Google buys Zagat, in original-content gambit

 Internet News, Marketing  265 Responses »
Sep 082011
 

 

 

Google today acquired Zagat in an effort to bolster its local products with the restaurant rating service. More notable is that Zagat is a content company.

In a blog post, Google said that Zagat will “be a cornerstone of our local offering.” Zagat is best known for its original reviews and rating service.

There are a few key elements to the Zagat purchase:

• Google will build out its local coverage and have reviews in more than 100 cities.

• Google is showing that it may actually have to own some content instead of merely aggregating it.

• As Robert Scoble noted, Zagat’s reviews are social-friendly and play in with Google+.

via Google buys Zagat, in original-content gambit | Digital Media – CNET News.

Dying Or Still Evolving? Industry Continues to Bet on the Latter for Daily Deals

 Marketing  439 Responses »
Sep 082011
 

The drumbeat heralding the demise, or at least leveling off, of the daily deal market has been picking up in recent days. Most recently, news broke that Groupon was delaying its IPO.

Other worrisome recent events for the industry: Facebook has pulled its Daily Deal offering; Yelp is scaling back its sales force for these products. Experian Hitwise reported a significant drop-off in Groupon traffic this summer; according to PriceGrabber’s Local Deals Survey, 52% of respondents expressed feeling overwhelmed by the number of daily deal emails they receive.

via Dying Or Still Evolving? Industry Continues to Bet on the Latter for Daily Deals – MarketingVOX.

Mark Boulton on layouts and grid systems

 Design, interface, Web Design  301 Responses »
Sep 072011
 

 

“The idea is a very mature way of thinking. It’s almost ingrained as a designer: this is how we approach layout. But we’ve tried to make it work on the web by basically inventing a page, like a best fit. We’ve created a page in a medium where there are no edges, there is no page. The web is different. So I’ve thought up three rules, which I think we need to apply to modern web design. It’s a complete reversing of the way of thinking about it.”

via Mark Boulton on layouts and grid systems | Interview | .net magazine.

BMW adds steam engine to car, improves fuel efficiency by 10%

 Design, Tech News  518 Responses »
Sep 072011
 

 

 

Conclusively proving that technology is indeed cyclical, BMW has successfully integrated a small steam turbine into a prototype 5 series that converts waste engine heat into electricity, resulting in a solid 10% increase in miles per gallon.

via BMW adds steam engine to car, improves fuel efficiency by 10% | DVICE.

10 amazing buildings that look like terrible accidents

 Design  44 Responses »
Sep 072011
 

 

 

Modern engineering techniques have given architects the freedom to go absolutely nuts as they run around cities and towns experimenting with all manner of crazy new structures. Like any artists given access to a wholly new set of artistic tools, the line between aesthetic choice and horrible mishap can prove somewhat fuzzy at first glance.

via 10 amazing buildings that look like terrible accidents | DVICE.

The Modern History of the Resume [INFOGRAPHIC]

 Design, Marketing, Your Brand  543 Responses »
Sep 072011
 

 

 

 

The role of the resume has remained constant throughout its 500 years of existence — the point of the resume is to get an interview, in hopes of finally landing a job.

Relative to other forms of communication, though, it hasn’t changed all that much. In fact, most of the changes have been merely cosmetic — most employers still require a one-sheet, black-and-white printed resume at interviews, regardless of the fact that we all use email and have had access to much better design options for years now.

via The Modern History of the Resume [INFOGRAPHIC].

Facebook Doubles Revenues in the First Half of 2011 to $1.6 Billion [REPORT]

 Internet News  239 Responses »
Sep 072011
 

 

 

Facebook‘s revenues doubled in the first half of the year to $1.6 billion, according to a report.

Reuters says Facebook’s net income for the period hit $500 million, citing “a source with knowledge of [Facebook’s] financials.”

via Facebook Doubles Revenues in the First Half of 2011 to $1.6 Billion [REPORT].

Adult Internet Users Are Socialites, Study Finds

 Internet News, Your Brand  363 Responses »
Sep 062011
 

 

 

According to a new study, 65 percent of American adult Internet users have interacted on a social media site like Facebook, Google+, or LinkedIn, supporting the often cited importance of social media marketing.

The social networking report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project has been asking adult Internet users in the United States about social media site visits since 2005 when just 8 percent of Internet users 18-years-old or older had visited one of the sites, compared with 65 percent just six years later. What’s more, for the first time, more than half of all American adults — Internet user or not — has visited a site like Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google+.

via Adult Internet Users Are Socialites, Study Finds | Practical eCommerce.

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