for real estate in the United States? "Visitors to google.com who search for the terms ''apartment rental" or ''homes for sale" are asked to type in a location. Results are then displayed with red push pins on a Google map."

This is part of Google Base project and at present does not include all listings. For example, MLS Property Information Network in Boston does not provide its content.

Marketwatch has an audio interview with Peter Zollman, founder of Classified Intelligence LLC. He says, "Google's new beta baby is to be feared and respected by newspapers and the real estate industry". Classified advertising is moving to a pay-for-performance model. Craigslist, as an example, dominates in many markets. Google Base, in time, will be strong competitor. Google Base, he says, i getting better "day by day".

Google Real Estate is a huge threat

Business Use of Google Earth

Google Earth Catches On In The Business World by Thomas Claburn, Information Week (Mar 20)

"Companies like Bentley Systems, Dell, and Volkswagen make increased business use of what was once a consumer service."

"In fact, Google Earth is used widely outside engineering and construction. The fact that it integrates with GPS and radio-frequency identification systems makes it well-suited for asset tracking in any industry. For example, Dell uses Google Earth to track business customers' equipment in Asia as part of its inventory management system."

Yahoo Life

Yahoo! Power by Gary Berline, PC Magazine (Mar 13) -- There is more to Yahoo than search. This article reviews Yahoo Local (finding services and businesses in an area), Yahoo Maps Local, Yahoo Mobile (news, games and other content), Yahoo Music Unlimited (competitive for selection and price).

About Google Earth

How does Google Earth work? - Short cuts bring the globe to your screen without crashing your computer. By Declan Butler, Nature.com -- Somewhat explains how Google Earth works.

MapQuest in Canada

Mapquest has some new features - find places with keywords, business names, and airport codes US only), and sort places by distance, relevance, or alphabet.

Location search now works for Canada too. Use the Place Name box to enter a business name (eg Baka Communications) along with city and province to get a list of addresses for that business and a map. Mapquest also has a category breakdown for types of business services. The one for restaurants is very detailed - locate Indian restaurants in your neighbourhood.

Searching For Real Estate

Terrific Real Estate Search Tools By Gary Price, SearchDay (Jan 23) - Maps and aerial views are good starting points for looking for real estate. Most of the resources mentioned in this article are for the US with a few that apply to Europe.

Mainly they are interesting for what is now possible. Skyline, as an example, offers 3D views of places. It can be used for travel as well to show hotels, restaurants and points of interest.

Point of clarification - HousingMaps.com, a mashup of real estate and Google Maps, is also available for Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal. Also, in Canada, MLS.ca, although it doesn't have the aerial views or detailed demographic statistics as the sites mentioned in SearchDay, is an easy way to find listings for a particular community.

Mashups

Mashup Feed is another notice board for new mashups of maps (mainly Google) with information.

Reviewed in Keep Up With Available Mashups, ResearchBuzz (Jan 12)

Live Deal Comes to Canada

LiveDeal.ca Goes Live, Globe Technology (Jan 16)

Canadians have a new online place for finding and posting classifieds. LiveDeal Canada "enables buyers and sellers to meet in person and try before they buy, eliminating shipping costs and reducing fraud. LiveDeal.ca specializes buying and selling bulky or big-ticket items such as furniture, cars, pets and major appliances."

LiveDeal is associated with The Toronto Star, the Hamilton Spectator, The Record and the Guelph Mercury, but will accept postings from anywhere in Canada.

The site looks very useful, but needs an option for posting reviews of services.

Review of Online Mapping

Search engines going far beyond maps by Alllison Linn, AP via Business Week Online (Jan 15) - reviews the mapping and local services offered by Google, MSN, Yahoo, and A9.

Yahoo and Yellow Pages

Yahoo! Local, YellowPages.com Partner by Pamela Parker, Clickz (Jan 6)

Advertisers in Yellowpages.com will also show up in Yahoo Local as sponsored listings

"YellowPages.com, which recently re-launched, is a joint venture of AT&T Yellow Pages and BellSouth Advertising and Publishing. The company represents the telcos' most committed effort to compete against standalone Internet search players in the local market. Besides the distribution deal with Yahoo!, YellowPages.com ads are distributed to Switchboard and AOL Yellow Pages.".

Online Mapping

Digital mapping only begins with the roads By Anick Jesdanun, The Associated Press via USA Today (Jan 1, 2006) - Online mapping services at Yahoo, Mapquest and the others compete on features. All use NavTeq and Tele Atlas for the maps but Microsoft and Google added aerial views, some are looking to get subway and transit information.

