Street Fight Daily: Patch’s Biggest Blunder, NYC Embraces Mobile Payment
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology.
Patch’s Biggest Blunder: Ignoring Cities (Forbes)
Merrill Brown: That digital local media has yet to scale and create a definitive new model is about investor apprehension about all things local, about entrepreneurial limitations, and about the fact that too many local media startups have to date been underinvesting in building local advertising capabilities. In some ways it’s about one core issue: local media and hyperlocal startups are missing the audiences and revenue opportunities around serving the entirety of large metropolitan areas.
Winners and Losers From Street Fight’s 2013 Predictions (Street Fight)
At the end of each year, Street Fight invites staffers, friends, and luminaries from the industry to share their predictions for what’s in store for the coming year. Today, we take a look back at some of the predictions for 2013 to see who nailed it and who missed the boat.
New York City Releases Bid for Pay-by-Phone Parking Meters (Politiker)
Outgoing Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the city has put out a bid for a contract that would allow drivers to pay for municipal parking by cell phone or online. If a company steps up, drivers across the city would be able to pay for parking at 14,000 meters across the city via smartphone app or by calling a number and entering their location.
Hyperlocal Publishing: Who Stumbled, Who Was Nimble and What’s Next? (Street Fight)
Tom Grubisich: The big story in hyperlocal publishing this year was the fall of corporate hyperlocal pureplays like Patch, and Everyblock — big bets that failed to reach sustainability. And so as we look to the New Year, a peristent question once again emerges for community news: when will publishers find a digital model for community news that works?
The Worst Mistake for Small Businesses to Continue in 2014 (Reuters)
Here’s a fact: many people aren’t carrying cash anymore. You will have to accept credit cards, and soon you will have to accept electronic payments. Don’t try to pretend that we, your customers, don’t know the real reasons why you don’t accept credit cards.
Elephanti Raises $4.5M To Help Shoppers Find Products In Nearby Stores
(TechCrunch)
Elephanti, a startup that’s supposed to make it easier for physical stores to connect with shoppers online, is announcing that it has raised $4.5 million in seed funding from LMJ Holdings. The concept isn’t too different from Milo, the local shopping startup that was acquired by eBay back in 2010, but Elephanti has a number of additional features that make it more than just a product search engine.
Checking In: Our Top Local Search Columns Of 2013 (SearchEngineLand)
Whether you’re an SMB trying to navigate the world of local search on your own or a large brand with multiple brick-and-mortar locations to manage, our local search columnists have had you covered throughout 2013 with expert advice and thoughtful analysis. Take a look at our ten most popular Local Search columns from this year.
On the Restless Currents of Hyperlocal Journalism, EveryBlock Returns as Patch Goes (Reader)
Maybe there simply is no way to make money from hyperlocal journalism. Maybe most news websites are doomed to fail, just like most restaurants, yet there will always be another because they fill a need. Chicago Grid, a creation of Wrapports LLC, the same people who own the Reader, is struggling; it launched early this year as a weekly business magazine but is now only a website.
LBMA Podcast: Highlight 2.0, and HomeSnap VP Lou Mintzer (Street Fight)
On the show: KLM launches LocalEyes; Capital One partners with Push Point Mobile; Apple files patent for restaurant ordering and reservations. Plus, the resource of the week looks at Twitter’s impact on Radio.
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