If you are out with friends and would like to find a nice place to hang out or to have a meal, where could you get some recommendations?
Or you may have a sudden urgent need for a vet or the clinic and you are not sure who to call, what would you do?
You washer decides to stop working and oozes out water and you need a mechanic or technician around quick … And what about when you computer gets infected and you need it fixed quickly, who do you call?
Check out Google Local Places and check out Google Hot Pot. If you go to google and type in the word for whatever you are searching (it works on your mobile too) and click Places, Google will return you with a list of near by locations for the help you are looking for.
And if you want a more customized listing – one based on your previous visits or preference, try hot pot. This video shows you how you can do this.
View Original Video Here
The next time you want to hang out with friends or look for some urgent help, just refer to your google hot pot. The more you leave your reviews, the better google will understand your ‘taste’ and return you results that are relevant.
More on Google Places with Hot Pot for mobile phones here.
And if you like this post, feel free to share this with your friends – just click the share / like button at the top of this post and/or leave me a comment below! I appreciate that very much.
Archives for March 2011
How Location Based Social Media Can Help Local Businesses
“Checking In” is a phrase that we will hear more often as Google Latitude joins Foursquare and Facebook Places in tapping into Location Based Social Media.
Let’s see. Facebook expanded its ‘Deals’ feature beyond the U.S. to Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK on 31st Jan 2011. These ‘deals’ allows mobile users to find discounts at nearby stores.
Google Latitude which was introduced back in February of 2009 added ‘Check-Ins’ to its function on 1st Feb 2011. Hmmm, seems like the big players are intent on making local deals part of this location based game.
Here’s a video that shows how Latitude works
I think Google Latitude has quite a bt to catch up with Foursqare and Facebook Places in this aspect but some uniques features which differential Latitude from Facebook or Foursquare include a notification feature that reminds you to check-in, or even automatically check-in for you at designated places and an automatic check out program for commonly visited places.
And instead of getting badges or becoming a mayor (as is the case in Foursquare) you become a VIP or a Guru in if you use Latitude. By the way, Latitude taps into Google Places, Maps and Hot Pots making this a complete Google suite for LBS. It will be interesting to see how mobile users choose between these major players.
Whichever player you choose when you are on the go with your mobile device, one thing is clear. As more people use smartphones and get into the habit of using social local searches (hot pots and what nots), a new way of marketing is emerging.
Many local businesses are now seeing the importance of being found and seen on local searches. They are getting themselves ready to tap into this new wave of location based social media. Claiming your local place and setting up specials or deals is gaining importance. If you are a local business, my guess is that you will want to get ready for this new wave of marketing.
If you like to set yourself up on local searches and location based social media, you can grab a free copy of Mastering Social Media In 1 Hour A Week or join us at the Synergy Marketing Pro Facebook Page where we have regular updates, tips and resources. Traditional marketing works and (not but) you’ll also want to get ready for local, social and mobile marketing to promote your products and services. Drop by for a no obligation chat – all you have to do is set aside time.
And if you like this post, feel free to share this with your friends – just click the “Like” button and/or leave me a comment below! I appreciate that very much.
What's New In The New Facebook Page?
Facebook began rolling out the new Page* Design. Apart from some visual changes, some new features are now added.
The one I like includes being able to interact with others as my Page. That means I can like other Pages as my Page, leave comments or likes as my Page, cool.
The other new feature I like is notification. I used to have to go into individual pages and look for updates and comments that require response.
Now notifications are there to alert me when fans engage with me. i do’t have to go look out for it. This is something I have wanted for quite some time.
And if you choose the Everyone Filters, you will see the most relevant post coming up on top – this may not follow chronological order but will show you the most engaging post.
Facebook says there will be more changes coming. What do you like about the new page roll out?
Love to hear your thoughts on this one – leave me a comment below and feel free to share this with others.
* If you are a thought leader (Trainer, Speaker, Coach, Mentor, Author) or a business owner, you would use a Facebook Page for branding and promotional and keep your Facebook Profile account for friends and family. More information in this video which explains how Facebook only allows one Personal Profile account per person.
How Facebook 'Like' Is Sharing Content On Your Wall
Ok, Facebook is phasing out the “Share” button on third party application and is making “Like” function like a “Share”.
Don’t worry if you know what I am saying here, I will show you what I mean in just a minute.
For a while now, Facebook has made available social buttons (“Share” and “Like”) that works with third party applications (much like the retweet button for twitter) facilitating sharing of quality information.
This enables readers to share information they find helpful to their friends – instead of having to email them the link or copy and share the link on the different social media platforms.
It used to be that when we click “Share” this will share the content of the post on your Facebook profile wall. And if you click “Like” there will be a feed on your Facebook profile that says you liked a certain post on some sites external to Facebook.
Now if you click on “Like” it is functioning like a “Share” and the “Share” button will soon fade. Here’s what I mean, if you see this “Like” buttons on websites (they are everywhere), you can click on them to show that this is a post you enjoy reading or that there is value to this content.
This post will now show up on your profile wall – if you are logged onto Facebook when you like this post.
I discovered this accidentally when I saw a new post on my my facebook profile wall. Then I saw the official update from facebook here. I hear different response to this recent change but essentially this is what is happening.
So what do you think? Do you like this change? My guess is that some will; some may not ...
Either way, if you want your friends and contacts to be aware of this change, feel free to click on the “Like” button either above this post or click the “Like” button just below this post. I like to be an informed user, and I am sure there are some out there who would like to keep tabs on changes too.
If you like to be kept informed of regular relevant updates, you are invited to sign up for my free newsletters here or to join me on Facebook – there is just so many changes and updates both from Google and Facebook just this past week that I have not written about them individually here. However, I have links to these updates and changes on the Facebook Page.