Google Lets Users Find Results Based on Location
February 27, 2010
Google has added the ability to search by location to its list of search options. The option is called "nearby".
"Location has become an important part of the way we search. If you're a foodie looking for restaurant details, food blogs or the closest farmer's market, location can be vital to helping you find the right information," says Google Product Manager Jackie Bavaro.
"One of the really helpful things about this tool is that it works geographically — not just with keywords — so you don't have to worry about adding 'Minneapolis' to your query and missing webpages that only say 'St. Paul" or "Twin Cities,'" Bavaro adds.
Google has been using users' locations to deliver search results for quite some time, but this marks the first time the search engine is actually letting users dictate when they want it to be used to retrieve results for specific queries. In local search, Google is generally pretty good at delivering nearby results anyway, but giving users this added little bit of control can't hurt, and simply gives users another way to refine their results to match their preferences.
Users can view results by their default location, or set a custom location. The feature is currently only available on Google.com in English.
Google Lets Users Find Results Based on Location
February 27, 2010
Google has added the ability to search by location to its list of search options. The option is called "nearby".
"Location has become an important part of the way we search. If you're a foodie looking for restaurant details, food blogs or the closest farmer's market, location can be vital to helping you find the right information," says Google Product Manager Jackie Bavaro.
"One of the really helpful things about this tool is that it works geographically — not just with keywords — so you don't have to worry about adding 'Minneapolis' to your query and missing webpages that only say 'St. Paul" or "Twin Cities,'" Bavaro adds.
Google has been using users' locations to deliver search results for quite some time, but this marks the first time the search engine is actually letting users dictate when they want it to be used to retrieve results for specific queries. In local search, Google is generally pretty good at delivering nearby results anyway, but giving users this added little bit of control can't hurt, and simply gives users another way to refine their results to match their preferences.
Users can view results by their default location, or set a custom location. The feature is currently only available on Google.com in English.
How Are The Olympics And Entrepreneurs Similar?
February 25, 2010
The winter Olympics are off to an interesting start, as always. And while I’ve only caught parts, I did manage to watch short track skating when Apolo Ohno miraculously won silver. From the qualifying heats to the final race he was pretty amazing to watch.
While his competition in those qualifying races wasn’t super stiff, you could still see the mark of experience…As well as how strong and fit he is going into this competition. In both of those early heats he calmly hung out in the back of the pack waiting for the chance to make his move.
Then, when that chance came, he made it in a big way. In the second qualifying heat he passed all five other skaters with one huge burst of speed…flying past them so fast he easily gained, and held, a half-lap lead for the rest of the race.
Pretty impressive for a guy who’s old enough—and medaled enough—to retire happily. Yet here he is again, past the age when most speed skaters retire, and he’s never been more prepared to compete and win!
In a recent Seattle Times profile of Apolo Anton Ohno (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/olympics/2010986192_ohno07.html ), Ron Judd said “In his 13 years in the sport, Ohno has become an advanced student of short-track. He watches race tape like a football coach. He studies other teams’ training regimens. He has soaked up all the sports-performance knowledge thrown his way in a decade of residence at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and used it to retool his body to compete with younger racers whose legs don’t scream as loudly at the end of the day.”
By now you’re probably wondering what all this has to do with marketing your business. Well, there’s a lot you can learn from Ohno’s example.
Here’s a guy who has been competing successfully since he was 14 years old, yet he’s still trying to get better. And he does it by studying the competition, seeing what others have done and are doing today, then changing his own training regimen as a result. And practicing hard.
When was the last time you truly studied your competition’s marketing? Or analyzed what worked and what didn’t in your last marketing campaign?
If you’re like most entrepreneurs, the answer to both of those questions is: “Never!”
What about training? What are you doing to make sure your next marketing effort is more successful than your last? If the answer is nothing, then the chances are good that you’re not going to be any more successful down the road.
