http://blog.fwix.com We index the web by location! posterous.com Thu, 08 Dec 2011 14:08:15 -0800 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/fwixBlog/~3/IXCO1qko0KM/happy-holidays http://blog.fwix.com/happy-holidays <p> <p>As our final blog post for 2011, a big <strong>thanks</strong> to each of you who read our blog.</p> <p>We're very excited for what's to come in 2012 :)</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://getfile8.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-12-08/srvqvxcksvDhzjoiEaJDlICkGmwHqwcseCwhBJiqmzrBxlklCtGvbpEFlgBF/holidays.png.scaled1000.png"><img alt="Holidays" height="351" src="http://getfile2.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-12-08/srvqvxcksvDhzjoiEaJDlICkGmwHqwcseCwhBJiqmzrBxlklCtGvbpEFlgBF/holidays.png.scaled500.png" width="500" /></a> </div> </p> </p> <p><a href="http://blog.fwix.com/happy-holidays">Permalink</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/fwixBlog/~4/IXCO1qko0KM" height="1" width="1"/> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/he617tdEtXbpo Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker http://blog.fwix.com/happy-holidays Tue, 15 Nov 2011 11:01:59 -0800 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/fwixBlog/~3/jQMvbLsTDFk/a-history-of-organizing-the-web-info-graphic http://blog.fwix.com/a-history-of-organizing-the-web-info-graphic <p> <p>The history of web organization is important to understanding how information is found on the web. As new organization methods develop, new site optimization techniques (e.g. SEO, SMO) evolve as well.</p> <p>The newest site optimization method is <a href="http://blog.fwix.com/lso-is-what-seo-was-in-1999">Location Search Optimization.</a> LSO is directly related to the growth of smart-phones and location-based searches. Websites are geotagging their content to become LSO compliant -- so people can find information based on where they are, not just what they want.</p> <p>This info-graphic below highlights key points from 20 years of web organization and site optimization. We hope you enjoy this info-graphic!</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Infog6" height="1275" src="http://getfile9.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-11-15/DkGxwiCBnujcsqoigvHfsJBufvybImGafzIIcotvnkvJBAcBrnGlarcaGxyr/infog6.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /> </div> </p> </p> <p><a href="http://blog.fwix.com/a-history-of-organizing-the-web-info-graphic">Permalink</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/fwixBlog/~4/jQMvbLsTDFk" height="1" width="1"/> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/he617tdEtXbpo Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker http://blog.fwix.com/a-history-of-organizing-the-web-info-graphic Fri, 11 Nov 2011 11:15:00 -0800 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/fwixBlog/~3/zp52S81YN14/lso-is-what-seo-was-in-1999 http://blog.fwix.com/lso-is-what-seo-was-in-1999 <p> <p>With mobile phones in every pocket, the Web will be entirely mobile within the next 10 years. Just as Search Engine Optimization (SEO) served the needs of computers in the early 2000s, <strong>Location Search Optimization</strong> (LSO) serves the search needs of today's smart mobile devices. LSO is directly related to the growth of smart phones and location-based searches.</p> <p><strong>LSO</strong> is the newest site optimization method, following in the evolution of SEO and SMO (Social Media Optimization). Site optimization methods improve the visilibility of a website in search engines and finding information online. With SEO, publishers optimized around keywords, and with SMO, publishers optimized sites by adding Facebook and Twitter Share buttons. LSO is optimizing around location so your content will be more easily discovered on location-aware devices.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>Why LSO Matters?</strong></span></p> <p>More people are accessing the web via mobile devices than computers. By 2014, mobile internet usage is expected to surpass PC internet usage. People turn to their mobile phones to learn what is happening around them and nearby. Location-based searches are now a key way people find information online, and specifically, Google reports that 40% of mobile searches are about a location.</p> <p>Did you know there will be a concert at the park near your house? What are people saying about that restaurant across the street? What news articles and webpages mention that restaurant? These questions all boil down to location.</p> <p>More people now are discovering information through location and mobile devices. Location is most relevant in delivering what information users need on their location-enabled devices.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong style="font-size: medium;">How to Become LSO Compliant?</strong></p> <p>It takes less than 5 minutes to become LSO compliant. Here are the steps:</p> <ol> <li>Use the proper microformat tags that will help search engines better understand your content. These are simply small additions to HTML. You can check if your site is ready by going to <a href="http://www.fwix.com/geotagger">this link</a> and clicking the link "Is your Site Ready?". Simply enter the URL for your site, and it will direct you on how to <a href="http://www.fwix.com/geotagger/optimize">optimize your site</a>.</li> <li>Geotag your site by adding this small snippet of Javascript code that will identify the places and locations mentioned in your webpage. Geotagging your site will add location context to your content.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.fwix.com/geotagger">Access the code here</a>.</li> </ol> <p>That's it.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong style="font-size: medium;">What types of content can be optimized (e.g. LSO compliant)?</strong></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size: small;"><strong><span style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;">News content</span></strong></span></li> <li><span style="font-size: small;"><strong><span style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;">Reviews</span></strong></span></li> <li><span style="font-size: small;"><strong><span style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;">Daily Deals</span></strong></span></li> <li><span style="font-size: small;"><strong><span style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;">Traffic &amp; Weather</span></strong></span></li> <li><span style="font-size: small;"><strong><span style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;">Local Inventory</span></strong></span></li> <li><span style="font-size: small;"><strong><span style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;">Real Estate Listings</span></strong></span></li> <li><span style="font-size: small;"><strong><span style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;">Job Postings</span></strong></span></li> <li><span style="font-size: small;"><strong><span style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;">Videos</span></strong></span></li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong style="font-size: medium;">Learn More about LSO</strong></p> <p>Fwix CEO Darian Shirazi recently gave the keynote talk about LSO at the <a href="http://streetfightmag.com/conference-2011/">Street Fight Summit</a> in New York City, where he provides an informative overview. The slides he used in his presentation are not apparent in the video, but we embedded the slides below as well.</p> <p><iframe scrolling="no" src="http://www.framesocket.com/embed/309c9c9b03oi/" frameborder="0" height="360" width="640"></iframe></p> <p>View the slides from his keynote below.