#1 Reason Why Hyperlocal Portals Fail
April 16, 2008 
1 Comment
Don’t Mix Business with Pleasure!
If you take this advice when going hyperlocal you are bound to fail and here is why.
Take for example Google Local.
Why isn’t it better?
Google Local total lacks the social network engine that could make it totally awesome so essentially all it is DATA with feedback. It needs a little bit of party!!
Then on the other hand take Yelp.com. It’s all pleasure… and no business… if it is Business it’s not very targeted.
So what I am saying is: Mix Business with Pleasure.
Or more specifically:
The best hyperlocal portals create a successful mix of Business Directory and Social Network.
Business owners are a big part of community.. and they have social networks which have helped establish the status and positioning they hold. Bring this into an equation and you have the ingredients for a successful hyperlocal portal.
I think you’re right about what makes hyperlocal portals tick, but I would turn it around a little bit, rather, mix pleasure with business. I think hyperlocal is the future (of online business directory), but only if done for the right reason and by the right people. The traditional way of doing business is passé (business first, revenue second, fun third). I believe the key to success in this 2.0 world is one that opens the door to enjoyment, leading to community interaction, and ultimately to purposeful profits (i.e., benefitting to community more than the business). Yelp “is the fun and easy way to find, review, and talk about what’s great,” but you’re right, that’s where it ends. Their tag line basically describes what Myspace is. Smalltown takes hyperlocal to that next level, blending entertainment and business (currently, I think the best example of what hyperlocal can be), but still misses intrigue and the quality of reusability. But it’s a great start…