News and Analysis
5 Privacy-Focused Mapping Solutions
Mainstream navigation apps like Google Maps and Waze seem to dominate the marketplace, but consumers who are interested in maintaining as much online privacy as possible have options to choose from, too.
Innovative mapping and navigation companies are launching new platforms with user privacy in mind. Framing themselves as the “private” alternative to general use navigation apps, these platforms collect minimal personal data from users and often work without tracking user locations.
Here are five examples of privacy-focused mapping platforms.
California’s Gig Economy Bill Becomes Law
The landmark California gig economy bill that may force companies such as Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash that employ thousands of drivers as independent contractors to hire those people as employees became law today. Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom signed the bill.
If the bill does ultimately affect Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, and other companies in the so-called gig economy thriving on venture capital for the last decade, it will severely disrupt their business models, which rely on cheap labor.
Constant Contact Expands Beyond Email, Adds Website Builder for SMBs
Constant Contact, known for its email marketing platform, is expanding to offer an AI-driven website builder as well as tools for branding, productivity, and e-commerce. It’s the first major expansion for Constant Contact since its acquisition by Endurance International Group.
The company’s new website builder is specifically designed for SMB owners and operators without the time or expertise typically required to build an effective site from scratch. Constant Contact claims sites can be created in minutes.
Latest Posts
Street Fight Daily: The Voice Search Explosion, Publishers Tap Into Location-Based Programmatic
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Even Facebook Can’t Just Waltz Into the Location Data Space… How the Voice Search Explosion Will Change Local Search… Condé Nast, The New York Times, and Forbes Tap Into Location-Based Programmatic Platform…
#SFSW16 VIDEO: Rethinking Restaurants — Local Tech Remakes an Industry
Restaurants are a particularly large and important vertical in local, and as such they’ve long been a testing ground for a variety of digital products. Now a new generation of companies is starting to use local marketing and delivery services to rethink what a restaurant is and how we think about our dining experiences.
Street Fight Daily: Facebook Canvas Ads Flourish, Google Tests Click-to-SMS Extension
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Facebook’s Genre-Bending Canvas Ads Demonstrate the Social Network’s Strength… Startup Challenges Uber, Lyft with Lower Fares, Higher Driver Commissions… Search Ad Decline Report May Explain Google’s Friday Stock Drop…
5 Locally-Focused Meal-Kit Delivery Vendors
Meal-kit delivery services are a segment of the food market that’s expected to grow to between $3 and $5 billion over the next decade. Companies deliver individually wrapped ingredients, along with plain-simple recipes, to their customers’ doors for a premium price. Here are five examples of meal-kit vendors taking a localized approach.
Targeted Ads Can Miss Targets — But They Still Keep Coming
Over the past few weeks, I’ve received a barrage of ads for storage centers in St. Louis despite the fact that I live in South Carolina. I’m also seeing ads reminding me to “finish your trademark” event though I’m not interested in trademarking anything. I asked experts about why mis-targeted (and wasteful) ads like these persist, and what the ad industry is doing about them.
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