</p> <div style=""><strong style="display: block; margin: 12px 0 4px;"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/fwixinc/location-and-search" title="Location and Search" target="_blank">Location and Search</a></strong> <iframe scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/9894359" frameborder="0" height="355" width="425"></iframe></div> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong style="font-size: medium;">Finally, just remember</strong></p> <p><strong style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;">The web will be entirely mobile in the next 10 years, and LSO is what SEO was in 1999. Don't get left behind!</span></strong></p> <ul> </ul> <p><strong style="font-size: medium;">&nbsp;</strong>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <ol> </ol> </p> <p><a href="http://blog.fwix.com/lso-is-what-seo-was-in-1999">Permalink</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/fwixBlog/~4/zp52S81YN14" height="1" width="1"/> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/he617tdEtXbpo Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker http://blog.fwix.com/lso-is-what-seo-was-in-1999 Mon, 07 Nov 2011 10:41:00 -0800 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/fwixBlog/~3/hkz-Pikf_5A/online-local-advertising-can-do-better http://blog.fwix.com/online-local-advertising-can-do-better <p> <p>While the promise and reality of online local advertising is bright, the success of this market is dependent on the performance of local ads. As we will see in this analysis, the vast majority of geotargeting capabilities are still only targeted to a DMA (Designated Market Area, e.g. the San Francisco Bay Area). Is that local enough? What if our geotagging technology can help improve targeted advertising to a neighborhood level?</p> <p>Let&rsquo;s quickly recap some of the market data and industry trends. In 2011, Borrell Associates reports the US online local advertising market to be $23 billion, and the majority of this ad spend is divided up between search and display advertising on the Web.</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Projectedlocal" height="348" src="http://getfile2.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-11-04/ImrsdjHiClhelIJzhdlFjajmfEigyHFsDndvFnxGeGBItyJjfuocuknDjJCG/projectedLocal.png.scaled500.png" width="500" /> </div> US mobile advertising approximately accounts for only 11% of the total local online ad spend. As mobile data traffic is projected to grow 26x over the next 5 years, not only will the US mobile ad spend grow, but the size of the overall local ad market pie will grow as well.</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Image01" height="159" src="http://getfile9.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-11-08/qomtaxbFmIGipeqFmFDHreAGuzEGhxHzfDHGftocIbnJImxzJhDzmdnJItJH/image01.png.scaled500.png" width="500" /> </div> </p> <p>Industry changes are reflecting this opportunity as well. Google, Amazon, AOL, and AT&amp;T Interactive have entered the daily deals space in addition to bulking up their general local advertising sales efforts. There has also been the meteoric rise of daily deal companies, such as Groupon and Living Social.</p> <p>As companies increase their local ad efforts, it will be important that local ads become fully optimized. In order to optimize local ads, geotargeting must be effective in displaying a relevant, contextual ad. Let&rsquo;s review the current geotargeting methods and respective limitations:</p> <table border="0"> <tr> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td>&nbsp;</td> <td width="33%"><strong> </strong> <div style="text-align: center;">Description</div> </td> <td width="33%"> <div style="text-align: center;">Limitation</div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Ip" height="25" src="http://getfile4.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-11-04/usuqskfawjxvEsnzICiGyzFirqomsFijFItfnrFjutaviArqCmutCcsrxhyC/ip.png.scaled500.png" width="25" /> </div> </td> <td><strong>IP Based</strong></td> <td>Ads are delivered using a user&rsquo;s geographic location as determined by the IP address.</td> <td>There are widely-known issues with the quality and precision of this method. IP-based can at best target to a DMA.</td> </tr> <tr> <td><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Mobloc" height="25" src="http://getfile8.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-11-04/HfqxqlzizhryrudujhAoAJvcwapiexCnkagIgCfIhEABdCkwcbuIInpExBjk/mobLoc.png.scaled500.png" width="25" /> </div> </td> <td><strong>Mobile/Location-Based</strong></td> <td>Ads are delivered using the geographic coordinates via the smartphone&rsquo;s GPS capabilities.</td> <td>IAC reports that the mobile inventory is by far mostly mobile Web (70%) rather than application (30%). Consequently, most available mobile ad inventory has only DMA-level targeting because mobile Web publishers generally have access to only derived-location data. In-app advertising, on the other hand, has been too expensive for advertisers to participate in (e.g. iAd).</td> </tr> <tr> <td><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="User" height="25" src="http://getfile5.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-11-04/kjwgFypAlhGpietFCJmmxrnzFAIqdtzqggCIznrtiBnuzACDgnpDvpHmihAt/user.png.scaled500.png" width="25" /> </div> </td> <td><strong>User Profile</strong></td> <td>Ads are delivered based upon the explicit user registration info submitted for a particular site or service.</td> <td>The scale is limited to the service which required user registration, and there are other issues such as outdated information, or lacking location context. The targeting capability is city level, but typically targeted to a DMA.</td> </tr> <tr> <td><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Behav" height="25" src="http://getfile2.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-11-04/JlGvckHwnJwfJxdvvqHGBxbwDiEldvreoIaniHrxJGpeowzrBGzGJlCwwxly/behav.png.scaled500.png" width="25" /> </div> </td> <td><strong>Behavioral</strong></td> <td>Ads are delivered based on the digital footprint (via cookies) of the user, and they are based upon the user&rsquo;s browsing actions.</td> <td>As these are derived locations, the precision of the geotargeting is inconsistent, especially if the browser cookies are often cleared. Behavioral ads typically has at best DMA-level targeting.</td> </tr> <tr> <td><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Search" height="25" src="http://getfile8.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-11-04/AbyaCjelAAseAJobCgjyfJnHCkcnHewgJEcBqvxtFbbmtqyDwfdpAlCmqjIt/search.png.scaled500.png" width="25" /> </div> </td> <td><strong>Search</strong></td> <td>Ads are delivered based on the search query entered by users on search engines.</td> <td>While these are very effective ads, it relies on the user entering the specified location within the search query, and if it the location is not included in the search query, it ultimately relies on IP-based targeting.</td> </tr> <tr> <td><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Context" height="25" src="http://getfile8.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-11-04/curCIcyHdjIDmjDaEEkqkgmJdcjIzgetAqoIwilyEJyvCwhpbdvucdBIfayI/context.png.scaled500.png" width="25" /> </div> </td> <td><strong>Contextual</strong></td> <td>Ads are delivered based on the location context of the webpage, typically hyperlocal content that is relevant to the user.</td> <td>The inconsistency with this form of geotargeting is limited to local news sites or weather sites. These sites cannot target beyond the city level, as they are inherently organized by zip code.</td> </tr> </table> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The untapped opportunity in advertising is <span style="font-size: small;"><strong>contextual targeting</strong></span>.