Find Buffalo Blog

So I can review what the heck I was thinking when the last day of 2006 seems like a long time ago, I’ll post it. FindBuffalo.com has been up and running for about 30 days now I’m pleased with the steady progress the site is making. I have definately made a short and long list of improvements to the site and most of them center around giving the users more control and abilties. Those include job postings, user reviews and possibly Buffalo, MN real estate listings. The other two numbers that matter to me are these:

1. Grow to an average of 300+ users per day.

2. Land 40+ local businesses as site sponsors/advertisers.

I know I will be blogging more on how I’m doing with these numbers so stay tuned. I will also add that I have learned a TON about the Blogosphere and all that it has to offer. I’m looking forward to writing more, attracting more readers, getting more comments/feedback and growing my blogability even further. Best of luck to everyone out there in 2007 and Happy New Year!

The goal of local search is getting more defined as providers of pay per click and search realize that local means “in my neighborhood”. Currently Google or Yahoo can provide PPC ads for specific larger cities or states, but new technnology seems to be emerging that would allow PPC advertisers to specify zip codes and even neighborhoods they want to market to. Imagine waking up on a Sunday morning, typing in “fresh donuts” and getting the results of two bakeries, just 4 blocks away that have yummy donuts at a special price for you. It may just happen.

BusinessWeek.com put out an article on December 26th on Skyhook and how their technology can provide this scenario if the right partnerships fall into place (read article). Skyhook Wireless out of Boston has developed software that employs a computers Wi-fi to pinpoint the users location and then, with the cooperation of the big search engines, relevant ads can be delivered based on their location. This can be another major step in small business internet marketing and one useful tool for consumers.

Reports cite that Skyhook has mapped 100 of largest cities in the U.S. to date with more to come. Skyhook also stated that rollout of the service in some form is scheduled for 6 to 12 months down the line. It will likely take time after a full roll out to reach a community the size of Buffalo, but when it does, it will be great for getting a steal on a dozen donuts.

In this time of College Football bowl games, I have created my own match-up in the LOCAL Bowl. The teams are Yahoo Local and FindBuffalo.com. The match-up features two areas of execution to win: Tools vs. Penetration. Yahoo Local (see earlier post) is rolling out some great user tools to draw input, feedback and create content from the experts … YOU, the local person. Local SEO expert Paul Jahn recently blogged about Yahoo Local’s goals of business listing relevance and populating them with deep content (Paul is the Keith Jackson of Local Search commentary). That’s funny, both teams are trying to win this big game by executing the same game plan, just with different talent on the field. Here is the breakdown of the teams and what the outcome may be:

Yahoo Local:
Tools: They have a team of talented developers, usability experts and endless budget (in comparison to FB). As you can see from their local page on Buffalo, users have the ability to generate content on restaurants, businesses, local favorites and more … with the ability to rate them and collect them.
Penetration: This one is tougher to start with but ultimately can be very deep. For Yahoo it is finding ways to drive the user to say what they think, save what they think and share what they think (the 3S theory). When you’re the size of Yahoo, having that intimate connection with a user in Buffalo, MN can be tough to get started. However … once a head of steam is built, the growth is limitless with their powers.

FindBuffalo:
Tools: It’s the effort of a few people, in their few minutes of spare time to create tools for the site. More enhanced tools, like user generated content are even tougher. The hope for us is to find some effective ways to create more 3S tools so users on FB can say it, save it, share it. Regardless it must be done, we must provide “Power to the people!”.
Penetration: Here is my edge … I can connect and communicate with the local audience at a rapid pace. In creating awareness for the site through online marketing and offline promotions, locals will stumble onto FB and hopefully find a passion to participate in a community portal. The realization of “I can use this information, but also use this platform to inform or communicate with others on my thoughts or expertise” is a great thought to provoke. My growth potential might not be as great … but my passion potential among converted users can be strong.

Outcome:
We’ll find out, right? FB is working on enhancements for user tools that empower 3S. We are the little guy … the one people root for, but ultimately we must find niches to beat out the big guy or the rooting becomes quiet and unheard. Knowing this is half the battle, executing this is the true way to win. Good luck Yahoo Local, I’m trying to find that hail mary pass to win! I’ll go with FindBuffalo.com as the clock expires 28-27.

Usually sequels fall short of the original, but not in this case. I found out this morning that FindBuffalo is now linked on the Buffalo Schools Web site for District 877 (see page). As I blogged before in The Building Blocks of Content, I have had conversations with the Community Education director on how FindBuffalo can benefit them with PR, event and news item posting. Community Ed submitted their first news item this week on Early Childhood Family Education registration which is now posted on the site. They are also linked in multiple areas of the site. In turn, I made the request to provide a link to FindBuffalo.com, if they had a page or section on their site to do so … and presto!

The City of Buffalo’s official website now links to FindBuffalo.com. The link is within the navigation drop down menu on the second level (see Community, then Organizations). I’ll have to do a little research on if this provides any weight in the SEO world for FindBuffalo. Obviously having a strong anchor like “Buffalo, MN Community Portal” would be preferred, but who can argue with the credibility. As I move to establish links from other community, government and organizational sites in Buffalo, having the city’s blessing is a strong feather in my hat.

Last night I was messing around with Google’s Webmaster tools and found quite a few beneficial tools for understanding Google, it’s indexing and their new adoption of site amp reading.  The SMC (content management tool) will soon have a built in feed of XML for the site map to appease Google, Yahoo and MSN but until then I found another solution.  Check out this XML site map generator that aids in your crusade for free.  It’s a pretty easy process and worth the 5 minutes.