If you want to grow your business you’ve got to practice, train, and frankly, do what most other entrepreneurs don’t. Below are three things you can do right now to help turn yourself into an Olympic caliber entrepreneur:
1) Watch your competition. Ohno regularly looks at other teams training regimens. Then he takes what he learns and applies it to his own skating.
Most entrepreneurs never take the time to see what their competition is doing. Yet that’s one of the best ways to figure out what you could or should be doing to grow your business.
So take some time to do a bit of Internet research and see what your competition offers, how they offer it, what they charge, and how they market themselves.
2) Study. Marketing is one of the most important aspects of running a business. Because if you don’t market your business effectively, no one will know you exist or what you have to offer and you won’t have any clients. Without clients you don’t have a business.
Yet few entrepreneurs spend any time at all studying marketing. While you can’t exactly watch and analyze race tapes, you CAN review books filled with winning advertising and marketing campaigns. Many books written by Ad greats John Caples or David Ogilvy are packed with sample ads and breakdowns of what made them great.
3) Practice. Olympic athletes practice a lot…WAY more than most entrepreneurs for sure. Apolo Ohno practice three times a day. And even then he still doesn’t always win in competition.
Few entrepreneurs practice marketing at all, yet they expect to win all the time. And are discouraged when they don’t.
Need to write new content for your Website? Don’t expect to get it perfect the first time. Create many practice drafts, then edit until it’s the best it can be. If you’re planning to send out a sales letter, write a few versions and test them. Then refine them until you’re getting the results you’re after.
eBay to Make Changes to Seller Fees
February 2, 2010
eBay announced that starting March 30, it will be "lowering the cost of selling for sellers of all sizes," a notion that is heavily disputed. The company claims it will introduce its lowest insertion fees ever, and that may be true for the lowest-priced auctions, but many are claiming prices are higher. Just read through the comments of this article to get a feel for what is being discussed.
Note: Some edits have been made to this article, but it has always said that the price change represents an increase for some sellers (now bolded below).
Here are the new options for sellers, as described in eBay's announcement:
Option 1: "eBay Everyday" Standard Rates
- List up to 100 items a month Auction-style free—no Insertion Fees—when you start your Auction-style listing under $1.
- Get new, lower Insertion Fees for all other start prices.
- Either way, pay one easy Final Value Fee of 9% of the winning bid—and never more than $50—pay only if your item sells.
- List in Fixed Price for 50¢ with Final Value Fees mostly the same as today
Option 2: eBay Stores Subscription Packages
- List in Fixed Price with full search exposure for as low as 3¢ Insertion Fees with Final Value Fees for the most part the same as today
- Get FREE pictures
- Get deeply discounted fees on Auction-style listings
eBay says option one is ideal for those who sell occasionally, while option two is better for most sellers with 50 or more listings a month.
eBay's price change does represent a price increase for sellers who don't have a store. This is brought up in an interview (though supplied by eBay itself) with eBay VP of Buyer and Seller Experience Dinesh Lathi. His response is below (there is more to the interview, which can be viewed here):
When asked about why eBay will now only offer zero insertion fees for auctions starting under $1, as opposed to 5 item listings for free at any start price, Lathi says it is because eBay feels like the under $1 price is where the auction format works best.
Not everything from eBay's announcement is targeted at sellers. For buyers, the company is launching a new buyer protection program, which they see as a way to bring in more buyers and keep them on eBay. There is another series of videos discussing this aspect of the announcement with eBay Senior Director of Resolutions Lynda Talgo here. When asked whether or not the program could be perceived as eBay favoring the buyer over the seller, she says:
Another key component of eBay's announcement is what the company refers to as a boost to seller efficiency. For example, sellers of auto parts will be able to create a single listing with a complete list of compatible vehicles, which will save the seller on insertion fees and time. Sellers will be able to list multiple variations of a product in one fixed price listing in "many more" categories.
More details that reflect upcoming eBay changes can be found in this interview, this interview, the 2010 Spring Seller Update overview, and this announcement itself. In addition, there will be a webinar Thursday, and more details announced on the announcement board.
What do you think of eBay's upcoming changes? Discuss here.
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