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Wow, what a revamp and an indication of Google's intent with G+

Attempting to conquer the same social/hyperlocal space as Patch and more niche apps like Yardsale, Nextdoor, which launched to the public last October, lets people create Facebook group-like communities for their neighborhoods, free of charge. From the Village Voice to Foursquare to Everyblock, everyone has tried, but the problem of how to effectively create location-based social networking is a conundrum for many reasons. In order to mitigate the largest barrier to entry, trust, Nextdoor has you verify your neighborhood address either via snail mail or via credit card - purposefully introducing friction.

OK, I'm kinda abusing the "trends" thing here. It is crowd sourced but it's really just freaking amazing (Yes, I rode a big wheel as a tyke).

OK, I'm kinda abusing the "trends" thing here. It is crowd sourced but it's really just freaking amazing (Yes, I rode a big wheel as a tyke).

local + sports + entertainment used in daily 6.28

daily 7.16 Gannett Local- build free business road maps, digital and print ads, results

Partnership with Redbook and Nearby Now   Working with 65,000 retailers nationwide, NearbyNow has its own concierge team that calls stores to verify if an item is in stock, and then emails the customer within 10 minutes to confirm availability. Customers can then reserve the desired product. Users will only see a "Find It" Button if an item is carried by a local store. Otherwise, they will be directed to online stores that sell the product.

National to local targeting>?

Best terrible local ads - indicative of the Adult Swim aesthetic

The hottest culinary trend is locally sourced meats and seafood, according to the National Restaurant Association's "What's Hot in 2011" chefs survey. Never one to shun a trend, McDonald's is showing that burger chains as well as fine-dining restaurants can source locally.

Valpak adding Passbook support

"Several companies have successfully built cooperative marketing structures online. Companies such as OwnerIQ, for example, enable online retailers like Crutchfield to retarget people who visit the web sites of electronics manufacturers, offering the flatscreen TVs they were just studying - at a discount. When it comes to driving brick-and-mortar sales from online, though, Facebook appears to offer the best solution yet. CPG brands gladly pay for retail circulars to help sell their products, and there's reason to believe they could buy Facebook advertising to drive consumers into retail locations. One company with which we work, ShopLocal, puts a retailer's circular content into a database, including images and all the sale prices and details. In so doing it makes local data portable and extendable, so retailers can build online-only pages of the circular, or utilize QR codes to generate more content than exists in the print world."

"Walmart began recruiting top Silicon Valley talent and acquiring start-ups last year. For instance, Walmart acquired Kosmix, a company that specializes in making web design more seamless, for $300 million. That team has been working for over a year to fix Walmart's systems and improve its website.  Walmart is investing in the "social gifting" market. A year ago, Walmart launched "Shopycat," which makes gift recommendations based on friends' Facebook profiles. The site is now called "Walmart Gifts" and allows customers to log in and get personalized recommendations based on Facebook and Twitter profiles.  The retailer got a better search engine. A dozen top engineers took 10 months to build it, and while the company won't discuss sales figures, they said the new system is more user-friendly. "If you search for cotton socks now, you'll actually find them," Manjoo writes.  Walmart is trying to lead the charge in same-day shipping. Its at an advantage considering that 96 percent of Americans live within 20 miles of a Walmart.  Walmart is investing like crazy in its mobile app. "Walmart imagines that as you go through an average day, you'll remember things you need--milk, bread, a new tennis racquet, a toy truck for your nephew's birthday--and tell the voice-enabled Walmart app. The app will list each item's location inside your local Walmart and include product info; eventually, it will also learn your preferences and offer recommendations. And once you're actually in the store, you'll be able to summon an associate to help you," Manjoo says. "

"Instead of other sites where every place gets 3.5 stars, we come up with our scores using the same Foursquare magic that powers Explore. We look at signals like tips, likes, dislikes, popularity, loyalty, local expertise, and nearly 3 billion check-ins from over 25 million people worldwide. And, with every check-in and Explore search, our scores will get smarter and better."

"Facebook might have found a way to get people to use a long-neglected feature: check-ins, where you announce to your friends where you are. It is testing a new service that offers local businesses free Wi-Fi through a router. To get online, customers must either check in using Facebook or get a passcode."