</p> <p>There is a significant opportunity in location-targeted advertising and moving past DMA and city level to one step further: <strong>neighborhoods and places</strong>. Through geotagging, we can better understand the location context of a webpage and identify the street intersection, neighborhood, and city via the referenced places and locations. In turn, we can retarget local ads more effectively.</p> <p>This type of contextual targeting also allows advertisers to also get more granular categorical information. &nbsp;If a detected place in a piece of content is a hospital or a car dealership, categorical inference yields Health or Automotive categories, respectively. &nbsp;This type of contextually targeted advertising allows advertisements from national advertisers to be more focused and delivered to local areas. &nbsp;Combining categorical and location information allows advertisers like BMW to advertise for a specific dealership in Santa Rosa on an article about Mercedes Benz&rsquo;s auto show at the Infineon Raceway.</p> <p>The impact of such an improvement in targeting can be astounding for media and advertising companies.</p> <p>In the case of national advertisers, targeting advertisements for national companies that have local presence continues to be a multi-billion dollar opportunity. &nbsp;Bank of America, The Home Depot, Wal-mart, and the like are only a few examples of advertisers that need local intent and local targeting to bring online customers to stores. &nbsp;The ability for The Home Depot to advertise for a lawn-mower deal at the West Los Angeles store on an article about home improvement in West L.A. is impossible without contextually-targeted geotagging. &nbsp;</p> <p>In the case of daily deals, Groupon spent $180 million in online marketing in the first quarter alone and acquired approximately 33 million new subscribers in that time. That is about $5.40 per new subscriber, and Groupon is on path to spend $720 million annually in local advertising. If Groupon and other services could understand the location context, targeted down to a neighborhood, they can buy advertisements on pages that are relevant to the deals they have inventory for, thereby increasing conversion and reducing marketing expenditures.</p> <p>So, how does it work? &nbsp;Well, it&rsquo;s pretty simple. &nbsp;Advertisers submit a URL to us for the page they want to advertise on and we&rsquo;ll return a list of places and local categories associated with the page. &nbsp;We can also return latitudes and longitudes associated with a page. &nbsp;This meta data about the page can then be used to determine which ad to show on that particular page.</p> <p>Advertising agencies want this data and advertisers want to find ways to reach real customers in local areas more effectively. &nbsp;We&rsquo;re excited about this massive opportunity, and we&rsquo;re excited that geotagging can bring the <span style="text-decoration: underline;">right ads</span> to the <span style="text-decoration: underline;">right content</span> and to the <span style="text-decoration: underline;">right people</span>.</p> </p> <p><a href="http://blog.fwix.com/online-local-advertising-can-do-better">Permalink</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/fwixBlog/~4/hkz-Pikf_5A" height="1" width="1"/> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/he617tdEtXbpo Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker http://blog.fwix.com/online-local-advertising-can-do-better Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:41:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/fwixBlog/~3/NUVIKyMH9Bg/provide-advanced-mapping-features http://blog.fwix.com/provide-advanced-mapping-features <p> <p>Continuing the series of blog posts about&nbsp;<a href="http://blog.fwix.com/dont-get-left-behind-is-your-site-geotagged">the benefits of geotagging your site</a>, today we'll focus on the benefit of providing advanced mapping features.</p> <p>By geotagging your content, you can provide new ways to display your content through an interactive map. Specifically, you could imagine your site's users clicking on a pin on a map and they'll be presented with a pop-up balloon containing a list of the relevant articles for that place.</p> <p>In an era where devices like the iPad with beautiful, interactive touch-screens are revolutionizing how media is consumed. New apps are being built with innovative user interfaces (e.g. <a href="http://flipboard.com/">Flipboard</a>, <a href="http://www.pulse.me/">Pulse</a>). As a result, there is a demand for new and interactive ways to discover online content. Below is one example of news content overlayed on a map.</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Screen_shot_2011-10-31_at_5" height="182" src="http://getfile2.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-10-31/vrsunjEnyEEyvrGevAuDafhqfvdtbwrxvkkFrExGxvgnFcjEnsEnJGmCEDEw/Screen_shot_2011-10-31_at_5.37.16_PM.png.scaled500.png" width="234" /> </div> </p> <p>Publishers are catching on to this trend of providing advanced mapping features. The New York Times recently just launched their <a href="http://beta620.nytimes.com/viewer/longitude/">Longitude</a> product. With Longitude, users can interact through a map to find news content about places and locations they care about. New York Times Readers, for example, can find news articles about their favorite restaurant or their local neighborhood.&nbsp;Below is a screenshot of Longitude.</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://getfile6.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-10-31/hyAxJlkgmInGrbnkdFFtldBpmbqukzuqidyEgxfBIevCBjxrpEjylEaxsxeb/Screen_shot_2011-10-31_at_5.20.21_PM.png.scaled1000.png"><img alt="Screen_shot_2011-10-31_at_5" height="380" src="http://getfile1.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-10-31/hyAxJlkgmInGrbnkdFFtldBpmbqukzuqidyEgxfBIevCBjxrpEjylEaxsxeb/Screen_shot_2011-10-31_at_5.20.21_PM.png.scaled500.png" width="500" /></a> </div> </p> <p>Geographical interfaces are fast becoming a part of your future news reading experience!</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </p> <p><a href="http://blog.fwix.com/provide-advanced-mapping-features">Permalink</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/fwixBlog/~4/NUVIKyMH9Bg" height="1" width="1"/> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/he617tdEtXbpo Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker http://blog.fwix.com/provide-advanced-mapping-features Mon, 24 Oct 2011 11:06:51 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/fwixBlog/~3/CrUIYC2nq68/say-hi-to-the-new-fwixcom http://blog.fwix.com/say-hi-to-the-new-fwixcom <p> <p>With our <a href="http://blog.fwix.com/dont-get-left-behind-is-your-site-geotagged">Geotagger Button annoucement</a> last week, you likely noticed our new <a href="http://www.fwix.com">Fwix.com</a>. The new site deserves a separate post. While the whole site was redesigned, there are 2 significant changes to the site:</p> <p>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;1.The Geotagger Button is now <strong>available for everyone and free</strong> to use.</p> <p>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;2. <strong>Brand New Place Pages</strong> for over 25,000,000 places.</p> <p>You can check out the brand new place pages by simply entering your favorite place or location in the search box. In the example below, I'll type in "<a href="http://www.fwix.com/soma-sanfrancisco-ca">SoMa</a>" -- which is a neighborhood here in San Francisco.</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Screen_shot_2011-10-21_at_3" height="281" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-10-21/FBJADnyBojbrcHCcAhydpfnJIupvEuscqCotrfFIlwJFvfpGpxgeFaovywwi/Screen_shot_2011-10-21_at_3.30.49_PM_2.png.scaled500.png" width="432" /> </div> </p> <p>Once you select the location, you can then view all the content (news, events, reviews, photos, tweets, social media) we have geotagged about that place in a <strong>news feed</strong>. The news feed is awesome -- either view the 'featured' news feed or the 'most recent' feed of geotagged content.