Yahoo says local guides are the way forward 24 June
Burdened and frustrated by search results which often number in the hundreds, Internet users often end up sticking to their familiar World Wide Web locations. Yahoo (NASDAQ:YHOO), one of the popular Internet search services, says the solution is to provide local or regional services such as the San Francisco Bay Area, the company's first local online guide.

Along with easing the task of finding information, Yahoo says local guides open advertising opportunities for businesses which have no interest in advertising in a massive global medium called the Web or for large companies which wish to highlight their community involvement.

Supporting the charter guide are companies such as: Century-Davidson and Saturn of Oakland; Hewlett-Packard; Levi Strauss; Cisco Systems; Silicon Graphics; CBS affiliate, KPIX which provides award-winning news, traffic and traffic cams; San Francisco Bay Guardian for local events; and Fodor's respected guides outlining restaurants and lodging in the Bay Area. Wells Fargo, Alain Pinel, and Bank of America also number in the more than 60 companies supporting Yahoo's new endeavor.

Yahoo says this first regional guide is a combination of local web content, news and entertainment programming from leading local media, and free communication services, such as bulletin boards, classifieds, yellow pages, white pages, and interactive maps. Classifieds contain more than 20,000 listings for employment, real estate, automotive, and personals. The California Association of Realtors with local Multiple Listing Services (MILS), and leading realtors Alain Pinel, Cornish and Carey, and Oakwood Apartments, provide the real estate data.

A yellow and white pages service has over 300,000 business listings, residential directories, and interactive maps for locating people and places. Yahoo! is launching its first integrated service. Bulletin boards are provided for Bay Area residents to share information, and chat may be added later.

Yahoo spokesperson, Karen Edwards told Newsbytes, "Just like our main service is a way to find national and global information and news, the new regional guides are designed to offer users a way to see the things that effect them on a day-to-day basis. Things such as local news, hot new restaurants, resource areas for cultural groups, and many other sources of information are available."

Even a small business such as a restaurant can have a banner advertisement for as little as $500 per month, plus its design costs. Yahoo says the entry-level price is strictly an introductory offer available for a "limited time." A banner ad consists of a simple graphic and basic information. The company says it is best used as a link to a businesses Web site.

Surprisingly, classified ads for San Francisco Bay Area are free at this time. Yahoo says it wants to make sure the community is excited about adopting this new service. The service debuts today.

San Francisco Bay Area is just the first of a number of regional "mini-search" or guide services planned by Yahoo. Currently in development is Yahoo! Japan, UK, France, Germany, Canada, and more local US areas. San Francisco Bay Area is located at http://www.sfbay.yahoo.com.

(Patrick McKenna/1996/Press Contact: Karen Edwards, Yahoo, 408-328-3311; or Skye Ketonen, NRG Public Relations, 415-615-7905, Internet e-mail karen@yahoo.com or skye@nrgpr.com/YAHOO960624/PHOTO)


From the NEWSBYTES news service, 24 June