Dear Barry, I know you might prefer to be called Mr. Diller, but since I reached out to you through this column and you've taken my advice (a mere 20 months later), the first-name basis is
appropriate. After you launched AskCity this month, I started thinking about reconnecting. Before I go on, though, let me say that you've done a great job with
AskCity, creating a local search site that plays to InterActiveCorp's strengths. I can't wait to see what else you do with it, and I have some thoughts on that topic to share with you.
Let's
reminisce for a bit. Back in April 2005, I reached out to you in the column "The Many Faces of Local," soon after the announcement that
your IAC would acquire Ask.com. This excerpt should jog your memory: "The word 'local' isn't in IAC's mission statement, nor is any synonym, but given IAC's expertise and its dreams for Ask Jeeves,
that should change immediately. Barry, are you listening? Jeeves, the beloved Ask.com butler, could become the face of local search..."
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Okay, so you killed off Jeeves, much to my chagrin (I loved
the ol' chap). While there is no longer a specific face for local search, Ask is now bringing together the IAC resources with the potential for the most comprehensive local experience that anyone can
provide.
The ease with which users can mark up maps, share listings, save snapshots, and run various types of searches sets a new gold standard for many of your competitors. Still, there are ways
you can use IAC's resources to make it even better. I've included a handful of suggestions below.
1) Win over the bloggers. Bloglines is one of the most widely used and respected RSS feed
readers, and by incorporating that into the listings, you'll score major points with the early adopter crowd (along with the early adopter wannabes). For example, when I search for events in my
neighborhood (Manhattan's Upper East Side), a Bloglines link would let me subscribe to updates of all the exhibits on Museum Mile. Of course, I'd be able to subscribe with any other feed reader, too,
but since it's your service, you can promote Bloglines as the reader of choice. I wouldn't expect most of your users to opt for RSS delivery of event or movie listings, but such a feature would
underscore your commitment to letting your visitors take control of your offerings.
2) Business is personal, too. Every time I visit AskCity, I'm always tempted to try searching for people
along with businesses, but there's no way to do it. I know, searching for people is not your strong point. A search for my father's name and his city in Google brings up his full address, home phone
number, and a link to a map with satellite imagery so crisp, I can almost see him kicking back in the hot tub. The same search in Ask.com brings up no such targeted result--there's just an ad for a
public records database. While local results are mostly about businesses, adding white pages listings will bolster the utility.
3) Add home searching to your City. Domania, your real estate
site, doesn't get as much buzz as some of your other properties like Citysearch and Ticketmaster, so tying it into Ask City will both add to the local services and give exposure to another one of your
babies.
4) Offer finger-clickin'-good food search. When I search for Mexican restaurants in my neighborhood, I'd love to be able to search by rating, or the number of ratings it has.
Menupages.com offers this, and the site has far fewer features than AskCity. You have Citysearch ratings information in individual listings, so just add it to the search options. That will help make
my decision even easier when deciding between Mary Ann's and Mo's Caribbean. You do a great job with other search functionality, such as allowing me to refine my search by neighborhood and cuisine,
and also returning the same results for "Mexican food" and "Mexican restaurants," making it easier for users regardless of their linguistic preferences.
5) Evite me over. When I decide on
the tried-and-true Mary Ann's, perhaps I'm up for inviting friends to kick back with a few margaritas. Why can't I do this readily through links to Evite? It can't hurt as an option, and it will help
establish the social potential for AskCity listings.
This is just a start. There's so much more you can do to help grow AskCity into a vast metropolis. Adding more social and mobile functionality
will further its development.
Congrats on what you've done so far. Don't let it be another 20 months before we reconnect. My best to Diane.
Your favorite Search Insider (okay, one of
'em),
David