updates

Google Looks Beyond Review Sites: Now Aggregates Posts from Local Blogs on Place Pages

When you search for a local business on Google Maps, Google displays general information like address and opening hours about this business. Since December 2009, Google Place Pages also present a sentiment analysis based on comments on sites like CitySearch, Zagat, OpenTable and TripAdvisor. Now, Google has started to display reviews from hyperlocal blogs and news sites as well. Sponsor As Mike Blumenthal, whose excellent blog focuses on analyzing developments related to Google Maps and local

Wahanda Aims To Become Yelp-Meets-Groupon-For-Health

We first covered Wahanda , a social network for people who use spas and other “wellness” products, way, way back in 2008 but they've been busy. After raising £1.5 million to become the 'Amazon of wellness' it's now built the world's biggest vertical database of health and beauty spas via their Yelp-like social network. Wahanda now has 10,000 venues listed globally (4,600 in the UK alone), while main competitor, the US-based SpaFinder has just over 6,000. Wahanda soft launched in the…

Hyperlocal Business Directory MerchantCircle Signs Up Millionth Merchant

Hyperlocal business directory MerchantCircle has been steadily growing as an online network and business directory for merchants in smaller towns to advertise to consumers. MerchantCircle has long targeted its site’s features towards merchants versus catering towards the consumer, as sites like Yelp and CitySearch do. Today, the network has hit a milestone by signing up its one millionth merchant. Not too shabby for the business directory, considering there are an estimated 15 million local merchants in…