Street Fight Daily: 03.08.12
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal media, technology, advertising and startups.
Facebook Becomes Location Backbone That Lets Apps Import Checkins From Each Other (TechCrunch)
Facebook’s new location APIs let any third-party app import and display the checkins as well as location-tagged posts published to Facebook by other apps. This turns Facebook into a location backbone that can power serendipitous meetups and other geo-functionality no matter which apps you and your friends use. Soon you won’t have to use every location app simultaneously, you’ll just pick your favorite.
Will Ambient Social Location Apps Be Consumer Duds? (ReadWriteWeb)
Dan Rowinski: I am calling shenanigans on this year’s SXSW fad. The microclimate that is SXSW and San Francisco often creates hype for services that, ultimately, no one is going to really care about. The crop this year includes several “ambient social location’ apps that are likely destined for obscurity when the time comes that normal users are supposed to adopt.
AOL Patch Sales People Reportedly Being Fired (Business Insider)
AOL’s local news network of blogs, Patch, is letting go sales people this week. It’s hard to tell how many, only that many people are being let go due to “underperformance.” Last week, a Patch employee said it would be 200. Patch PR and president Warren Webster refused to comment on the number.
Report: Deal Sites Do Add Customers, Inspire Loyalty (ScreenWerk)
Greg Sterling: The pendulum has really swung for daily deals. For the last couple of years deals were the hottest thing in local. Now people act like they’re dead. They’re far from dead, even as the market faces some attrition and contraction. Although down slightly from last year, several new findings indicate that consumers still love deals.
In the Age of the Smartphone, Ads Go Mobile (New York Times/Bits)
One factor that is helping mobile ads grow is the additional data and information that is available to advertisers. Mobile advertising can be delivered to people based on their location. Sift in time of day, the type of device you’re on and your previous spending habits, and those mobile ads will make the popups on your computer feel like an ad in an old print circular.
Get Street Fight Daily in your inbox! Subscribe to our newsletter.