Google SMS Adds Location-Based Personalization Automatically

In a recent post, The Google Operating System Blog points out that Google SMS Adds Location-Based Personalization to your text queries of its local business database by sending a SMS to Google that contains the command: set location [city, zip code, address] In recent trip to NYC with my family over labor day weekend I …

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Local Links of Interest

Ask removes search box from default mobile search From the post:What Ask found in their user testing is that users would immediately go to the search box and start trying to use it. While this sounds like it offers what the user wants, the fact is that accomplishing simple things like finding our the weather …

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Google Intros Search Ads on Google Mobile Search

Just received this email from Google: Search Ads on Google Mobile Search Hello Michael Blumenthal, We are happy to announce a new feature that will allow you to easily reach additional qualified customers who are searching Google from their mobile phones. In the next few days, your search ads will be eligible to run on …

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Yahoo Local and the New York florist

You’ve heard about User Generated Content? Now you can read about my brief stint as an omnipotent guardian of local data integrity in a new article:Yahoo Local Now Features “User Denigrated Content” at Search Engine Land.

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Local Links of Interest

The Power of Branding by Greg Linden summarizes a small sample study that quantifies the value of branding in search. This applies equally well to local. Prostitutes Turn to Craigslist, Law Takes Notice (NY times) – Can this type of local marketing be that far in the future for Yahoo or Google? It certainly indicates …

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Yahoo Local Mapspam now appearing near you

I have not paid much attention to Yahoo Local over the past few months. It isn’t as interesting to me as Google, it lacks the intriguing technology of the Local Business Center, its algorythms seem simpler and it generates less traffic and thus plays less of a role in my client’s sites. The simpler input …

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Local Links of interest

12 Billion Local Business Searches. Do Yellow Pages Still Matter? – a good summary of a report given by TMP at SES on the complexity of customer behavior when using the internet to look for local goods. Measuring Local Search by Brian Wool. An overview of some of the choices in attempting to measure local …

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Local Links of Interest

In-car Google Local Search Google continues to push Maps to new platforms and venues. I see this type of market penetration as a way to achieve monopoly status ala the iPod. Segmenting Local Mobile Search Good article from Gerg Sterling at SearchEngineLand categorizing and documenting the fragmented nature of local mobile search. As he points …

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Catering to couch Potatoes at the Ballpark

In Saturday’s Wall Street Journal, Russell Adams reports on the increased use of wireless devices of all stripes at Major League Baseball games (and other professional sports venues) for viewing stats, instant replays, ordering food and participating in game time promotions. At some venues wireless devices can be rented for $25 per event. The Mariners …

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