"Yahoo provides information on subway stations and is testing multiple-point directions, in case someone wants to stop off to buy a gift on the way to a friend's. Yahoo, along with Microsoft, also provides real-time traffic information for some cities.

Google and Microsoft have satellite imagery from private and government sources. Microsoft also is testing aerial, bird's-eye-view images and is working to create 3-D maps over Web browsers (Google does these through free software called Google Earth.)"

Walk the Yellow Pages

Reminder - you can virtually walk streets in Europe using pages jaunes.

Google Earth Worries

Governments Tremble at Google's Bird's-Eye View by Katie Hafner and Saritha Rai, New York Times (Dec 20) -- Google Earth's satellite views and mapping capabilities has some governments worried especially India, Thailand and South Korea. Others say there is nothing to worry about.

"American experts in and outside government generally agree that the focus on Google Earth as a security threat appears misplaced, as the same images that Google acquires from a variety of sources are available directly from the imaging companies, as well as from other sources. Google Earth licenses most of the satellite images, for instance, from DigitalGlobe, an imaging company in Longmont, Colo."

Nonetheless, the US Government puts some areas off limits, and shots of Israel must be kept to low resolution.

UK Local Search

Yell.com enhances map features, NetImperative (Dec 8) - People in the UK see enhancements to UKs Local Search Engine - Yell.com.

Windows Live Local

Microsoft Launches Windows Live Local By Kevin Newcomb, Clickz News, December 9, 2005

Windows Live Local launched today at http://local.live.com/. This combines MSN Local, MSN Virtual Earth and live.com.

"New features in Windows Live Local include a "bird's eye view," showing a 45-degree view from above of major U.S. cities such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Seattle and Las Vegas. The service has more tightly integrated directions into the service, so users can click on any spot on the map and get directions to or from that location.

Users can also share maps more easily, creating a customized URL for the page that saves their location, settings, notes and user-generated Pushpins marking locations. "

If you zoom in enough you can get a birds-eye view which is very clear and detailed of the buildings and streets. This will be excellent for the cities it covers - all in the United States.

MSN Search Local Search will show a map and the business listings, and offer a link to Virtual Earth, which is now Windows Live Local.

Why do companies spend money establishing one phrase in the public's mind and then switch to another - least of all "Windows Local"?

Windows Live Local

Virtual Earth becomes Windows Live Local this week, By Juan Carlos Perez, IDG News Service (Dec 6)

"Using images and technology from Pictometry International Corp., a specialist in this area that signed a licensing deal with Microsoft earlier this year, Windows Live Local will give users images of a much higher resolution and quality than Virtual Earth. Users will be able to zoom in much closer and also tilt the view to see buildings and streets from different angles, and not just directly from above. Virtual Earth is able to do this, but Windows Live Local's ability is more sophisticated and extensive."

Refers to The Local Media Blog by The Kelsey Group - Local Search Numbers and Windows Live Local (Dec 2)

- conservative estimate says that 20% of searches are local searches on a local domain (local.yahoo.com as an example), zip codes and cities.
- could be 35 to 40% if include classifieds and shopping.

U.S. Local Search

Two Alternative Local Search Services, by Chris Sherman, SearchDay (Dec 6) Both of these are for the U.S.

+ Metrobot has online maps for some American cities. There seem to be options to add events and polls.
+ TrueLocal tries to block the spam and irrelevant links.

Google Earth Update

Google Earth has updated its database with new satellite imagery. See the blog for the Google Earth Community. (Dec 2) Many updates were for the UK and improvements for several cities in the world.

SuperPages Adds User Reviews

SuperPages Gears Up for Holiday Shoppers By Susan Kuchinskas, InternetNews.com (Nov 1) ..."Verizon SuperPages.com introduced User Reviews, a feature that brings a community element to business listings. Consumers can rate any business among the 18 million-plus business profiles, ..."

MapQuest Challenged

Competitors Challenge Mapquest by Catherine Tsai, AP via Globe and Mail (Nov 28) MapQuest, owned by AOL, get 71% of the online map users, but Yahoo Maps and Google Maps are gaining and MSN Maps has entered the fray. People like to enhance the map of which there were several applications this year.

"Jonathan Mendez, a 24-year-old software engineer, wanted to help people affected by Hurricane Katrina, he used maps and satellite photos from Google. He and a friend created scipionus.com, where people could tag Google maps with messages on how friends and neighborhoods were doing after the storm."

"MSN Virtual Earth from Microsoft Corp. was teaming with MSNBC to offer maps with before-and-after aerial images of the Gulf Coast clear enough to make out front porches and power lines."

And there is also A9 with street-level views of the place.

