Google Expands Local Listings to Web Results, Others Offer Similar Services
UPDATE: The concept of offering local results on web search results pages is not entirely new at Google and other search companies. Ask.com (then Ask Jeeves), Google, and Yahoo have been doing it in one form or another since 2004. What we are seeing these days is an expansion of that concept to include more info (reviews), events (concerts), links to purchase tickets, disambiguation, and maps.
Now, today's news: Word from Google today that they are expanding local results on web search results page when the context of a search indicates it that this info might be of use to the searcher. Barry has more in this post.
In some cases you must specify a state. For example, Movies Springfield provides listings of theaters in Springfield, IL results but nothing for Springfield, MA or Springfield, MO.
On Ask.com, since the launch of the AskCity two months ago, event listings, movie listings, restaurant listings and business listings have expanded on a web results page (when the query suggests this will be of value to the searcher). In some cases, an even listing might also provide a direct link to purchase tickets. Here are a few examples:
+ A search for Alternative Rock Concerts in New York City
Note that Ask offers a pull-down box that allows the searcher to narrow their search (without typing) to a specific borough. Also, note the links to purchase tickets on this page.
+ French Restaurants, Columbus
Again, if the user doesn't enter a state, Ask offers a pull-down box that lists cities and states named Columbus.
+ Finally, in this example, Ask.com not only offers listings but direct links to related categories.
Note: Gary is Director of Online Resources at Ask.com
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Recently I have found myself cooing over visualisation maps (and heat maps) of health and well being resources. The content rich data is overlayed with mapping technologies, and some interesting themes and patterns are emerging.
A lot of the talk around social media in the last year has been around information overload. Social media has provided us with new and exciting ways to create content. But it has also meant learning new ways to manage and engage with social media tools. Are we teetering on the edge of an information overload precipice?
Information overload is a figment of your imagination. Or a failure of your filter. Or a symptom of your technological submissiveness. Depends on who you ask.
What if you had to sort through 3.5 million articles and social media posts a day and try to pull out the most relevant items for your organisation? What if you then had to cobble it all together into something readable for your top groups and executives in your organisation?
Alacra Compliance saves time by aggregating information from both free and fee-based sources and enabling users to conduct an accurate federated search across these sources (coined “simultaneous search” by Alacra).
FreePint Family
Quilting big data threads
The fallacy of information overload
Information overload: fact, fantasy or filter failure? 
