LOCASUMER.COM

Registration open for ILM: 08. Snippet from their website:
Interactive Local Media 2008 (ILM:08) is The Kelsey Group’s annual conference devoted to digital media with a local focus. This event provides a 360-degree view of the local marketplace, covering a range of important topics, including local search, Internet Yellow Pages, vertical directories, Internet video, online classifieds, social media and mobile search.

ILM: 08

Local Internet Advertising On the Rise

Harrisburg, Pa.—Businesses are increasingly turning to local Internet advertising, according to a report released Friday by advertising research company Borrell Associates.

Local advertisers will spend $13.1 billion this year, an increase of 50% from 2007, according to the report.

The report also predicts that local online ad spending will grow another 40% to $18.2 billion in 2009.

Borrell said that the growth of local online advertising likely stems from the lower costs and higher accountability of online advertising. 

Greg Sterling has written an interesting post: “We Need a New ‘Local’ Framework,” presented with some graphic illustrations.

Products, services, it doesn’t really matter; e-commerce is a fly on the posterior of an elephant. That “elephant” is the local market…
The Internet is fundamentally a research tool that helps people decide what to do and where to spend money — offline…
the ad infrastructure (and tracking) and advertisers themselves (be they large or small) haven’t caught up to consumers. The process hasn’t been “transparent” enough to everyone…

Last month, San Francisco became the latest in a growing list of cities that have converted look-alike parking meters into collection boxes for the homeless. This spreading trend has been slowly adopted throughout the country as downtown city officials scratch their head on coming up with a viable solution to panhandlers.

It’s only a matter of time before “silver man” begins dressing up as a parking meter…

Although there are no parking spaces affiliated with the 10 meters scattered around San Francisco, officials hope the specially painted orange meters will reduce actual panhandling, in line with the slogan plastered on them: “Be a part of change, don’t give change.”

Of course with like any new policy or program implemented on the local level, there will be those against it. Homeless advocates are up in arms over a program they feel is just another thinly veiled attempt to drive out panhandlers.

Although there is no evidence that homeless parking meter programs actually work to curb the growing number of panhandlers, expect this to be an increasing metropolitan trend.

It’s only a matter of time before “silver man” begins dressing up as a parking meter…