Peer Reviews —
Steve Yelvington posted today…
Knowledge@Wharton has an interview with Joe Kraus, director of product management at Google, in which he highlights the importance of social interaction on the Web:
“So, the killer apps that have really worked on the web have always been about connecting people to one another. So, whether it is instant messaging and e-mail [...]
Peter Krasilovsky covers a Boston website today, CitySquares. Many interesting points…
Boston-based CitySquares, which just celebrated its second anniversary, is getting about 70,000 unique visitors per month and now has a base of 700 advertisers, averaging $1,200 per year, reports CEO Ben Saren… Roughly a third of the existing advertiser base is in the downtown [...]
A Front Porch Forum member in Charlotte, VT wrote in today seeking recommendations for a housepainter… and I hope she finds what she needs. It was her postscript that caught my eye…
PS. Thanks so much to whomever sent Steve Mack our direction for roto-tilling. He was great. It was so nice to post something one [...]
Mike Boland writes today about Yelp, including…
The company is moving in some interesting directions and the $15 million it just received will provide the fuel. Much of it will be put towards sales & marketing to seed reviews activity and bring in SMB advertisers. Its 10 person sales office in New York City is the [...]
TechCrunch reported this week…
Yelp, the popular local review site, will soon announce a new $15 million dollar round of financing led by DAG Ventures. The valuation is rumored to be in the $200 million range. Yelp says that they will be using the money to expand geographically, add onto their sales team, and establish an [...]
Andy Sack, founding CEO of now-shuttered Judy’s Book, offers this advice for folks looking to get traction in the “local reviews and word of mouth referrals business”…
i) GET TO CRITICAL MASS
Do this by limiting geography — stay in one geography for 3 years. Yes, 3 years. Do not expand geography for the first 36 [...]
Our car needed some work today and our neighborhood mechanic had time and fit us right into his schedule… much appreciated. He even helped us swap vehicles around to save us time and hassle (a very complex operation involving multiple pre-schoolers, snowsuits and carseats).
I was pleasantly surprised when he asked me how “that internet thing” [...]
We get this question all the time from members… “What can I post on my neighborhood’s Front Porch Forum?”
Well… just about anything. Have at it. Any message that doesn’t significantly detract from FPF’s mission of helping neighbors connect and foster community within the neighborhood is GREAT.
Think of a block party… what would you [...]
Greg Sterling got more lessons learned by Andy Sack around Judy’s Book demise…
Sack added that if he had to do it over he’d:
Launch in a single market and gain critical mass before going national
Launch with a narrow content focus: one category or just a few [...]
A fascinating article in the New York Times was brought to my attention today (thanks Hubert) about Babajob.com…
Babajob, by contrast, connects India’s elites to the poor at their doorsteps, people who need jobs but lack the connections to find them. Job seekers advertise skills, employers advertise jobs and matches are made through social networks.