Things Just Keep Looking Up!

We made a big announcement today that has big implications for you guys and gals. How does more local consumers checking out your MerchantCircle pages sound? Good? Well, I hope so, because our partnership with Citysearch will mean more eyeballs, more traffic, and more options as you find more local customers through the web.

You can read the press release here. But don't forget to check out these two articles below that will provide a little more insight. We'll have more details coming up.....

• Screenwerk
• Venturebeat

Sincerely,
Kevin Leu
Community Relation

Strengthening Relationships

With our announcement yesterday that will allow us to further grow your MerchantCircle community and increase the number of customers who see your business listings, we wanted to compile a short list of industry journalists and analysts who wrote about the announcement.

Take some time to check them out when you get a chance. Most of it is money hoo hah, but pretty interesting:

• CNN Money
• TechCrunch
• VentureBeat
• The Deal
• Mashable
• Screenwerk
• bub.blicio.us
• Kelsey Group

Enjoy,
Kevin
Community Relations

What I Learned From the Kelsey Conference

For those of you who don't know; the Kelsey Conference is a summit for those working with local online content. It's mostly the guys and gals behind the scenes trying to figure out how to make the internet more of an intimate space within YOUR community.

I really liked meeting and talking to people at the conference. For instance, a gentleman from Germany approached me with how his company is trying to do what MerchantCircle does in Germany (Here's his company, if you can read German). Even though we're currently only in the U.S., several people from overseas mentioned they had checked out our site before.

It's also real nice to meet and chat with some of the bloggers around the local internet space, rather than just trading e-mails. It helps you see them a little differently. For instance, Greg Sterling has a well-timed sense of humor that unfortunately doesn't come out in his blogs. Peter Krasilovsky is probably one of the nicest guys you'll meet, but it hurts your neck talking to him, because he's so tall! Donna Bogatin minds her business, wary of hearing the 30 second elevator pitch, and constantly nursing a martini. Even Ahmed isn't all that cynical once you sit down and talk with him.

Can't wait to see you all at the next conference!

Sincerely,
Kevin
Community Relations

Fight Night 3: MerchantCircle vs. Roy Jones Jr.

So recently at work we've been playing this game called Fight Night 3 on Play Station 2 (management's holding back on a PS3 or a wii, but we won't complain). Fortunately, our morale is great thanks to a number of recent mentions in the media about us. We've worked hard to make sure a business owner can easily navigate their way and manage their reputation on the web. And after 90,000 merchants signed on - it's great to know business owners realize the importance of having a presence on the web.

Just this last week, we've graced the sites of BusinessWeek, MSNBC, and USA TODAY, but just as importantly we've reached the analyst and players in the 'local' internet space with The Local Onliner and ScreenWerks. Perhaps the proudest accomplishment for us, is hitting home to people who actually run local businesses including Steve Mun, a real estate agent in Saratoga, CA, and marketing experts like Andy Beal.

You can even hear our co-founder Wayne Yamamoto in The Startup Studio podcast this week. All of the attention is great, but it means nothing if our merchants don't get new customers. And they are! Take for instance Beyond Atioxidant, Dodd Priority, or All American Gutter. With merchants like that in our corner, MerchantCircle can take out all comers - even Roy Jones Jr.



Sincerely,
Kevin
Community Relations