Posts Tagged ‘Auskunftsportal’
genialoTel: Neues Telefonbuch mit intelligenter Suche
12 May. 2009 | Author: AWo |
Seit Mitte April bereichert ein weiteres Auskunftsportal das Internet. Sein Name ist genialoTel, und es will sich von den Wettbewerbern vor allem durch seine ausgeklügelte Suchtechnologie abheben.
Diese nämlich soll – wie es in einer Pressemeldung heißt – aufgrund eines intelligenten Suchalgorithmus und einer eingebauten Fehlertoleranz auch dann sinnvolle Ergebnisse liefern, wenn der User den genauen Namen, dessen Schreibweise oder den richtigen Wohnort der gesuchten Person nicht (mehr) kennt.
Schon bei der Sucheingabe werde der gesamte Datenbestand auf Einträge durchforstet, die ähnlich geschrieben werden oder in der Nähe des gesuchten Ortes liegen. Dadurch erhält der Nutzer noch vor Absenden seiner Anfrage die besten Ergebnisse in einem Vorschlagfenster präsentiert und kann daraus das passenden auswählen, während andere Suchdienste in der Regel in solchen Fällen lediglich oft eine „Leider keine Treffer“-Meldung liefern. Das funktioniert beeindruckend gut und auch noch überaus schnell, wie unser Test ergab. Gibt es bei häufig vorkommenden Namen sehr viele Resultate, kann der Nutzer diese mit Hilfe von Suchnavigatoren im linken Bereich der Webseite weiter einschränken – nach gewerblichen Einträgen oder Orten in der Umgebung. Allerdings bietet der Dienst ansonsten nur noch eine Kartenansicht. Weitere längst gängige Features wie etwa einen Routenplaner, eine Merkliste oder eine kostenlose Anruffunktion sucht man dagegen vergebens.
Betrieben wird das Portal von der Stadtkontakt GmbH & Co. KG in Bremen, die auch das soziale Netzwerk stadtkontakt.de unterhält. Bei genialoTel setzt sie auf den SearchNavigaor der Exorbyte GmbH. Dieser bietet laut einer Mitteilung des Konstanzer Suchspezialisten auch bei großen Datenmengen eine ausgefeilte Fehlertoleranz.
suchen.de now with new look
More modern and functional: the local search engine suchen.de has reinvented itself with a new look and features.
In a press release, the operators (t-info GmbH) explain that users have been given an optimal mix of function and flexibility.
Through the relaunch, map search now stands even more central than before. Whereas previously it was only accessed via its own tab, it is now directly integrated into local search. Users can for instance, access found results after a desired search as text-based or viewed on the map. Swapping between text and map versions is also possible, without having to restart a search. This is achieved simply via a click of either icon in the new grey navigation bar over the search results.
The navbar also serves as a sort of central service element. Here all the components for use of the search results and map display are accessible, thus offering a new overview. One can find links to the various display modes (map, hybrid, birds eye) as well as the dropdown menu “Interesting Points”, which accesses display of significant places on the map. Additionally one can tweak the search results using “Refine Search” and “Sort Results” features.
Furthermore, the results list has been pepped up with new icons, which serve to optimize the display, according to t-info. One can now see at a glance for example, whether opening times info is available, or if a service provider can be called for free. Unfortunately there is no longer the possibility to print out all or individual search results, however this will be rectified shortly. As Ben Broshi of t-info informed Lokale Suche Blog, the innovations are actually only the first stage of a relaunch. Several new features, such as an improved print function, are to be added shortly.
Recommendation portal – TestMyBIZ
The recommendation portal TestMyBIZ is now available for users searching for local companies or service providers, who wish to choose exclusively from other users’ suggestions.
As outlined by the operators TestMyBIZ GmbH in Bergische Gladbach in a press release, registered users can submit and recommend their favorite stores and businesses. Only positive ratings are possible, contrary to other sites such as Qype or Dialo.de.
Users are able to use a 5-star system, ranging from “above average” through “tops”. The ranking of the results on TestMyBIZ is derived exclusively from the user ratings and is absolutely unable to be influenced by the company itself being rated. However, in order to activate a full/complete entry with ratings etc., companies must approve the ‘publication’ of the entry. A basic entry is therefore free; however if an undertaking wishes to augment and expand the entry to cover further information and/or photos, a charge will be made.
