local : the key to 2007 for looksmart

LOCAL – The “key” to 2007 for Looksmart?

< According to, 2006 Local Online Outlook from Borrell Associates Inc., local business is projected to spend $4.1 billion for online advertising in 2005, maybe $5.7 billion in 2006. …… “Spending by local businesses on paid search is expected to rise 161% next year, and account for nearly half of all local online advertising by 2010". >

http://www.gotbizwise.com/shownews.asp?newsid=30

And with their “stable” of clients, (link below) they are well qualified to be making such predictions.

http://www.borrellassociates.com/clients.cfm#media

The Tribune Co is a client of Borrell Associates Inc.

The Tribune Co own The LA Times ....…… And recently, it was announced that Newscorp's FIM, (it controls & operate myspace.com), Tribune and LookSmart (were) to auction ADS ....….. through another Co, (Right Media) and one that Yahoo (also recently) paid $45M for a 20% "stake" in!!! http://www.paidcontent.org/entry/tribune-fim-others-try-ad-auctions-monetize-to-make-money-from-low-traffic-


http://www1.investorvillage.com/smbd.asp?mb=3240&mn=128&pt=msg&mid=422643
http://www1.investorvillage.com/smbd.asp?mb=3240&mn=173&pt=msg&mid=638216

The LA Times have just introduced a ‘beta’ version called My LA Times that is not unlike The NY Times’ TimeSelect. Doesn’t have Furl, yet? But as NYT has it, it seems a logical progression.

http://my.latimes.com/ - What is MyLATimes

MyLATimes is a personalized news page — you can pick and choose the content you like best from latimes.com and other websites and see everything on one page. In addition, with a feature called "Editor's Picks from the Web," you can read the news from other great sources recommended by L.A. Times journalists. Whether you are interested in entertainment, sports, health or news, you can create your page just the way you like it.

No doubt other Tribune newspaper sites will follow suit and a check of their Baltimoresun.com site show this to be so.

https://www.baltimoresun.com/services/site/registration/

Looksmart will have a big future should there be any possibility of an involvement with a network of newspaper publishers. Local “free rag” Sites throughout the US initially, (& there’s thousands of them) could get to ‘share’ links to both national & global stories, virtually as they happen. Along with the millions of research quality (archived) articles, as are ‘housed’ within Looksmart’s Find Articles. And that’s where that 161% increase on the $5.7 billion estimated 2006 spend should come from, too. LOCAL with “local” businesses advertising, daily.

TheSEOLeader.com may have ‘jumped the gun’ a little when they stated (back in January), that:

< "The time for massive LOCAL Internet marketing success is here!" You are about to be awe struck by the most comprehensive, affordable Local Internet Marketing strategy ever devised! >

http://www.prleap.com/pr/23964/ Will Looksmart be a part of it? You’d be entitled to think so.

Cheers!!

dj