&nbsp;We're excited about these place pages because you can see the breadth and depth of our geotagger in action. It demonstrates the capabilities of this location-based search index where users can find relevant information about a place. You can view this <a href="http://www.fwix.com/soma-sanfrancisco-ca">referenced page here</a>.</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-10-21/uIrxmjkExzGaugxyFjtcDiFsareuiHhvwHownurJqiupmhhwejbyIFwvfbAJ/Screen_shot_2011-10-21_at_3.32.29_PM.png.scaled1000.png"><img alt="Screen_shot_2011-10-21_at_3" height="406" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-10-21/uIrxmjkExzGaugxyFjtcDiFsareuiHhvwHownurJqiupmhhwejbyIFwvfbAJ/Screen_shot_2011-10-21_at_3.32.29_PM.png.scaled500.png" width="500" /></a> </div> </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Check it out yourself and see what's happening at the places you care about. Better yet, tap into all this great data by using our <a href="http://developers.fwix.com">API</a>.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </p> <p><a href="http://blog.fwix.com/say-hi-to-the-new-fwixcom">Permalink</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/fwixBlog/~4/CrUIYC2nq68" height="1" width="1"/> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/he617tdEtXbpo Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker http://blog.fwix.com/say-hi-to-the-new-fwixcom Wed, 19 Oct 2011 11:45:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/fwixBlog/~3/yZxUIBn2S8g/dont-get-left-behind-is-your-site-geotagged http://blog.fwix.com/dont-get-left-behind-is-your-site-geotagged <p> <p>We're excited to announce the Geotagger Button is now <strong>available for everyone and free to use</strong>. In June, we launched the Geotagger Button in a public beta program with NBC and other media publishers.</p> <p>Any publisher, blogger, or developer can now geotag a piece of content without writing a single line of code. Geotagger lets you deliver a new layer of location-based relevancy to your web property, for free. After a publisher pastes a snippet of Javascript code into a page, we'll automatically geotag that page and publishers can then access the geotags, e.g. the location data of the referenced places through our API. Below is a screenshot of the Geotagger Button on a sample webpage.</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-10-19/dzvmlwkCrEbofAIDHqkJCweqEptGcvoehlldhhwhpqAcwcmtmrjJatcjjvaj/fx_geotagger.png.scaled1000.png"><img alt="Fx_geotagger" height="243" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-10-19/dzvmlwkCrEbofAIDHqkJCweqEptGcvoehlldhhwhpqAcwcmtmrjJatcjjvaj/fx_geotagger.png.scaled500.png" width="500" /></a> </div> </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>What are the Benefits of Geotagger?</strong></span></p> <p><span style="color: #4e4e4e; font-family: helvetica neue, arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> </span></p> <ul style=""> <li style="">Reach more readers on mobile</li> <li style="">Provide advanced mapping features</li> <li style="">Surface related content</li> <li style="">Become Location Search Optimized</li> <li style="">Enhance SEO</li> <li style="">Enhance ad-targeting</li> </ul> <p>In a series of future blog posts, I will dive into the details of each benefit listed above so stay tuned for them.&nbsp;Also, I will discuss our<strong> new site</strong> in more detail in a separate blog post!&nbsp;Today, I'll focus on the first benefit.</p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>Reach More Readers on Mobile</strong></span></p> <p>The keyword here is mobile. With smart phones outselling desktop computers, we are in an era of real-time connectivity, in the palm of our hands. More people are now interacting with the Internet and search engines through mobile devices than desktop computers.</p> <p>People are turning to their mobile phone to learn what is happening around them. Did you know there will be a concert at the park nearby? What are people saying about that restaurant across the street? What news articles and webpages mention that restaurant? These questions all boil down to location, and&nbsp;location is equally if not more important than the search query itself. People are turning to their mobile phones to answer these questions. Google reports that over 40% of mobile search queries are about a place, and Bing reports 50% of mobile search queries are about a place.</p> <p>As a result, location is most relevant in delivering what information users need on their location-enabled devices. But is your content indexed by location? Is your website ready for search queries about a location?&nbsp;</p> <p>The Geotagger Button is the solution to making your content location-relevant. When your content is geotagged, your content will automatically be added to our search index that allows people, developers, and partners to access information based on where they are. Our search index is open and free to use by developers and partners, and I'm proud to announce that we are serving over 10,000,000 API calls each day to our search index. Also incorporating the geotags (e.g. location data) on your website will boost your SEO and improve your rankings in mobile search queries about a location, which I will speak about in more detail in another post.</p> <p>Fwix has geotagged over 100,000,000 million webpages so don't get left behind.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </p> <p><a href="http://blog.fwix.com/dont-get-left-behind-is-your-site-geotagged">Permalink</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/fwixBlog/~4/yZxUIBn2S8g" height="1" width="1"/> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/he617tdEtXbpo Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker http://blog.fwix.com/dont-get-left-behind-is-your-site-geotagged Thu, 13 Oct 2011 17:48:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/fwixBlog/~3/t2SjnJY_OT8/millions-and-millions-of-dots http://blog.fwix.com/millions-and-millions-of-dots <p> <p>One of the most important steps in our modern, mobile, and location-based app world is building and maintaining a places database: a collection of all the physical locations, businesses, points of interest, and structures in the US and worldwide. All location-based services, such as a check-in application (e.g. Foursquare), restaurant reviews app (e.g. Yelp), local discovery app (e.g. Loopt), social networks (e.g. Facebook), etc all utilize such a database because places are core to the product functionality.</p> <p>At Fwix, we use a places database, unsurprisingly, for our <a href="http://fwix.com/geotagger/whitepaper.pdf">geotagging technology</a>. As mentioned in a <a href="http://blog.fwix.com/our-geodata-just-got-even-better">previous blog post</a>, we partnered with Factual as our baseline places database provider. Factual continues to be a great partner company, and their places data is open and free to use through our API.&nbsp;</p> <p>One might think, however, that because we have partnered with another company to provide our baseline places data, our work is complete in building and maintaining a places database. Is that the case? <strong>Certainly not</strong>. We have a devoted, full-time team working on maintaining a high-quality and constantly evolving places database. And this blog post will discuss the key challenges in doing so because several developers and companies have reached out to us seeking insight on this topic. It&rsquo;s a lengthy explanation, but I hope it provides insight on the challenges our great engineers have been working on.