Though the portal has been online since September 2007, the sheer numbers of entries, at least in our test experience, are somewhat thin on the ground.
Google Maps: new street views
Thanks to Google Maps feature “Street View” (we have already discussed this several times, most recently) users can now wander virtually through even more metropoli in Europe and the USA.
Thick and fast, Google has recently added numerous new street views on its local search, Google Maps. This was recently referred to in, several entries in the Google Lat Long Blog.
Soon after the search engine giant added many French towns such as Lyon, Marseilles and Nice (in mid-October 2008), street views of Spain and Italy followed at the end of October. So users can now ramble through Rome, Milan and Florence, or roam through Madrid, Valencia or Seville, and see the sights by mouse click. However, its not only the major European cities that have been documented – one can even view Lake Como. And punctually timed for the US elections, one can flit through the inner cities of Washington, DC as well as Seattle and Baltimore.
Locations that are available in Street View are marked with Camera icons, after the user selects the Street View button while in Map View. There are not too many in Europe as yet, but this is apparently soon to change. for example, Focus.de published an interview with Google spokesperson Stefan Keuchel, in which he announced that the German Street View debut will feature at least three cities, in early 2009.
This project is however quite disputed in Germany for reasons of data protection (see our article). Regarding this controversy , Stefan Keuchel drew the readers’ attention to an interesting article on the Podcast Portal ‘PR on Air’.
Pepped up: GelbeSeiten.de gets new functions
The online-presence of the online directory GelbeSeiten.de has been overhauled, and presents itself after a relaunch, in a new, fresh ‘look’ and offering new features.
In a press release, the operators describe the relaunch motto as “Less is More”, seen in the concentration on essentials. The start page is dominated by the Search field and the Branch Finder. The former Map Search item, which was previous visually front and center, is now relegated to the edge, along with the ‘Shopping’ item, both being found as tabs above the Search field. This new layout offers the user a better graphical orientation, especially facilitating the Search function, said the operators.
Additionally, several new practical features serve to simplify the Search experience for users, continued the press release. These include the suggestion list on typing in the Search field and the optimized Branch Finder. If search terms are incorrectly spelt, an automatic correction is suggested. Useful is also the improved local area search, and the new filter functions, where one can limit the results by branch, detail and city area. Moreover, the results are all displayed on a single map. And whoever wishes now can save interesting results on an electronic notepad, which can be printed later.
Also new are multimedia content. Advertisers can now present themselves and their offering using photos and video. Results reflecting these are displayed prominently in the results lists and advertiser pages.
skobbler – cell phone navigation and Local Search with User Generated Content
As of the end of September, skobbler has been in ‘public beta’ status and as such is available o the general public.
Developed originally by the Hamburg navigation provider Navigon, skobbler was rounded out in September and now run by skobbler GmbH in Hamburg. The name ’skobbler’, according to Oliver Kühn, a member of the management team, in an entry in the company’s blog, is derived from the Latin word “copula” – meaning tie, cable or connection. By their own statement, skobbler wants to bring people together.
skobbler has two strengths. One is the so-called off board navigation system for cell phones, where the required data is only sent upon request from the server to the end device, incurring costs to the user for data, calculated according to the providers and contracts involved. Otherwise skobbler is free. To use the system for navigation, the user needs a GPS-enabled device or external add-on, plus the “skobbler mobil” software, which is available on the website. There, users can also check on compatibility with mobile devices.
The offering above doesn’t differ much from other similar alternative competitor solutions such as Ö-Navi (see our post), however one specialty of skobbler is that alongside a route planner option for motorists using distances under 5 km, a special pedestrian navigation option is available.
The other strength of skobbler is their locality-specific search and ratings platform with ‘community-character’ on the Internet. There, registered users can perform a local search, for cafés or hairdressers in a particular location, and also rate them and upload appropriate photos. In an interview with Locale Suche Blog, Oliver Kühn detailed how the service uses data from providers including Navteq and Mecomo, as well as User generated Content (UGC). Also really neat is the SMS-function – search result addresses discovered through the local search option, can also be sent to the user via free SMS. The extensive contents of the website is also accessible per mobile devices using local search.