MapQuest has added local search and will be adding satellite views.

Updates to online maps

Online maps slow to catch up with Big Dig changes - Some sites ignore or bypass project By Mac Daniel, Boston Globe, October 29, 2005 -- Drivers in Boston aren't seeing the changes brought about by the Big Dig highway project on their online maps. Tele Atlas who supplies Mapquest, Google Maps, and Yahoo, says they update their maps in Boston every 90 days but Google Maps said they update every 18 months.

According to Doug Richardson, the executive director for the Association of American Geographers in the U.S., "Nationwide, about one in 50 computer-generated directions goes wayward".

"The problem could be the way online maps are made, assigning latitude-longitude coordinates to an address to find a destination. The process, called geocoding, relies heavily on satellite-based Global Positioning Systems, which tend to lose their signal deep inside the Big Dig's tunnels."

Yahoo Maps Beta

Yahoo Enhances Maps, Integrates Local Search Chris Sherman, SearchDay (Nov 3) Many improvements in Yahoo Maps (beta) to show local services for places in the United States.

Google Map Mashups

Web mapmakers set out on countless journeys By DAMON DARLIN, New York Times via Globe and Mail (Oct 21) -- About the "mash ups" that are being created on top of Google Maps to show things. Mentions Google Maps Mania (www.gmapsmania.com) - a blog by Mike Pegg in Waterloo Ontario who is trying to keep track of them.

Google Earth and Commercial Real Estate

Google Earth digs deeper Jon Ann Steinmetz, Mercury News [registration] (Oct 18) -- "Commercial real estate's largest data provider is working with Google to integrate its vast stores of building information with the Google Earth interactive satellite mapping service."

Placeopedia

Mapping Places in Wikipedia by Chris Sherman, SearchDay (Oct 13)

Placeopedia is "a "mashup" that pinpoints geographic Wikipedia entries on Google maps. It's a simple but powerful idea that integrates two excellent sources of information, appealing to both the left and right brain."

Can be used to see what postings mention a place. Still thin.

Reviewed in ResearchBuzz -- Connect Wikipedia Articles to Meatspace with Placeopedia (Sept 21)

Yahoo Local Praised

Rebirth of the City Portal by Justin Sanger, ClickZ (Sept 15) - Takes a historical perspective on the city portal and its fluctuating fortune. See signs of a renaissance and praises Yahoo Local - "Yahoo! Local now suggests users "start with [its] city pages, which [are] built for every city, neighborhood, and zip across the country." These city pages feature time-sensitive activities, top user recommendations for favorite local hangouts, personalization, and additional rich content."

Google Earth review

Google Earth Netmag.co.uk (Sept 2005) -- With Google Earth, "Google brings mapping to the desktop. Is this just a whizzy bit of software, or a glimpse into the future of search technology? A bit of both, we think."

Google Maps

Google has great app, different strategy by Andy Ihnatko, Red Streak (September 9, 2005) - about the terrific things Google did for and to Google Maps.

"But even novices can build custom maps in a jiffy thanks to a free service from MapBuilder.net. It has built a Web-based interface to Google API that lets you build a mashup on your own, adding points by plugging in details and coordinates. MapBuilder.net will then host your map so you can share it with the world . . . or you can click a button and the site will spit out all the JavaScript and HTML source code needed to generate the map. Cut and paste it into your blog or Website, and you can bamboozle people into thinking you're a JavaScript genius."

Google Earth Tips

Hacking Google Earth by Chris Sherman, SearchDay (Sept 6) -- Sherman has many tips for fans of Google Earth, the stunning software for satellite views of our planet.

Personal recommendations for local search

Local Search Seeks Depth, Gets Personal By Enid Burns, ClickZ News (Aug 25) - Social networking may be changing yellow pages into the neighbourhood centres for posting opinions on local services. The two main ones are Insider Pages and Judy's Book with coverage for many cities in the United States. But portals are doing this too. Yahoo members can add reviews to the Yahoo Local postings - on restaurants, at least, Yahoo has check boxes to help users categorize the eaterie; Amazon invites businesses and customers to update business profiles in the A9 yellow pages.

Google Maps

Google Maps and Virtual Earth, Mashed and Flashed ResearchBuzz (Aug 11) -- "Flash Earth ( http://www.flashearth.com ) takes information from Google Maps and MSN's Virtual Earth, and mooshes them together in one flash- based interface."

Google Earth

The World on Your Desktop "Google Earth, MSN Virtual Earth combine satellite images with local search information". Dennis O'Reilly, PC World (Sept 2005) Found Google Earth to be flat-out fun".