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>1. Data Quality</strong></span></p> <p>While we only distribute our Factual places data through our public API, we actually consolidate from many (10+) data sources in forming our internal, canonical places database. A canonical place simply means reconstructing an authoritative place listing from the 10+ sources. For example, each source has data for the restaurant Chez Panisse in Berkeley, CA. In forming the canonical place listing, we might grab the phone number from one source and the street address for Chez Panisse from another source. (<strong>Note</strong>: we only distribute the Factual places data through our API. We do not distribute the data we collect from the other sources.)&nbsp;</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Canonical" height="346" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-10-13/tiCifyksBeDtfqBooEEGsdrnfxJGqADmyhztndEiottgDndDjwyEFJmmiJnw/canonical.png.scaled500.png" width="500" /> </div> </p> <p>Consolidating from multiple sources improves our breadth, depth, and quality of data, but building a canonical place has its challenges. How do you determine data quality? How do you know which data source is better than the other? One source might consistently have an accurate phone number for a business listing but lacks a street address. One might infer that a source is poor in quality if a source is missing a big percentage of attributes (e.g. phone number, address). As a result, determining source quality is difficult, and building a canonical place becomes a dynamic value that is a mathematical function of the quality of sources.</p> <p>In another instance below, two maps are shown of two different neighborhoods within San Francisco: SOMA and South Beach. While these are 2 distinct neighborhoods within San Francisco, some sources state that SOMA includes South Beach and some sources show them as 2 separate neighborhoods.</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Hoods_map" height="436" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-10-13/CupIpFByplGmqboBgomqCdDvBqnyiayhdaBcEgHCvubiACwdqjrhsqIvrDwu/hoods_map.png.scaled500.png" width="500" /> </div> </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>2. Data Constantly Changing</strong></span></p> <p>Places data change all <span style="font-size: small;">the time, and stale data must be updated. New businesses spring up, businesses shut down, businesses change</span> their phone number, businesses move to a new location, businesses add a storefront URL, and the list goes on. But it&rsquo;s not just businesses either. Zip codes continually change, neighborhood boundaries change, and more. The data is never static and must be continually refreshed to maintain data quality. On average, we are modifying and updating <strong>2 million existing place entries per month</strong>.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>3. Scale</strong></span></p> <p>Processing data for millions, and millions, of entries in a reasonable time is not a simple task. We have over 30 million place entries in our database, and this number is growing. No matter how much hardware you throw at this problem, it still requires a complex infrastructure for distributed processing. We use proprietary software tools for distributed processing to optimize performance. The chart below gives a sense of this constant fluctuation:</p> <ul> <li>Over <strong>30,000,000 places</strong> in our database.</li> <li><strong>Adding</strong> on average 300,000 places entries per month.</li> <li><strong>Removing</strong> on average 200,000 place entries per month.</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>4. Removing Duplicates</strong></span></p> <p>Programatically identifying duplicate place records referring to the same place is critical in maintaining a clean dataset. Does the name of this place already exist in our database? If there are multiple occurrences, are they actual duplicates, or perhaps part of a chain (e.g. Starbucks Coffee)?</p> <p>For example, there are multiple &ldquo;Osha Thai&rdquo; restaurants here in San Francisco. One source may refer to this place as &ldquo;Osha Thai Restaurant&rdquo;, while another one simply refers to it as &ldquo;Osha Thai&rdquo;. Are they referring to the same place? Another example is the address: one source may state the street address to be &ldquo;149 2nd Street&rdquo; while another source may reference the street as &ldquo;149 Second Street&rdquo;. Obviously, there are many similar examples.</p> <p>Resolving these duplicates, a.ka. &ldquo;de-duping&rdquo;, requires fuzzy string matching, confining geospatial searches to a geographic region, and calculating a score based on a function of parameters to measure and determine the most accurate match.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>5. Lack of Data, Going Global</strong></span></p> <p>It&rsquo;s difficult to find data for every corner within the US, let alone worldwide. Census.gov is a good source for US data, but even within the US, there are hundreds of rural towns that lack this basic information. This problem multiplies dramatically in dealing with a global places data.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>6. Data Inferences</strong></span></p> <p>Another challenge arises from the lack of data in some geographic areas. Our technology will algorithmically make data inferences on what it thinks the value should be.</p> <p>An example will help illustrate. The map below displays the neighborhoods of Daly City (outlined in blue), which is a city just south of San Francisco. Suppose there is a business located by the dot below and we had the street address but not the neighborhood information. In that case, we would have to infer the neighborhood. It is not an easy inference to do given the complex and coiled shape of Daly City. Inferring the value then turns into a series of geospatial mapping calculations relating to the centroid of neighborhoods in close proximity to the business.</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Red_dot" height="315" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-10-13/buuJtGnlnDtHqtCsxyrEkEhFtBgdbimJeBuJFxJxzCkmiBElkocfjGzFldtg/red_dot.png.scaled500.png" width="500" /> </div> </p> <ul> </ul> </p> <p><a href="http://blog.fwix.com/millions-and-millions-of-dots">Permalink</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/fwixBlog/~4/t2SjnJY_OT8" height="1" width="1"/> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/he617tdEtXbpo Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker http://blog.fwix.com/millions-and-millions-of-dots Mon, 03 Oct 2011 12:53:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/fwixBlog/~3/Nd-_hZI7Wmk/geotagger-white-paper http://blog.fwix.com/geotagger-white-paper <p> <p>Today we're releasing the <a href="http://fwix.com/geotagger/whitepaper.pdf">Fwix Geotagger white paper</a> to help customers learn more about our geotagging technology, which automatically identifies physical locations referred to in webpages.&nbsp;This paper provides a clear overview on the technology and examples of how customers are using the Geotagger Button.</p> <p>Geotagging the web is challenging and not an easy problem to solve.&nbsp;No other company is geotagging the entire web or making a geotagging product, i.e. Geotagger Button, freely available for publishers and website owners.&nbsp;Our patented technology geotags, processes, and filteres hundreds of thousands of pieces of content per day, and it is a technology we've proudly built by our team.</p> <p>We hope this paper helps you have a better insight into our technology and vision.</p> <p><a href="http://fwix.com/geotagger/whitepaper.pdf">Download the free white paper (PDF)</a>.</p> <p><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Screen_shot_2011-10-03_at_2" height="432" src="http://getfile3.