What makes for a strong struture? Good building blocks. What makes for a good community portal? Good content from good sources.

To make FindBuffalo.com worth visiting again and again, the content must be informative and useful to the user. Years ago, upon working on my first community portal concept, one of the guys at Intrcomm Technology discussed the 4 Pillars of Community with me. I believe they were Government, Education, Business and Organizations (that’s what I’m going with!). Below are these categories and what I’m doing to hit upon each one of them.

Government:
I have a good relationship with Buffalo’s City Administrator and have the OK to republish the quartly city newsletter and other city releases. I think it’s great that he (and likely other staff) realize that a city cannot communicate enough, or through too many avenues with their residents. In return, the city will be linking FindBuffalo on their navigation under Community Organizations.

Education:
I just exchanged emails with the Director of Community Education today and let them know FindBuffalo is interested in helping promote their offering in any way possible. They will be meeting later this week to identify some parameters for our relationship. I also will be trying to figure out a relationship with the high school and possibly the students. This pillar is one that I do not have as strong of ties with, but I think it has the most to offer. I better dig in!

Business:
I STRONGLY believe that the true fabric of a community is in it’s business owners and leaders. They are often “double duty” people that besides running a valuable business, volunteer, donate, fight fires, occupy councils spots and more. I will be finding ways to communicate what FindBuffalo can offer them as a platform and communication tool and their support of FindBuffalo will generate revenue to further my offline marketing efforts.

Organizations:
Every community has great local resources and groups like Rotary, Lions, Womens Groups, Food Shelf and many more. These groups often operate on small and restricted budgets and I hope to be able to provide them with another “voice” to spread their word with our Community Calendar and News & Info pages.

FindBuffalo will succeed and grow by offering the information, news and happenings of these 4 pillars in one location, with it all easy to find. The key is building these relationships and gathering their information. As just a two person project, there is no way we could beat the streets to shake all of this information out, but we can develop the right flows for it to reach our hands so we can display it. The 4 pillars, the building blocks of great content for a great community portal.

The business directory on FindBuffalo.com offers a local business the opportunity to have more information displayed on their company and offering. The PLUS listing allows the display of the company logo, up to four (4) photos, contact info, website link, text on services or products, directions and a Mapquest link. The PLUS listing page will also have editable page titles, meta information and unique URL to aid in SEO efforts.

View an example PLUS listing at: findbuffalo.com/foxefyre

In Fox Fyre Gallery’s case, they do not have a website, so the PLUS listing can now be the most informative page about them on the internet. It also allows them to eventually be indexed with keywords/terms related to their services and locale of “custom framing Buffalo, MN” or “picture framing Buffalo, MN“. This benefits the business and FindBuffalo as well for generating traffic. Foxe Fyre also receives a custom URL (as linked) that they can give out over the phone to someone wanting directions or to use on a business card or other print collateral.

My goal is to provide the business with an internet presence or another quality link into their site to improve their own SEO in addition to the lead generation the page on it’s own can have through users searching the directory. I’ll be sure to post more once I have some examples of these PLUS listings generating traffic from search engines.

In doing some searching on Yahoo I came across the Yahoo City Guide for Buffalo. (search buffalo mn on yahoo and this will be your first organic result)

I’m mostly a Google searcher so this is the first time I have noticed this feature, so forgive my ignorance if this has been in play for some time. The page provides a Yahoo Map with an option to see Wi-fi hotspots, but there are none listed. I have you beat Yahoo, here are the Buffalo, MN Wi-Fi hotspots. Below the map are columns that provide user ratings on Buffalo, MN restaurants and other local favorites, very cool. Yahoo user Jud, rated BJ’s Deli a 4 star out of 5 and I agree. BJ and Matt make some great sandwiches and wraps however you want them right in the heart of downtown Buffalo.

Also getting some props is The Mill Creek Inn. The Mill is known for it’s nightly specials and good value. Here is a great example of a business getting buzz or mileage from patrons willing to post about their experience, but Mill Creek has no website to further the experience of a user who read their ratings and then went to search for their website. The next time I’m eating out there I’ll try to leverage the power of a Directory Plus listing on FindBuffalo to give them a bit more exposure online … where people are already speaking up about them.

I’m out in Colorado this week for a conference on the content mangement solution (SMC) that FindBuffalo.com is built on. I’ll offer more on that but I did want to drop a few notes here on what the community portal scene is like out here in the Aspen area. When you have a community like Aspen that is somewhat secluded from other areas and has a unique offering like being a travel destination and a ski destination you have a great recipe for portal success. You have a local community with desire to stay connected and a large number of people looking to come into the area to ski, shop, dine and see the Mountains.

My first find is the Chamber of Commerce website. The internet has obviously had a major impact on access to a chamber’s information and many chambers run their site much like a portal. Besides a community calendar, business directory and other info, the Aspen Chamber also offers online booking for lodging … now that’s a portal!

Next I find AspenClassifieds.com, run by a local web design company. The site is focused on classifieds but also offers  a business directory, lodging info and local employment.  This site does offer some good info but the visual effort seems minimal … not the best advertising for this web form if you ask me.
As well, there are tons of regional and national travel sites grabbing the search results for Aspen due to it’s offering and reputation, but the local sites are where it’s at.  Local portals, hard at work trying to deliver the local scoop.