Posted in Web Communities, Local Search per PC, Local Search on the go, Local Search per Mobile phone, Local Search, Localization technology, News, Practical features | 
Tags: Auskunftsportal, Bewertungsportal, Community, Fußgänger, google maps, Handy, Handy-Navi, lokale Informationen, Mecomo, Mobiltelefon, Navigationsystem, Navigon, Navteq, Netzwerk, Ö-Navi, Oliver Kühn, skobbler, UGC, User Generated Content, web2.0, Wegbeschreibung | 
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GelbeSeiten way ahead
“GelbeSeiten.de achieved again the highest visitor count of all German online-directories, with more than seven million visits and over 44 million page impressions in August 2008.” This was reported by GelbeSeiten Marketing GmbH in a press release.
Already this June, the portal led the online-directories, with over seven million visitors, and managed to maintain this lead in August, said the operators. The source of these figures come from the current statistics for online media usage, published by the ” Informationsgemeinschaft zur Feststellung der Verbreitung von Werbeträgern e.V. (aka IVW) in Berlin.
The IVW is an independent organization, funded by the Media, the Advertising industry and ad- and media-agencies. The body monitors and reports the expansion of advertising media, delivering data of interest to users, advertisers and competitors. Among the data published for the online-media, are the number of page views/impressions (number of users of accessed pages) as well as the sum of the single hits/visits.
Looking closer at the results published by IVW, one sees that GelbeSeiten.de in July 2008 achieved 7,060,898 visits – the most since records were started in August 2004. In August 2008, the figure dropped slightly. However, the high of 66,958,342 page views in March 2006 was far higher than the present figures.
Competitors listed by IVW can only battle to keep up. Klicktel.de in August clocked up 4,8 million visits and approximately 30 million page views. In the same period GoYellow.de managed just on 3 million visits and about 16 million page views, with Web2.0 branch-directory Qype.com showed 3,5 million hits, and almost 12,5 page views.
11880.com now with ratings from other portals
As of January this year 11880.com has been offering its users the chance to read ratings gathered from other providers or to deliver their own ratings (see our post). This Web2.0 feature has now been further expanded.
To this end, this information portal is collaborating with other portals and has combined the gathered ratings into its own web presence. A post in the company blog lists the partners in this enterprise as the information and ratings platform for drivers Autoplenum.de, the patient portal DocInsider.de, as well as gastronomy sites Hotel.de and Restaurant-Kritik.de.
Through this cooperation, the blog post states that there are at present over 80,000 ratings to be found on 11880.com. The company plans to broaden its partner base in the future.
YellowMap sets importance on local search
“Welcome to the secrets of your local world!” is the slogan greeting the users of lokaleauskunft.de on its start page. The portal is a product of YellowMap AG in Karlsruhe, which is also the operator of the online-directory YellowMap.de.
The difference between the sibling-services is not easily seen at first glance. For example, both portals offer directory search, a telephone directory, city plans, city information and a personal user area.
However the emphasis differs. Whereas YellowMap.de centers on the localized directory search, lokaleauskunft.de weighs in much more on its coverage of extensive local content for individual cities, which until now have been lacking. The new portal, still in beta-phase, is still under development. It plans, according to information provided to Lokale-Suche-Blog, to become in the medium-term an “information-source for all local information” – presumably comparable with city-pages similar to meinestadt.de. When this is to happen has not been announced.
In contrast to YellowMap.de the users of lokaleauskunft.de are as yet unable to rate or describe found service providers; this is to change soon, according to the operators of the new service. In the mean time, the city plans are more user-friendly. Here one can display results using map, satellite, hybrid or bird’s eye views, using cartographic material from Microsoft Virtual earth. Noteworthy is lokaleauskunft.de’s route planner, with which one can not only find the fastest or shortest route, but also the most economical. Additionally it also provides route plans for pedestrians and cyclists, alongside motorists
Meinestadt.de soon to offer local news
From September 2008, users should be able to keep informed about all local news, using the new feature of meinestadt.de. The town and city portal plans to integrate local news on its current town-pages website.
Local news will be provided by the Web 2.0 news platform webnews.de, where registered users can link to local and regional news pages, as well as uploading self-created articles. The operators of meinestadt.de, Allesklar.com AG, refer to the cooperation in a press release.
The cooperation between the two operators is not however limited to the integration of news – Allesklar Media, a unit of Allesklar.com AG (launched in May 2008) will also in the future be marketing webnews.de.