Refers to First Impressions: Google's Amazing Earth Posted by Harry McCracken, PCWorld (June 27)

A9's Yellow Pages Has Photos

Amazon.com Unveils Photo-Mapping Service AP via Yahoo News (Aug 16) - Amazon's A9.com has been photographing businesses in US cities and adding the photos to its yellow-pages service. See a picture of the shop and of nearby buildings. Amazon uses Mapquest for its mapping.

"A9's maps will display photos from 22 cities: Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Boston; Chicago; Dallas; Denver, Detroit; Fargo, N.D.; Houston; Los Angeles, Miami; New York; Philadelphia; Phoenix; Portland, Ore.; Sacramento, Calif.; Salt Lake City; San Diego; San Francisco; San Jose, Calif.; Seattle; and Washington D.C."

Google Maps

Google Map tinkerers go in many directions by Jeffrey Kelley, TimesDespatch.com (Aug 14) - it's absolutely amazing what people are doing with Google Maps.

MSN Virtual Earth

Microsoft Launches MSN Virtual Earth by Chris Sherman, SearchDay (Jul 25)

"Microsoft has released a beta version of Virtual Earth, a web-based application that combines local search with maps and aerial photography."

MSN Virtual Earth is at http://virtualearth.msn.com/. It seems aimed at helping people do local search in the United States - finding places and businesses and having the choice of a flat road map or an aerial view. You can zoom in and out of US locations but the controls are clutsy. It's very poor for other parts of the world, allowing some roaming but no detail.

Drive for Local Search

"Local Search, The Search Engines and Yellow Pages" By Duncan Parry in Freepint ( July 28)

"In this article I'll outline some of the local search tools available today, some of the advertising opportunities and speculate on future developments." Describes activities at Google, MSN, Yahoo and Ask Jeeves along with Yellow Pages in the US and UK.

Mash-up maps

Marrying Maps to Data for a New Web Service by John Markoff, NY Times (July 18) - Google. Yahoo, and MSN have introduced advanced mapping services. Several programmers have used Google and Yahoo to create specialized maps such as the wineries in California. These are called mash-ups.

"So far the uses have been noncommercial. But Yahoo, Google and Microsoft are creating the services with the expectation that they will become a focal point in one of the next significant growth areas in Internet advertising: contextual advertisements tied to specific locations. Such ads would be embedded in maps generated by a search query or run alongside them."

Says that "Google, Yahoo and Microsoft are taking different strategic approaches to map services."

Google Earth

Google Earth: Officially All Over the Map [Subscription required] By Rob Pegoraro, Washington Post (July 3)

Lots of fun -- "Google Earth, a new, free download from the Mountain View, Calif., firm, takes the Google Maps service into multiple dimensions. Instead of presenting top-down views of maps or satellite photos, this software (based on a program called Keyhole that Google bought last October) wraps those high-resolution satellite photos on a three-dimensional model of our planet's land surface that recreates every molehill and mountain, then lets you eyeball the scenery from any angle you wish."

Cool Maps

Tips & Tweaks: Maps for Fun and Business by Steve Bass, PCWorld (Jun 29) - lots on Google Maps and a few others, some with satellite views.

Google Maps

Google points way to Maps' code "Move OK's sites' use of feature to create their own services" By Peter J. Howe, Boston Globe (June 30, 2005) -- Google is promoting services to help programmers create "Google mash-ups" that employ Google's mapping technology.

For example, "... a site called dynamite.co.uk used Google Maps to offer a service that can show the locations of all current traffic jams and accidents around London."

Google also offers 3D through the new Google Earth and a feature that "correlates map grids with city skylines and topographical contours."

Google Earth

Google Earth has arrived. "Google Earth combines satellite imagery, maps and the power of Google Search to put the world’s geographic information at your fingertips." Google recommends Windows XP (won't run on Macs at all), broadband, 3D graphics card - the newer the computer the better. Application must be downloaded and installed.

Chris Sherman provides a full description in Google Earth Flies Free, SearchDay (Jun 28)

"Google Earth is a standalone application that's essentially an enhanced and upgraded version of its Keyhole 3D satellite imagery product. As Google has done with several of its past acquisitions, the company has also made the application free to all users, dropping its annual subscription fee for the basic version. Google Earth Plus with additional features will cost $20 per year."

PC Magazine has a short article by Richard Dragan along with picture in Google Earth 3.0 that has more description of what to expect in installing it and using it.

"Beyond marking individual points of interest, Google Earth gives you over 100 available geographical and business overlays to choose from, ranging from restaurants and other businesses to weather, crime statistics, and geology. In a big city like New York, these annotations can quickly become overcrowded, but the service had no trouble pointing out Italian restaurants in Manhattan, for example."