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-10-03/IGytqcmlkcrJhlCgogddyBqeHIJvrHkqJFxumgascjrbtlxdbIInsEAizgdE/Screen_shot_2011-10-03_at_2.25.54_PM.png.scaled500.png" width="379" /> </div> </span></p> </p> <p><a href="http://blog.fwix.com/geotagger-white-paper">Permalink</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/fwixBlog/~4/Nd-_hZI7Wmk" height="1" width="1"/> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/he617tdEtXbpo Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker http://blog.fwix.com/geotagger-white-paper Fri, 16 Sep 2011 15:34:19 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/fwixBlog/~3/ry0Zo0_UJDU/looking-ahead-to-the-fall http://blog.fwix.com/looking-ahead-to-the-fall <p> <p>Summer is coming to a close, but we're looking forward to the Fall because Darian will be speaking at 3 great conferences. If you want to catch him in person, mark your calendars with the following information:</p> <p>On <strong>October 25th</strong>, at the <a href="http://streetfightmag.com/conference-2011/">Street Fight Summit</a> in New York City, Darian will be giving the keynote talk.&nbsp;We're fans of this relatively new publication, and recommend you check it out as a good source of the latest news and information in the hyperlocal and location-relevant space. &nbsp;If you register before September 30th, <a href="http://streetfightmag.com/conference-2011/">you can buy a conference pass</a> at a $100 discount.</p> <p>Next, on <strong>November 3rd</strong>, at the&nbsp;<a href="http://geoloco.tv/">Geo-Loco conference</a> in San Francisco, Darian will be speaking on a panel titled "It's the Context, Stupid: Turning Dumb Features into &nbsp;Smart Ones." Here is a description of the panel:</p> <p><em><span style="font-size: small;">"<span style="color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Putting a big pin on a map is no longer impressive or even necessarily valuable or actionable to a consumer today.&nbsp; Static maps and routes are being replaced with real-time layers of data that change dynamically to deliver ongoing value in real time&mdash; as you move from place to place, or as you view various places."</span></span></em></p> <p>If you wish to attend, register for this conference before October 2nd <a href="http://geoloco-sf.eventbrite.com/?discount=speaker-friends-20percent-off-early-bird-pricing">using this link</a>&nbsp;and receive 20% off the early bird registration fee.</p> <p>One week later, on <strong>November 10</strong>, Darian will be speaking at the <a href="http://geowebsummit.com/">Geoweb Summit</a>&nbsp;in New York City. If you <a href="http://geowebsummit.com/#registration">register before the start of the weekend</a>, you will receive nearly a 50% discount off the summit pass.</p> <p>Hope to see you there!</p> <p><em><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #2c2c2c; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span></em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </p> <p><a href="http://blog.fwix.com/looking-ahead-to-the-fall">Permalink</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/fwixBlog/~4/ry0Zo0_UJDU" height="1" width="1"/> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/he617tdEtXbpo Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker http://blog.fwix.com/looking-ahead-to-the-fall Fri, 02 Sep 2011 13:02:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/fwixBlog/~3/Mjs-Rkp0HXM/summer-is-coming-to-a-close http://blog.fwix.com/summer-is-coming-to-a-close <p> <p>Before the long weekend, BBQ lunch from <a href="http://citysmokehouse.wordpress.com/">City Smoke House</a> and celebrating Joe's birthday. Happy Birthday Joe!</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-09-02/eiADcCxnmtrIffceEaqvJtwgHwazcsudlEAIAkoAIimCfGpvwBhbCicxIEhk/photo.JPG.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Photo" height="669" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-09-02/eiADcCxnmtrIffceEaqvJtwgHwazcsudlEAIAkoAIimCfGpvwBhbCicxIEhk/photo.JPG.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div> </p> </p> <p><a href="http://blog.fwix.com/summer-is-coming-to-a-close">Permalink</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/fwixBlog/~4/Mjs-Rkp0HXM" height="1" width="1"/> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/he617tdEtXbpo Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker http://blog.fwix.com/summer-is-coming-to-a-close Thu, 01 Sep 2011 11:49:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/fwixBlog/~3/pQCkuJItJTA/surfacing-to-the-app-store http://blog.fwix.com/surfacing-to-the-app-store <p> <p>Our new and elegant iPad app, <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/app/periscope-by-fwix/id457115881?mt=8">Periscope</a> has "surfaced" to the app store!</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Fb_graphic" height="288" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-09-01/gJuyhywhajIbryzwzqijAqaFkInzlCDkFsqFqzwHpsvvFGxxudpmEklhIdrk/fb_graphic.png.scaled500.png" width="200" /> </div> </p> <p>With <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/app/periscope-by-fwix/id457115881?mt=8">Periscope</a>, you can discover and explore cool places around the world through photos that have been tagged to places and locations. You can also mark a list of places that you have been to and want to go to.&nbsp;It's a very simple idea but presented through a beautifully designed product. Check it out yourself or see the screenshots below. As a San Francisco resident, I have already discovered a few new places that I want to check out, and similarly, I'm planning on using it as a travel guide when I visit a new city!</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Screen02" height="360" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-09-01/HtxqpzDFqIpkawGrtJiudlfBjAwyAJdGwzyuuzIChHwcAgbpkdtJrHEFyztG/screen02.png.scaled500.png" width="270" /> <img alt="Screen04" height="270" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-09-01/eyJrFjdGDCtedjrmeFHpGuvnvdsCxfnDmbiCFjhamqhtBswrvnstkcriJxAJ/screen04.png.scaled500.png" width="360" /> <img alt="Screen03" height="360" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-09-01/yzolqIwnEjhawJEtoGIrDpkhclFdeCJivAlEptGvrtGgCldnnmpCCoEIxmpI/screen03.png.scaled500.png" width="270" /> <img alt="Screen05" height="270" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-09-01/GFeJgiFkgqnplpgjpmECCxzqbngyqAtjluDcptvovcjkyfAzemJuAAaEvhwA/screen05.png.scaled500.png" width="360" /> <div class='p_see_full_gallery'><a href="http://blog.fwix.com/surfacing-to-the-app-store">See the full gallery on Posterous</a></div> </div> </p> <p>Periscope is just one example app that is built on top of our Fwix API. Much of the credit for the Periscope app should be given to <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/eliaswald">Eli Wald</a>, our student intern from Brown University who worked on the app from start to finish throughout the summer. This was his summer project, and he took charge. All of us here were happy to have worked with him. He is certainly someone we want to work with again! Great work Eli, and thank you.</p> <p>Check out <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/app/periscope-by-fwix/id457115881?mt=8">Periscope</a>!</p> </p> <p><a href="http://blog.fwix.com/surfacing-to-the-app-store">Permalink</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/fwixBlog/~4/pQCkuJItJTA" height="1" width="1"/> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/he617tdEtXbpo Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker http://blog.fwix.com/surfacing-to-the-app-store Tue, 16 Aug 2011 16:18:12 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/fwixBlog/~3/ZCpb05rAmLg/behind-the-scenes-evolution http://blog.fwix.com/behind-the-scenes-evolution <p> <p>Being at such a dynamic company, it's fun to take a moment to visualize all our changes over the past few years. One of the more interesting ways of doing so is seeing how our code base has evolved over time.