Commentary
How Local Sites Can Win the War on Fake Reviews
This week Edmunds, the auto and car dealer review site, announced that it had settled a lawsuit it had filed against Humankind, a firm accused of submitting fake reviews for a fee to about a dozen review sites on behalf of businesses. Humankind was accused of creating fake user accounts and attempting to submit glowing reviews of their clients’ car dealerships. Here are some methods for to your site or app that will catch a high percentage of fake reviews…
What Will It Take to Bring All Businesses Online?
Many small businesses are claiming their Google and Bing listings, interacting with reviewers on Yelp, and using social sites like Facebook and Twitter. Inside the local bubble, it might seem as though the importance of these activities has been long established. Surely only a business stuck in the stone age would ignore the statistics we all know and love about searches with local intent, the explosion of mobile, and the critical need to be well represented in Google search results. How, then, are we to take a report showing that 52% of SMBs still don’t have a website?
Joe Trippi: Local TV’s Biennial Political Cash Bonanza Is Going to Fall Off a Cliff
In an recent interview, the presidential campaign guru told Street Fight that while it would be business as usual for broadcasters next year, 2016 would likely see the beginning of the end of TV’s dominance in political advertising: “There’s a growing number of people who get it,” he said, “that there’s a better way to deliver a more targeted and relevant message without having to buy all that broadcast reach. It’s going to come. … It’s just a matter of time and innovation.”
Latest Posts
Street Fight Daily: Mastercard’s Wearable Future, Apple Eyes Path
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… MasterCard CMO Talks Brand Transition From Credit Cards to Wearables (AdAge)… Source: Apple Set to Acquire Path in an Attempt to Bolster iOS Social Cred (Pando)… Mobile Retail Passes the 50% Point, Tops Desktop (MediaPost)…
Pinterest’s Plan to Win Over Small Businesses
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 the role be believes the company can play an local discovery engine, and why its uniquely positioned to help small businesses reach users in the earliest stages of the purchase process…
Street Fight Daily: Uber’s ‘Gentler’ Approach, The Return of Directories
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology… Uber CEO Thinks It Needs To Be Kinder And Gentler Now That It’s On Top (TechCrunch)… Foursquare Reintroduces Leaderboards in Swarm Update (Mashable)… Post-Pigeon Best Practice: How To Optimize For Internet Yellow Pages & Directories (SearchEngineLand)…
6 Group Dining Programs for Neighbors
Airbnb users are sharing their homes with strangers, Lyft drivers are sharing their cars with strangers, and now a handful of group dining programs have people inviting virtual strangers inside their kitchens. These hyperlocal marketplaces offer a win/win proposition for people who are interested in getting to know their neighbors while making extra money on the side…
Why TV Remains the Heartbeat of Local Connection