3D Maps

Google Already Has 3D City Maps (Jun 14) Danny Sullivan has information on 3D renderings of cities that Google is involved with somewhat (not clear if it is Google or a third party). Still rumours but exciting.

Google Maps put to use

Google Maps Make Demographics Come Alive , AP via Forbes (June 8)

"As it turns out, Google charts each point on its maps by latitude and longitude - that's how Google can produce driving directions to practically anywhere in the nation. Seasoned developers have figured out how to match these points with locations from outside databases that can contain vast amounts of information - anything from police blotters to real estate listings. "

Lots of examples. For example - Housingmaps.com plots houses for sale in many major cities in North America including Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.

Searching Local

Local search targets local ad revenues Paul J. Bruemmer, Pandia (June 5)

"Newspapers and offline yellow page directories have traditionally been the mainstay of local advertising. That might be about to change as local search becomes the latest business opportunity to be exploited online. "

Some interesting figures:

+ 40 percent of search engine queries are for local businesses and services.
+ 92 percent of local searches convert to purchases later offline
+ 70 percent of U.S. households use the web to research products and services.

Also describes how easy it is for small businesses in the US to get online through Yahoo! Local .

Searching for local blogs

Blogdigger has a local search that will find bloggers on topics in local areas in the United States. Use city or zip code - there could be many interesting finds on hobbies or services. Bloggers are Can map the blog. I searched on gardeners in Seattle and picked up a blog on Bainsbridge Island. Use options to get the feed, focus on more from that blog, or exclude it.

Reviewed in Searching for Bloggers Near You by Chris Sherman, SearchDay (June 1)

Making More with Google Maps

Cool uses of Google Maps in Cyberjournalist (May 19)

Growth in Local Search

Local Search Primed for Growth in DM News (May 24)

"Estimates claim that 40 percent of all search queries are for local services or products and 92 percent of local searches convert offline."

" Search engine marketing has grown from a tiny spend in 1999 to $5 billion forecast for this year and nearly $9 billion by 2009, JupiterResearch claims. Search accounts for 36 percent of U.S. online advertising and will grow 24 percent yearly in the next five years."

Several figures and facts on the competition between search engines with local search and the yellow pages.

Satellite Views with Maps

MSN Joins Google In Melding Satellite Imagery With Search by Shankar Gupta, Online Media Daily (May 24) - Google and MSN are about to fight the satellite wars, each with satellite imagery tools to enhance "local search".

MSN's product is called Virtual Earth and will be launched in mid-summer.

"The service will also include features such as traffic and weather pattern analysis, which will be overlaid on the satellite images or traditional mapping application. MSN also plans to assist third-party developers who want to see more information overlaid onto the basic mapping and local search application."

MSN Virtual Earth vs. Google Earth, Search Engine Journal (May 24) - describes the Virtual Earth as " a suite of mapping tools that will seek to combine the best elements of satellite mapping with A9’s Yellow Pages local business photography and Yahoo! Maps’ layered results."

Google had announced its Google Earth last week as a software product that combines 3-D map with aerial images and driving directions. 'Google Earth' Ready to Travel the World by Matt Hicks, eWeek (May 20)

+ database will have terrain data such as that from NASA
+ better resolution
+ more locations around the world, European cities and more rural and wilderness areas.

Searching while mobile

A Roundup of Local Mobile Search Tools , By Gary Price, SearchDay (April 18, 2005) - Google, MSN, Yahoo, Infospace, AOL, Maporama and a couple of smaller ones. Gives most space to Yahoo Mobile. All great if you are in the United States. Maporama is global.

View thru Google Maps

Google Sightseeing -- Blog of views of places obtained through the satellite shots available at Google Maps. There is one shot of the Olympic Stadium in Montreal.

Mentioned in ResearchBuzz, A Blog of Interesting Google Maps Pictures (Apr 8)

Google Satellite Maps

Get a satellite view of your neighbourhood through Google Maps. Google has added the high tech capabilities of Keyhole's technologies to its interactive map service. This is in test. It covers all major cities in the United States and Canada, and many smaller ones. Images may be anywhere from 2 to 3 months old to 2 to 3 years (reported in SearchDay).

To use it, search for a location. You'll see the flat map with Google's balloons. In the top right corner, there may be a link for Satellite. Click on it to get an aerial view of the area. Zoom in and out or move in all directions to see the area. For those worried about the privacy aspect, even on maximum zoom you can only faintly pick out the houses and get an idea of the terrain.

Once you have satellite working, your next search will also be in that mode. Click on Map to get back to the usual grid.

