Yahoo Beefs Up Local
Yahoo has released another cut of Yahoo Local -- one that integrates user-generated content and one that search czar John Battelle says "comes close to redefining the idea of local from that of a search based application to that of a destination - no small feat, given all the mojo and investment inherent in the "local search" terminology."
As I was touring through Yahoo Local, it struck me that what the service was starting to do was, in effect, *not waste my time and investment* as I interacted with it. Said another way, as a user I get the sense that the more I put into Yahoo Local (or any number of other well considered sites), the more I get out. I'm motivated to use it not simply because I get some information, find a phone number, get driving directions, but also because I sense I am contributing, through my clickstream, to the creation of a smarter service which will serve be better in the future. Also, I am participating in a community that I am part of. That, in the end, is what will drive loyalty and usage in a Web 2 world.