Mike Blumenthal

Google is now presenting an enhanced local onebox that includes a map and more details from their Google Maps database. The effect of the change is to totally dominate the main search results with details about the top three local businesses. There are a number of additional options to access more information & directions from …

On 1/20/07, I wrote on the Google Blog: Jen (Google Map Guide) We work with a local restaurant that when viewed in Google Maps has but one review from CitySearch dated September 2005. There have been a number of subsequent customer reviews posted on this restaurant at CitySearch, Yahoo and Yelp since May, 2006 and …

Bill Slawski has recently reported on a Google patent to deliver ads on your cell phone. After reading the patent, I happened to be playing with Google SMS yesterday and received my very own (obviously reduced) ad that read: (Ad)Hotels.com Great Hotel Rates! Hotels.com 800-449-4167 Here is what Adwords has to say (my italics and …

I have written a number of times about the OneBox: –Eyetracking Heatmap: How Searchers View the Google One Box –The Google “Onebox” on general search phrases The OneBox, in its many forms is very important as the primary interface that Google provides to local search and thus deserves attention. Bil Slawski has just published a …

There is a more than a little irony in Google’s “official response” to the complaints about problems with the underlying geo-location data (italics are mine for emphasis): == 9 of 10 == Date: Fri, Jan 19 2007 2:29 pm From: “Maps Guide Jen” I just wanted to let you know that your voices and concerns …

Bill Slawski and I have discussed whether Google Maps & Yahoo Local data would get more accurate over time. Both companies have taken a somewhat different approach to fix inaccuracies: Google relying on large directories with sales organizations, the small business itself and their algorithms while Yahoo relies more on the general public and the …

Google Maps has recently added a new piece of information with a business: their category. Whether this is a test or a permanent addition is unclear. What is clear is that it is not done with consistency with a given search. The reasons for this are not obvious. For example on the search (inside of …

I noted last month that Google Maps now supports Multiple Destinations. On Safari on my old Powerbook 12″ 1 ghz, the “Add Destination” feature is very slooooowww and thus I didn’t use it much. Today I realized that the destination point allowed a simple command to enter all of your travel points at once. In …

Reuben Yau (of reubenyau.com) points out an interesting annomoly that occurs from time to time with categories in Google Maps where a business can achieve onebox or authoritative onebox listing in a category that doesn’t exist in the Google Local Business Center. He wrote: The other thing I noticed is that the category for that …