New Opportunity/Nightmare Sidewiki & Place Pages

[CHR]

In the last couple days, Google has launched 2 new features - and depending on how you look at them - and/or how they look at you - you'll be tickled, delighted, horrified, mystified or all of the above.

Sidewiki - I well remember days when I wish I could annotate sites in the margins and warn consumers or let them know site which were untrustworthy. Well, now me, you and anyone else can. It's an add-on to the Google Tool Bar and you can add notes and read notes left by others about any site on the web. You have to download the tool to use it.

Good news: See what everyone else says about a site and add your .02.

Bad news: Anybody can say what they want about your own site anonymously.


Place Pages - Google has consolidated all the data from the Local Business Center pages onto just one page per business (replaced the tabs in the LBC). They have also created pages for places like cities and points of interest - and of course each has ads.

My own shop's page does not curretly show ads, but I don't doubt they're coming....

Good News: Less tabbed browsing for shop info.

Bad News: Read this blog post. Excerpt:

There is some speculation that these pages are formatted in such a way to be used as landing pages and with the link sharing function built into the top right corner they certainly will.

Seems to me they have also been better optimized for serving up Adwords. The local business listings had already been showing PPC ads but the new format brings them a little bit higher on the page and the new placement of the map and images makes for a better visual eyeball magnet to draw the eye to those ads. Again these ads are often for direct local competitors of the current page’s business listing, and no revenue share, of course.

I hope everyone keeps an eye on these new developments and reports them here. Potentially scary stuff.....

 

[BOSS]

Dang, like I don't have enough to keep track of already! :dunno:

 

[Eric S]

Dang, like I don't have enough to keep track of already! :dunno:

Your telling me. I'm still trying to figure out how to get the most out of Twitter, Facebook, Blog, Youtube, PPC, and keep fresh website content.

My brain is melting!!

 

[Dazeal]

Too bad florists couldn't just be florists and pay a service fee to a company who would do all their social media and web technology.

I see a need, someone go start that business on their spare time lol and get back with me.

 

[fleuray]

Well, I am the tagged do-itter for the shops website. So technically you can designate / delegate this. But I am also thier designer, so in my "spare" time I am tackling it.

 

[NicoleAtTF]

There's a new article from Josh Bernoff (one of the authors of Groundswell, one of the earliest and most influential books about social media's impact on business) about Sidewiki.

Bernoff's take on Sidewiki is essentially "It's going to get bigger, so take advantage of it early, don't try to ignore it." The full article can be seen from the link there at the beginning of this line.

 

[theRKF]

The problem with your suggestion is the "pay a service fee" part. Most florists just won't do it. Unless of course it comes from the wire service If FTD was to offer to manage your local business listings and social media for the low low price of $99.95 per month 15,000 florists would jump on board on the spot.

The smart ones that do go online and embrace engagements with their customers will be the ones who survive and they will be around long after those who are not interested in taking the time.

 

[CHR]

At SAF, Renato told me about some florists who got taken in my a 'Local SEO Service' and they were paying $400/mo for the company to 'manage' their local G and Y listings and send them web analytics reports. They were only getting the *FREE* reports from Google Analytics emailed monthly.

The biggest problem I see is too many wasting money with dubious companies and ineffective efforts so they don't have funds to spend with legit ones.

 

[peggy70130]

Well, I am the tagged do-itter for the shops website. So technically you can designate / delegate this. But I am also thier designer, so in my "spare" time I am tackling it.

This sounds just like me! Not too much "spare"time is there