Posts Tagged ‘User Generated Content’
Townster is sold to highest bidder on eBay
3 Nov. 2008 | Author: After Townster, a local search and ratings portal with networking capability, was offered for several months for sale on eBay, it was recently finally sold.
As can be seen in the offer page on the online-marketplace, the virtual hammer fell for Euro 37,827.77 for the platform. A real bargain, considering more than Euro 150,000 had been invested in the project. The new owner of the portal is the Ex-OnVista head Michael W. Schwetje, posted Townster co-founder Gleb Tritus in his personal blog.
Townster was launched in summer 2007 (see our article). After an unsuccessful financing round and disputes among the founders in November 2007, the hunt for a buyer was started for this local search presence. According to a post by Gleb Tritus in Townster’s company blog, the sale did not happen at that stage, because the interested parties were only interested in taking on the portal with the full team. The team members had by that stage essentially been dissolved and were committed to other projects. Finally, it was decided to offer the platform via ebay auction. However, even after the successful sale, Townster is still a topic for its previous owners- they are planning to “support Michael & Co. as they hunt for suitable new team members, so that Townster can relaunch on the same track as beforehand.”
Qype speaks Spanish
Qype is becoming more international: a year after its German launch in early 2006, Qype followed with a launch in Britain, and in early 2008 in France. In summer 2008, portals for Switzerland and Austria appeared on the web, and recently Qype made its Spanish debut.
Qype-CEO Stephan Uhrenmacher, made this announcement in the company blog. Not only Spanish nationals profit from this launch – other speakers will benefit from the new content, such as businesses, hotels and restaurants in Barcelona, Madrid and elsewhere.
With this latest launch, the local search and rating platform is now available in four language-editions: German, English, French and now Spanish.
Posted in Local Search per PC, Local Search, News | 
Tags: Beurteilung, Bewertungsplattform, Community, lokale Informationen, Nutzerbewertung, Qype, Spanien, Spanisch, Suchdienste, User Generated Content | 
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Google Maps builds on the knowledge of its users
Google knows that Users know their own areas best of all. The search engine giant is now allowing users of its German-language Maps site, to edit and append the search results.
The ability to rate entries has been available to registered Google-Account holders, as of June 2007. Now users have the possibility to change these – such as when address details are incorrect or incomplete, or the markers are incorrectly positioned on the maps. Indeed an out-of-date result can be completely deleted. All these functions can be found in the respective Info-Window of each search result page, accessible through a click on the “Bearbeiten” [en=edit] link. This however can only be done as long as the owner of the undertaking themselves have not ‘claimed’ control over the entry and have verified the information themselves.
If a location is missing, registered users can complete or add to the results. To access this, the user clicks on the link “Add Location to Map”.
These features have been available on other language editions (eg. the USA edition) of Google since March 2008 (see our post).
pointoo finally leaves its pilot phase behind
Pointoo officially was launched in July 2006, and at the end of May 2007, the portal finally ended its beta-status. Since its recent relaunch the local search engine, operated by the publishing group Georg von Holtzbrinck, now offers more content, new functionality and an improved user interface.
The operators, in a press release, announced this a short time ago.
Differing from other localized search and ratings platforms like Qype, Dialo.de and others, pointoo is foremost a ‘location bookmark service’. Users are able to undertake location-based searches for places such as restaurants, museums, shopping facilities, doctors or service providers, etc. and, if logged in as members of pointoo, save interesting found locations in their own personal locations collection. pointoo has however, some similarities with the aforementioned ‘competitors’- it allows its users to add comments and publish them linked to their saved locations. And for users who cannot find their beloved/preferred local hangout or bakers via the search option, pointoo also allows users to add these locations to the portal. The latest update also enables users to add detail (such as opening times) or photos to existing search results.
Another new feature, is that content is now also provided by other ratings platforms, as well as by the operators and user contribution. According to the operators, the platform is now working with well-known partners, for example: Helpster.de (in the medical ratings sphere) or Autoplenum.de (for the motor zone). Negotiations continue to include further cooperative partners. Found results are now compatible with many navigation devices, allowing for quick and easy transfer to these devices.
pointoo is however, not only a search and bookmarking platform – since its relaunch it now displays even more of a community character. The exchange of contact information among users now facilitates an adjunct to the pure information provided by the site, building a people network, consisting of like-minded or interested users. So when users interested in, for instance, motor cross routes (perhaps a few hundred people in Germany, in an example cited by the operators), thanks to the new functionality of pointoo, they will be enabled to find and connect with each other.
Posted in Web Communities, Local Search per PC, Local Search, News, Practical features |
Tags: Beurteilung, Bewertungsplattform, Bewertungsportal, Community, Georg von Holtzbrinck, location bookmark service, Locations, lokale Informationen, Navigation, Navigationsgerät, Nutzerbewertung, pointoo, Relaunch, User Generated Content, web2.0 |
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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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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.