What will this mean for Mapquest, owned by Time Warner, or the extensive work done at A9 to provide photos of buildings in 10 major US cities as an aid in local search?

Google Feature Incorporates Satellite Maps by Michael Liedtke, AP via Yahoo News(Apr 5)

Google's reason? -- " Google believes most people will like the convenience of generating a satellite image with a few clicks of a computer mouse. The company envisions people using the service as a way to scout a hotel's proximity to the beach for a possible vacation or size up the neighborhood where an apartment is for rent."

Google Debuts Satellite Images By Chris Sherman, SearchDay (April 5, 2005) -- also mentions other satellite imagery projects.

Beautiful Semi! Steps to Rennie Park, shops, schools! (Apr 4) - Andrew Goodman says about Google Maps, "As with all things search, it promises to shine a bright light on things that were once the province of obsfuscators and smooth talkers. " He's right - cottagers will love it to show off their land. I can't find my cottage, but I can find the small town of Oliphant on the Bruce Peninsula.

True Local for the US

True Local is a new local search service for residents of the United States to find stores and businesses. Search for a service for a city and state, or zip. Listings include name and address with a link to telephone and map. Some have links to web sites. According to the About page, linking to the websites was a main objective.

From the About page: ""Currently, there are more directories and engines aimed at local search, but visitors are still frustrated with the results they get. Some listings are out of date, others return directories cluttered with spam and many don't link to the correct companies' website."

The main advantage of True Local over Google Local may be in its use of categories to group services.

True Local is hoping for businesses to sign up to expand their listing.

Yellow Pages Group Canada

Yellow Pages buys SuperPages for $2.55-billion By TAVIA GRANT , Globe and Mail (Mar 7) -- Yellow Pages Group will buy Advertising Directory Solutions Holdings Inc., publisher of SuperPages, from Bain Capital LLC for $2.55-billion. This makes Yellow Pages Canada's largest telephone-directory publisher.

MSN Maps

New Services from MSN Maps Search Engine Watch Blog (Feb 28) - of most interest - can directly link to maps. I tested MSN Maps on Southern Ontario. It could find Oliphant on the Bruce Peninsula and give fair road directions to Toronto from there but was seriously wrong about the distances. Canadians should use maps.sympatico.msn.ca. The new map service will also show certain businesses on the route. At the moment "featured sponsors" are Holiday Inn and ChoiceHotels. What we really need is Tim Hortons and Coffee Time.

Google Local Canada

Google Enhances Canadian Searches Globe and Mail Update (Mar 3)

According to the release -- Google Local Canada will include the new Google maps for navigation and plotting routes. "In addition, Google Local Canada now also offers reviews of businesses and additional information about establishments such as hours of operation, payment types accepted, WiFi availability, restaurant menus and hotel amenities."

Unfortunately, Google Local is still defaulting to a 75 km radius -- would be better to look for businesses within 2 km or 5 km first. Google Local does produce individual pages on businesses - such as restaurants but so far no menus or hours of business. Lastly - to be able to see and work with the maps, you'll need javascript fully operative in your browser.

AOL Local

AOL goes public with local search by Stefanie Olsen, Cnet (Feb 24) AOL has launched a local search on the public web for users to find local businesses, dining, movies, events and performers close to home or anywhere in the United States.

Of interest >> "AOL plans to improve its local and Web search service over the coming months. For example, it plans to introduce a travel search site in partnership with Kayak.com. It also plans to introduce improved local shopping tools in partnership with Bizrate.com. The local search site unveiled Thursday is powered by technology from Fast Search & Transfer. It also features local news aggregated by Topix.net."

Online Mapping

The revolution will be mapped By Molly Wood, AnchorDesk (Feb 17) -- Wood is finding "some of the richest content on the Web" in online mapping sites. She lists Google Maps, A9 Yellow Pages, GEO URL, Zip Decode, and Baby Name Wizard (perhaps because it is a very interesting example of information visualization).

Two Mapping Companies

It's the Road Now Taken -- Two mapping companies are behind most of the road data that go into GPS gadgets and onto Web sites -- Newsweek (Feb 21)

"At the center of this technology explosion is Navteq and its chief rival, Netherlands-based Tele Atlas. They have a duopoly in mapping data, and license their maps to all the major device makers and Internet sites."

Yellow Pages

Yellow Pages Association Expands Local Search Guide; First-Ever Online Local Search Resource Adds Profiles, Mapping Section and New Viewpoint Survey Business Wire via CBS Marketwatch (Feb 14) - tools for businesses to understand reach of yellow pages through local search tools.

