Oodle Blog

Jump Pages in Googlebase

Received an email alert from Classified Intelligence this weekend.  Looks like GoogleBase is now delivering their users to jump pages from the results page instead of to the listing on the source site.  This Google hosted/created jump page displays all the attribute information and it's striking how much thislooks like a listing.

It will be interesting to see how this is received by the folks that provide GoogleBase with a feed.  Oodle and other vertical search engines (SimplyHired, Indeed) made an explicit decision not to do this.   We follow traditional search engine etiquette and send traffic directly to the listing from the results page.

This isn't the first time Google has pushed the envelope.  As I mentioned in a previous post, I was surprised when they decided both to point off to third-party listings and take their own (putting them in competition with their listings partners).

AOL exits classifieds

I was surprised to read today on AuctionBytes that AOL is exiting the classifieds game.   As the biz model for classifieds shifts, seems like it would be an ideal time for them to double down on this service. 

Adding Context to Search

The Internet continues to churn our more and more choice for consumers.   At the same time, it’s getting harder and harder for consumers to find what they are looking for.     New techniques that seem be doing the most to address this issue provide more context to the discovery process.  Here are three that jump to mind:

1.    Vertical Scope.   Vertical search engines take advantage of a narrow context (e.g., looking for an apartment in San Francisco) to offer more relevant functionality to the problem at hand.  And when done well, they should look and feel more like an application anchored in search than what we think of as a stand-alone search engine.  Shopping.com does this for online commerce.  Kayak is doing this for travel.  Oodle is doing this for classifieds. 

2.    Tagging.  Tagging allows users to provide context either for themselves or for others.   Obviously  del.icio.us provides such a filter for finding web sites.  Reviews are a form of tagging, and as such, InsiderPages provides a good filter for business directories.  SPAM reporting is also form of tagging, and is very successfully used in the classifieds world by Craigslist to keep its market from getting clogged with SPAM and porn.

3.    Social Networks.  Social networks allow context to be established based on the people behind the tags (versus the content in the tag) whether it be people like me or people I know.  As such, social network needs to appropriately align their context with context of the tags that they support.  LinkedIn provides such social context to its tags which are online resumes & contact information.    Fremont will soon introduce social context to classifieds market, recognizing that the person behind that roommate listing is a important piece of selection criteria.

Am I missing any?  Let me know.

Web 2.0 based on biz model shift

In a previous post, I poked fun at all the Web 2.0 hype and jargon.   I do think, however, that we have entered a new and distinctly different phase of the Internet.  IMHO, it’s being driven by the fact that the primary business model for most sites on the web has changed.   And it’s this change that is aligning the economic interest of sites to do things like support mashups.

Web 1.0 was dominated by media driven business model – i.e., deliver ads to a captive audience.  The goal was to capture users, lock them down (in a “walled garden”).  To do this, businesses spent tons of money negotiating multi-million dollar distribution deals with portals (walled garden versions of a search engine) and developing their brand with display advertising.    

Web 2.0 is dominated by a lead referral model – i.e., delivering prospects to your advertisers.  The goal in is to entice users to your site.  To do this, businesses are becoming more open and interconnected within their ecosystem.  They are syndicating their content, opening APIs, offering affiliate programs and embracing search.   They succeed when they find ways to bring more prospects to their site.  As I previously posted, it’s no longer about lock-in, it’s about “love-in”.

Most ecommerce sites are far down this path.  Classified publishers are just starting.