Qype for business
The local search and ratings portal Qype has started a new service for companies and service providers, called “Qype for business”.
This was announced by Qype C.E.O. Stephan Uhrenbacher in the German-language blog of the Web 2.0 portal. According to Uhrenbacher this service offers the business owners additional functions to those previously available, so as to facilitate a web presence. Business can update their information, upload a short description and unlimited photos, assign keywords and categories, and all that gratis. Also new is that the businesses receive a daily e-mail summary of all pertinent ratings and uploaded photos, delivering the advantage of being in close touch with user activity.
With these innovations, Uhrenbacher states that the new additional Qype data will improve discovery by Google’s search engines. “For many undertakings, Qype can serve as the simplest version of a homepage in the web”, said Uhrenbacher about the improvements.
Nokia acquires localized ‘social activity’ service Plazes
The Finnish mobile phone manufacturer Nokia has bought the Berlin-based (launched in 2004) start-up Plazes. In so doing, Nokia implements a further expansion of their localized services, in the direction of time-linked activity planning, as announced by the concern in a press release.
Plazes augments social networking by linking together the elements of ‘location’ and ‘time’. In essence, this concerns the question of in which connection someone is at a specific location at a specific time. Or stated mores imply: the user of Plazes.com can keep other members of this service informed about what and where they are currently doing. This is visible in real-time either for all members, or visibility can be limited to a circle of choice. And, whether for a private date or a business meeting, the users can make appointments among themselves.
“The acquisition fits within our service strategy and helps Nokia to accelerate our vision of bringing people and places closer together”, said Niklas Savander, Head of Nokia Services & Software about the takeover.
The purchase is expected to be finalized in the 3rd quarter 2008, according to Nokia. Details of the purchase price have not been divulged.
Posted in Web Communities, News |
Tags: Community, lokale Informationen, Networking, Nokia, Plazes, Start-up, User Generated Content, web2.0 |
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GoLocal.de now available out and about
At the beginning of March 2008, the local ratings platform GoLocal.de was launched (see our report). And as then announced, its operators GoLocal GmbH&Co. KG (a daughter of GoYellow Media AG) implemented a mobile version of this Web2.0 portal in June 2008.
As detailed by the operators in a press release, the whole ‘desktop’ offering is now available in a mobile equivalent (accessed at m.golocal.de) and useable on any internet-ready mobile device.
GoLocal mobile phone or PDA users can now search for providers in a chosen town, such as businesses, restaurants or doctors, call up event listings and also view the location of the generated results on a map. To do this, one enters the desired ‘location’ (town/postal code and a key word, and a list of results is presented. An aside– in our test, the entry of a street name as a search word did not work for us. Pity too, that there is no Route Planner.
As to be expected for a ratings portal, the user can call up location rankings assigned by fellow users, as well as creating further ratings themselves. Anyone is able to score short ratings, without being registered. Whoever so wishes, can choose from preselected key words and assigned up to 5 stars. In order to rate in more detail, registration is required. Using the mobile version of GoLocal.de, the same username and password as the desktop-version are valid. Members can also save their most-liked locations under ‘Favorites’, save interesting events (under ‘My Events’) or flag specific locations under the ‘Notes’ (de=’Merkzettel’) section.
Google Maps extends local content offering
Google Maps is transforming itself ever increasingly from a classic Local Search service to that of an all-encompassing localized information service.
The function “My Maps”, which allows users to generate content and make that accessible to other users, was seemingly one of the first steps in this direction. Recently, the sector-leading search engine added localized photos and videos to the “My Maps” arsenal, accessible under the “Explore this area” (after entering a location in the search field) … see our post.
Just weeks after the above innovations, comes the “More” button, to be found at the top right corner within the displayed map (in all views). Using this feature, one can access even more resources such as photos, panoramas (Panoramio) as well as local-interest articles from Wikipedia. If one selects Wikipedia, for example – for every location where any relevant Wikipedia content exists, a small Wikipedia symbol appears on the map. When clicked, the symbol opens an extract from the online-lexicon in a pop-up window, with a link to the full article. The text describes relevant content e.g. Buildings, streets, places or institutions.
Through these new functions, Google wants to ease the discovery of information about the geographical context, for its users. This was detailed by Christoph Oehler, Product Manager at Google, in Google’s Lat Long Blog.
Upcoming features anticipated for Google Maps include the probable integration of relevant Local News. Such a function is apparently available, according to the Google Lat Long Blog, as of May 2008 in the US-version of the virtual earth program Google Earth. This capability is soon expected for the German-edition of Google Earth as well as Google Maps (maps.google.de). This was announced in a separate announcement by press spokesman Stefan Keuchel, in an interview with “Spiegel-Online”.