"The Local Search Guide ... is the first-ever, free online resource that profiles Internet Yellow Pages (IYPs), Search Engines and Search Tools companies. Each profile is developed using public information and details corporate backgrounds, business/advertising products and partnerships."

Who's Who of Internet Yellow Pages and search engines at www.localsearchguide.org.

Map Search

Review: Google Online Maps Need Work AP via CBS Marketwatch (Feb 10) - compared Google Maps to Yahoo, Mapquest, and MSN.

"First off, all the services get their data from the same sources, primarily Navteq Corp. and Tele Atlas N.V. They differ in how they analyze and present the data."

"MSN offers maps in all or parts of 20 countries, mostly in North America and Europe. Mapquest covers most of the world, though most countries have only city maps not street-level maps or driving directions. By contrast, Yahoo Inc.'s map service covers the United States and Canada only, and Google only includes parts of Canada."

Overall, writer picked Yahoo Maps.

Google Maps in Canada

Andrew Goodman tested Google Maps for Toronto addresses and found that it worked. Google Maps a Smooth Experience traffick.com (Feb 8) I've tried Google Maps for Canadian addresses now too and find it's good for Toronto addresses but quite spotty for Ontario. It can show types of services near me - internet cafe, bakeries, banks. No wifi though - I guess that's really the case.

Google Maps

Google Maps is a new US local search tool from Google that has been released through Google labs. It's an interactive map - move the pointer, zoom in, move over, up, down - getting more and more detail. Could spend hours. But also has tools for getting directions from one address to another, or finding services in an area. It's much easier to get information if you know the zip code. Figuring this out isn't entirely intuitive. Take the tour.

See Google finds its map service by Margaret Kane, CNet News (Feb 8) - has short history on the product.

Local Search Hot in the US

Meet the Local Search Engines Shari Thurow, SearchDay (Feb 2) Report from a Search Engine Strategies conference - why local search should be attractive to advertisers. Spends time with local search at AOL and Ask Jeeves.

Of interest -- ""We're seeing users becoming far more sophisticated with search and using local search a lot more for their daily needs," he continued. "We've seen in Kelsey Research that as many as 25% of searches online are done for information with the intent of buying offline locally."" -- comments by Darius Pacsuzki, Vice President of Local Products at AOL

Amazon Adds Yellow Pages

Amazon has added a new and exciting twist to yellow pages listings by including virtual tours of streets complete with photos for 10 cities in the US -- New York - Manhattan, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Atlanta, Denver, Dallas, Seattle and Portland, Oregon. Enter key words for the service you need - such as watch repair - and your address or zip code (must be in one of the covered cities). Amazon locates the businesses on a map (as Yahoo and Google do) and also shows a picture of the business. Click on a business for a tour of the area - see the map and 'walk' left or right of the shop. If that isn't the best thing since being able to look up telephone numbers on the Web, I don't know what is. But there is more. There is a click-to-call button that places a phone call to the business and connect them to you on your phone.

Yellow Pages will show as an option on the right for registered users. There's also a lead at the top of the page.

A9 describes its methods and technology in Here’s how we did it A9.com brings Yellow Pages to life by adding 20 million images

Amazon, A9 Give Virtual Search Tour By Tim Gray, Internet News (Jan 27)

Amazon's A9 Launches Visual Yellow Pages Chris Sherman, SearchDay (Jan 27)

Amazon launches a Yellow Pages-like service today By Kim Peterson, Seattle Times (Jan 27)

AOL with FAST

Google bypassed in search deal AOL chooses Norwegian firm for niche service By Robert Weisman, Boston Globe ( January 21, 2005) AOL chose Fast Search and Transfer to revamp its local search - a crawl of the Web that focuses on addresses. Previously AOL had gone in with BizRate and Kayak for shopping and travel search capabilities.

Real-Time Traffic - US Cities

Useful for people in the US with wireless hand devices -- Yahoo Offers Real-Time Traffic Reports SearchDay (Jan 3)

"The company enhanced Yahoo Maps to display real time traffic conditions including speed and congestion information on major roads, as well as construction information and accident reports. You can turn traffic information on or off with a new control box that appears on the right side of a map display."

Ask Jeeves Goes Local

Americans have another choice for local search at Ask Jeeves (http://local.ask.com/local) Search for a business or service by address, city or zip code. AJ will save the locations for reuse. AJ provides this through CitySearch.