</p> <p>So, using the great open source program called <a href="http://code.google.com/p/gource/">Gource</a>, I went ahead and did so:</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/gi1W4losV1c?rel=0" frameborder="0" height="349" width="425"></iframe></p> <p style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: left;">The different bloom outs are from new code being added. The little guys running around are our engineers working on code.</p> <p style="text-align: left;">Interested in being one of them?</p> <p style="text-align: left;">Drop us a line at <a><a href="mailto:jobs@fwix.com">jobs@fwix.com</a></a></p> <p style="text-align: left;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: left;">- Vikram Adukia, Director of Network Operations</p> </p> <p><a href="http://blog.fwix.com/behind-the-scenes-evolution">Permalink</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/fwixBlog/~4/ZCpb05rAmLg" height="1" width="1"/> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/he6rDcCbPfCvo justsomedude justsomedude justsomedude http://blog.fwix.com/behind-the-scenes-evolution Thu, 11 Aug 2011 14:43:12 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/fwixBlog/~3/K3KdMP-OAhk/video-interview-with-fastcompany http://blog.fwix.com/video-interview-with-fastcompany <p> <p><object data="http://video.fastcompany.com/plugins/player.swf?v=29b58b01bf488&amp;p=fc_social" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="305" width="500"><param name="movie" value="http://video.fastcompany.com/plugins/player.swf?v=29b58b01bf488&p=fc_social" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="TRUE" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="base" value="http://video.fastcompany.com" /></object></p> <p><a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/1772728/colocation-with-howard-lindzon-fwix-in-san-francisco-ca">FastCompany</a> shows Fwix some love in this great video, where Darian Shirazi and Hamid Schricker speak about the future direction of the company.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </p> <p><a href="http://blog.fwix.com/video-interview-with-fastcompany">Permalink</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/fwixBlog/~4/K3KdMP-OAhk" height="1" width="1"/> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/he617tdEtXbpo Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker http://blog.fwix.com/video-interview-with-fastcompany Fri, 29 Jul 2011 14:42:18 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/fwixBlog/~3/AkocBRAlpG0/fridays-at-fwix-hq http://blog.fwix.com/fridays-at-fwix-hq <p> <p>A great way to kick off the weekend -- with sushi and video games.</p> <p>Have a great weekend!<div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-29/DwnozCnFhjtFwlrjHuEybpGuvhoAHjgkzlxBybheEgbwiafnClBtifCyudFs/IMG_0971.JPG.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Img_0971" height="373" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-29/DwnozCnFhjtFwlrjHuEybpGuvhoAHjgkzlxBybheEgbwiafnClBtifCyudFs/IMG_0971.JPG.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-29/EyteEAeBqJistagHeyyDavHhkxoqipJxzsraxrhwbusxyBFdfyuGzFudFHcv/IMG_0968.JPG.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Img_0968" height="373" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-29/EyteEAeBqJistagHeyyDavHhkxoqipJxzsraxrhwbusxyBFdfyuGzFudFHcv/IMG_0968.JPG.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-29/knHrnFIeDFaocfkexoyIFqaxIpBgmFrkryuGrJBxxJlyroFdbnjpjaDrofvE/IMG_0969.JPG.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Img_0969" height="373" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-29/knHrnFIeDFaocfkexoyIFqaxIpBgmFrkryuGrJBxxJlyroFdbnjpjaDrofvE/IMG_0969.JPG.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-29/HyHcvlIIdDlwlxzAqAyhCEAatxzgmoIrJDefoJnBqwpsHoiwywBgydfvdEhw/IMG_0970.JPG.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="Img_0970" height="373" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-29/HyHcvlIIdDlwlxzAqAyhCEAatxzgmoIrJDefoJnBqwpsHoiwywBgydfvdEhw/IMG_0970.JPG.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> <div class='p_see_full_gallery'><a href="http://blog.fwix.com/fridays-at-fwix-hq">See the full gallery on Posterous</a></div> </div> </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </p> <p><a href="http://blog.fwix.com/fridays-at-fwix-hq">Permalink</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/fwixBlog/~4/AkocBRAlpG0" height="1" width="1"/> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/he617tdEtXbpo Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker http://blog.fwix.com/fridays-at-fwix-hq Mon, 25 Jul 2011 11:09:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/fwixBlog/~3/khG4AZJJRUk/robert-scoble-interview-with-darian http://blog.fwix.com/robert-scoble-interview-with-darian <p> <p><span style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #444444; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jc6wNN9264k?wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="417" width="500"></iframe></span></p> </p> <p><a href="http://blog.fwix.com/robert-scoble-interview-with-darian">Permalink</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/fwixBlog/~4/khG4AZJJRUk" height="1" width="1"/> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/he617tdEtXbpo Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker http://blog.fwix.com/robert-scoble-interview-with-darian Mon, 18 Jul 2011 16:17:08 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/fwixBlog/~3/SILS9EaSfps/pockets http://blog.fwix.com/pockets <p> <p>We're happy to announce a brand new mobile app today called <a href="http://pkts.me/">Pockets</a>!</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-14/ggjjJaoudJxeHBikqJxjwrfjzxylznkErsuhIuBcGfiulikvmFHDekcBgBio/1024.jpg.scaled1000.jpg"><img alt="1024" height="244" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-14/ggjjJaoudJxeHBikqJxjwrfjzxylznkErsuhIuBcGfiulikvmFHDekcBgBio/1024.jpg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div> </p> <p>It's a photo sharing app where you can discover neighborhoods and see what your friends are up to.&nbsp;<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">A few folks here at Fwix came up with the idea for a new photo app after realizing that neighborhoods are essentially pockets full of surprises, interesting landmarks, and cool people. The next logical step was to create a place where those moments could be archived and shared, so <a href="http://pkts.me/">Pockets</a> was born.</span></p> <p>The idea is simple - you can browse and share photos of neighborhoods on the go. You can also follow your friends' photo streams to stay up to date with what they are up to. Some screenshots are below, and right now it is only available on <a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.fwix.android.pocket">Android</a>.</p> <p>Check it out at <a href="http://pkts.me/">www.pkts.me</a>, and please tell us what you think as we continue to iterate on and improve the product!</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="1" height="800" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-14/avGrdInaoEyArrzcduGpovsEbGmGoovFidCsJtdbEoBcuujgenvimAkhIqvH/1.png.scaled500.png" width="480" /> <img alt="2" height="800" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-14/vkBAtwElxeGuIrwzdowFztllzaIxmnsDrxobnGEtBwvfofGuFcyebtJAyaFp/2.png.scaled500.png" width="480" /> <img alt="3" height="800" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-14/dehtFIifkpioCgsmcgnulxviHjrfqkuJCCsJaijCbrHpJbvGoAyusssAfjvr/3.png.scaled500.png" width="480" /> <img alt="4" height="800" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-07-14/GGnvpCFDtiAtGEqfjcAtIIwGgsbFhFJtFgpylkBspHqzhrkhbGDultjgrGdp/4.png.scaled500.png" width="480" /> <div class='p_see_full_gallery'><a href="http://blog.fwix.com/pockets">See the full gallery on Posterous</a></div> </div> </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </p> <p><a href="http://blog.fwix.com/pockets">Permalink</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/fwixBlog/~4/SILS9EaSfps" height="1" width="1"/> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/he617tdEtXbpo Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker http://blog.fwix.com/pockets Thu, 14 Jul 2011 16:52:10 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/fwixBlog/~3/4bAYF8JcdpQ/looking-ahead http://blog.fwix.com/looking-ahead <p> <p>Happy summer to all of you readers out there!