Street Fight Daily: Uber’s ‘Gentler’ Approach, The Return of Directories

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A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology

new_uber_logoUber CEO Thinks It Needs To Be Kinder And Gentler Now That It’s On Top (TechCrunch)
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick says he and his company get a bad rap for being aggressive because he learned to be fierce while running his last scrappy startup. But now that it creates 50,000 jobs a month and is a dominant player in on-demand car services, and he says it requires a different way of running your business.

Apple’s Big Day: What It Means for Local Tech (Street Fight)
It’s that time again. After plenty of buzz, Apple is set to release several new products amidst the usual pomp and circumstance. Here’s a look at how all of Apple’ expected announcements might impact the way local is done.

Post-Pigeon Best Practice: How To Optimize For Internet Yellow Pages & Directories (SearchEngineLand)
While many marketers have written off Internet Yellow Pages as dead, the recent Google Pigeon update may have made them relevant once more. The update improved the ranking and visibility of IYPs and directories, and competitive analytics services are already showing a real upswing in those sites’ visits as a result.

Pinterest’s Plan to Win Over Small Businesses (Street Fight)
Four year-old scrapbooking site Pinterest has managed to succeed where many other social media — from Path to Google — have failed. In an interview with Street Fight, Joel Meek, who heads up the company’s small business efforts, discusses why its uniquely positioned to help small businesses reach users in the earliest stages of the purchase.

Mobile Payments: Waiting Is No Longer an Option (Wired)
The fuse has been burning for years, lit perhaps by PayPal, perhaps by Apple, perhaps by Near Field Communication (NFC) or other enabling technologies. Whatever the origin, the imminent rise in mobile payment technology is going to change life in a big way.

Two Big Deals Show Market Finally Starting to ‘Get Local’ (Local Search Insider)
Greg Sterling: With the rise of mobile, however, people are starting to see the relevance and importance of location in new ways. Two recent deals reveal that marketers and investors are taking note and starting to understand location and its profound implications for all of digital marketing.

Foursquare Reintroduces Leaderboards in Swarm Update (Mashable)
Swarm just got a little more like the old Foursquare. The local search and discovery service just introduced two new competitive features to Swarm: themed leaderboards and golden stickers. These are essentially revamped versions of features from the original Foursquare app.

YP Takes Over Grand Central Terminal During Advertising Week (Wall Street Journal)
As marketers descend on New York for Advertising Week later this month, those traveling through Grand Central Terminal will find themselves surrounded by ads for YP. The company unveiled a so-called “station domination” of Grand Central, covering the popular transport hub with ads for its “YP Can Do That” campaign through Oct. 14.

Toyota Sees 45% Boost in Traffic Through Targeted Mobile Ads (AdWeek)
A recent Toyota campaign targeted consumers who visit Ford, Chevrolet and Mazda dealerships, among others. The automaker claims a 45 percent lift in foot traffic via consumers who were served mobile ads compared to those who did not receive one.

The Terrible Yelp Ruling Isn’t So Bad (New Yorker)
It’s perfectly conceivable that such a company, without much threat of being overtaken by a competitor, might be tempted to tamper with material contributed by its users if it helps to make the company more money. But Thursday’s decision was so narrow that it seems unlikely to encourage this sort of behavior.

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