I did a test run to look for an outlet for Mail Boxes in the University Village in Seattle. Ask Jeeves found Mail Etc on 25th Street which was near. Google had Mail Etc with the same phone number but at a different address - and the record came from citysearch.com! Google also had a Mail Boxes Etc in the Village - probably the one I was looking for. Yahoo listed Mail Etc at the same address as Google used but had a much better map. At Yahoo the Mail Boxes outlet in the Village was listed as a UPS Store. Moral of story: try more than one. Also - Google and Yahoo are better than Ask Jeeves which did not show either Mail or UPS in the Village.

New Local Search Interface For Ask Jeeves ResearchBuzz (Dec 29)

Google's Plans

Searching for Google's Future by Fred Vogelstein, Fortune (Dec 3) Eric Schmidt CEO of Google spoke with Fortune about the potential in targeted advertising and Google's intention to invest in the very small and the very large businesses - the whole gamut.

"Pick any large consumer packaged goods company. How many products do you think they have? Probably millions, I would think, by the time you have all the variants and the different geographies and legal rules. We want every one of those products to be advertised in the appropriate market within Google in the right country. That's our goal."

Google and Dex Media

Google Makes Deal with Another Yellow Pages Provider Search Engine Watch Blog (Nov 12) Google is getting yellow-page content from Dex, who supplies Qwest in 14 states.

Local Search v Yellow Pages

The Yellow Pages are Dead! Long Live the Yellow Pages! by Pamela Parker. Clickz (Nov 5) Sweeping view of the changes in yellow pages services as search engines - especially Yahoo - get into the business of local search. Key bits are wireless, and social networking.

Local Search More Attractive

Local Search: Missing Pieces Falling into Place By Greg Sterling, SearchDay (Nov 2) More people are running Web searches to find for local services. "Regardless of whose numbers you accept, consumers' use of the Internet (and search engines in particular) to find local information is growing. That will only continue as search engines add and refine local offerings for consumers. And Yahoo! is now doing an extensive consumer marketing campaign around local, which has already boosted awareness and usage of its local search and related SmartView products."

Local Search - Google v Yahoo

Local Search: Comprehensiveness or Precision? By Chris Schroeder. Media Post (Oct 19) -- Local search -- " "Google is more about comprehensiveness, and Yahoo! more about precision.""

Yahoo Local Search

Researchbuzz says - Yahoo Local Gets Way Enhanced (Oct 18) Local.yahoo.com has enhancements - can sort the results and get a 1 mile radius. When can we expect it in Canada?

Yahoo Local

Yahoo has launched an improved local search -- local.yahoo.com. It's very nice. It clusters results. For fence makers it shows Fences and Gates, Handy Person Services, Home and Garden - and several more. Changing the distance is a drop-down box. Results have description with web site link. Searchers are asked to rate the site. There is a separate link for viewing results on a map where there are more controls for zooming in. Some business information comes from InfoUSA.

Not available for Canada. The Yahoo.ca site uses yellow pages from Superpages.ca.

Yahoo Local is also reviewed in Yahoo Local Officially Launches in SearchDay (Oct 4) Notes that Yahoo Local is using two relevance ranking algorithms depending on whether the search was for a specific business or a category. Local search will replace Yellow Pages on the home page, though there will still be a link.

Google Local Search for Canada

Finally - there is a local search for Canada thanks to Google. Search for shops and services in your area. Accepts postal code and will show addresses with map for a specified radius - 2 km, 10, 25, and 75. http://local.google.ca/. It's better than the search-by-distance at Superpages.ca, but it still can't find all the LCBO stores. Maps. though, are excellent.

Jack Kapica at the Globe and Mail - Let your fingers do the surfing (Sept 20) - determined that Google Local Canada is through a partnership with the Yellow Pages Group. YPG also "The company manages on-line directories YellowPages.ca, Canada411.ca, CanadaTollFree.ca, as well as the CanadaPlus.ca network, a local city sites market."

Google Local

Some changes to Google's local search. Maps are great, and results are said to be more precise. Great if you are in the United States.

Think local, act Google By Stefanie Olsen, CNET News.com (Sept 14)

Local search held back

Why Won't Local Search Carry Its Weight? Nate Elliot at CLickz thinks local search will not deliver the increased revenues Yahoo and Google are hoping for. It's chicken and egg - consumers aren't searching locally because they don't find much and local advertisers aren't going online. Also search engines have to make local search a clear option - right from the home page. People in Canada may have to wait a long time before the major search engines helps us search our neighbourhoods. Stick to yellow pages and specialty sites like Toronto.com.

Local Yellow Page Search

Internet Yellow Pages are the heart of local search. This primer by Kevin Lee Local and Regional Search: A Primer (July 3) - describes the basic operation of 5 of the big services: Superpages, Switchboard, Yahoo, Yellow Pages, and YP.com; as well as Overture's local search listing.