</p> <p>I just want to share a couple brief and exciting announcements. Darian will be speaking at 2 upcoming conferences if you wanted to catch him in person.</p> <p>On September 1st, check out the <a href="http://mobile2event.com/">Mobile 2.0 conference</a> in San Francisco where Darian will be speaking on a panel about the next generation advertising. He'll be joined by representatives from ATT Interactive, ShopKick, and Digital Reach. This particular panel will focus on the enormous opportunity in mobile and location-targeted advertising.</p> <p>Darian will next be speaking at the <a href="http://streetfightmag.com/2011/07/11/announcing-the-street-fight-summit-2011/">First Annual Hyperlocal Industry Summit</a> in New York City this fall, which is being organized by <a href="http://www.streetfightmag.com">Street Fight Magazine</a>. We're fans of this new publication, and recommend you check it out as a good source of the latest news and information in the hyperlocal and location-relevant space.&nbsp;Stay tuned for more information, but if you'll be in New York City on October 25-26th, mark your calendar!</p> </p> <p><a href="http://blog.fwix.com/looking-ahead">Permalink</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/fwixBlog/~4/4bAYF8JcdpQ" height="1" width="1"/> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/he617tdEtXbpo Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker http://blog.fwix.com/looking-ahead Tue, 21 Jun 2011 17:11:00 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/fwixBlog/~3/YIZRjqdawQw/nyc-bigappideas-challenge http://blog.fwix.com/nyc-bigappideas-challenge <p> <p>Have you read about the <a href="http://ideas.nycbigapps.com/">NYC BigApps Ideas Challenge</a>?</p> <p>The event (and initiative led by Mayor Bloomberg) sounds exciting, and I thought I promote the event on our blog as well. The goal of BigApps Ideas Challenge is to&nbsp;get developers to create apps that helps improve the lives of residents, businesses, and visitors in New York City, and TechCrunch&nbsp;<a href="http://techcrunch.com/2011/06/21/nyc-bigapps-ideas/">posted an article</a> about this challenge today. The website lists hundreds of ideas submitted by everyone, and then people vote on the best app ideas.</p> <p>There are several great ideas listed already:</p> <ul> <li>"I want a NYC app that livestreams whatever's happening on the steps of City Hall." -- <a href="http://ideas.nycbigapps.com/submissions/3270-i-want-a-nyc-app-that-livestreams-whatever-s-happening-on-the-steps-of-city-hall-see-listen-to-demonstrations-rallies">Dawn M.</a></li> </ul> <ul> <li>"I want a NYC app that combines crime stats with geolocation data, to create 'bad neighborhood' alerts" -- <a href="http://ideas.nycbigapps.com/submissions/3269-i-want-a-nyc-app-that-combines-crime-stats-with-geolocation-data-to-create-bad-neighborhood-alerts">Reed M</a>.</li> </ul> <ul> <li>"I want a NYC app that shows me daily deals in NYC based on my area(s) of interest." -- <a href="http://ideas.nycbigapps.com/submissions/3280-i-want-a-nyc-app-that-shows-me-daily-deals-in-nyc-based-on-my-area-s-of-interest">R. B.</a></li> </ul> <ul> <li>"I want a NYC app that maps when buildings were built and who was the architect based on my location." -- <a href="http://ideas.nycbigapps.com/submissions/3250-i-want-a-nyc-app-that-maps-when-buildings-were-built-and-who-was-the-architect-based-on-my-location">Edwin A.</a></li> </ul> <ul> <li>"I want a NYC app that tells me what event is going on near me at any given time. Is that music I hear? What is that? A concert? Wish I had some info!" -- <a href="http://ideas.nycbigapps.com/submissions/3260-i-want-a-nyc-app-that-tells-me-what-event-is-going-on-near-me-at-any-given-time-is-that-music-i-hear-what-is-that-a-concert-wish-i-had-some-info">Zoli H.</a></li> </ul> <ul> <li>And hundreds more...</li> </ul> <p>Seeing a discussion like this going on makes us excited because it reaffirms again why we launched our <a href="http://developers.fwix.com">Fwix developer platform</a>, which&nbsp;allows developers to freely access all the geotagged Web content (news, blogs, events, status updates, deals, photos, listings, reviews, real estate, and much more). We knew that ultimately developers can use our geotagged content and come up with app ideas that we couldn't think of on our own.&nbsp;Our API will help developers solve these problems that are listed on the BigApps Ideas Challenge site, and if you live in New York City and know of developers participating in this event, please let them know about Fwix!&nbsp;</p> <p>We're looking forward to seeing the results of this developers challenge, and hope to see more of these events across the US and world.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </p> <p><a href="http://blog.fwix.com/nyc-bigappideas-challenge">Permalink</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/fwixBlog/~4/YIZRjqdawQw" height="1" width="1"/> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/he617tdEtXbpo Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker http://blog.fwix.com/nyc-bigappideas-challenge Wed, 15 Jun 2011 16:40:56 -0700 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/fwixBlog/~3/uZhM9Pnx8D0/check-out-our-updated-app-showcase http://blog.fwix.com/check-out-our-updated-app-showcase <p> <p>We've updated our <a href="http://paidcontent.org/article/419-fwix-rolls-out-geo-context-tool-latlong-is-the-new-keyword/">app showcase</a> with a few new apps that are built on top of our <a href="http://paidcontent.org/article/419-fwix-rolls-out-geo-context-tool-latlong-is-the-new-keyword/">developers platform</a>, and I want to highlight two of them here.</p> <p><a href="http://www.chatzip.com">Chatzip</a> is a local chat room where you simply enter your zip code and can start chatting with people in your local area. While chatting, users can see what's happening nearby (e.g. news). Chatzip is a brand new service and web-based, and you do not need to download a client to get started.&nbsp;</p> <p><a href="http://gatheringpoint.com/">GatheringPoint</a>&nbsp;is another brand new service that displays what is happening in your local area on a giant map. You can see all types of information, which includes news, deals, great places, traffic, and much more. They also integrate with Facebook connect so you can view where your friends are.</p> <p>Check them out!&nbsp;These are only just two examples. From chatting with developers who have signed up to use our API, they're building some cool and new apps, and we'll be updating our app showcase again very soon with them. In general, we'll be frequently updating the site, and if you'd like to be included in our app showcase,&nbsp;<a href="http://mailto:developers@fwix.com">just drop us a note</a>.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </p> <p><a href="http://blog.fwix.com/check-out-our-updated-app-showcase">Permalink</a> </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/fwixBlog/~4/uZhM9Pnx8D0" height="1" width="1"/> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/he617tdEtXbpo Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker Hamid Schricker http://blog.fwix.com/check-out-our-updated-app-showcase