Latest @nearmedia.bsky.social newsletter is out: Ask Maps builds listicles, Agentic Search and zero click, AI referrals don't reflect AI influence, Google appeals "monopoly" ruling. www.nearmedia.co/ask-maps-lis...

One of the more hopeful pieces of news I've seen recently: independent bookstores are growing at a rapid pace. www.yahoo.com/news/us/arti...

AI promos on Google homepage. Strange and unattractive.

This is the strangest Local Pack/Local Finder Test that I have ever seen. There are new colors and layout for the Pack. When a profile is selected it heads off to search.yahoo.com/local/ and from there to Yelp when you click the reviews

Some non product reflections on the "vibe" and Google I/O: www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

@nearmedia.bsky.social's latest newsletter with highlights from Google I/O: Google's AI Box, Siri & Spark, Gemini Trust, Zero Traffic Future. www.nearmedia.co/googles-ai-b...

Here's the latest (free) Dialog newsletter about the intersection of AI, SaaS and Local. The lead story is about Claude for SMBs. www.localdialog.com/claude-for-s...?

Latest @nearmedia.bsky.social newsletter is out: What we know about ChatGPT ads, Claude goes local, AI citation ranking factors, Google now driving 91% of its own ad revenue. www.nearmedia.co/chatgpt-ads-...?

Why "Brand Fame" is the New Local SEO 🏆 @gsterling.bsky.social & @whitespark.ca discuss why "Brand Fame" is the secret weapon for dominating AI-driven local search. You have to move beyond just Google Business Profiles and start thinking about offline impact. 🚀 youtube.com/shorts/Y14Dv...

Latest exciting (and free again) @nearmedia.bsky.social newsletter: 57% using AI for local search, organic CTR up, 'commodity content' and Google's agentic search future. www.nearmedia.co/local-ai-tru...

Legal hallucinations, new Google review policies, what's your site good for anyway?, PI lawyer ads come to AI Mode; @nearmedia.bsky.social has a new legal marketing newsletter -- it's free. www.nearmedia.co/legal-halluc...

Just got this from United. It's very strange ... I suppose they're trying to be sensitive to people whose parents have passed away. But people struggle with various holidays, depending on their circumstances and family relationships. Will they offer this for Thanksgiving or Xmas?

Latest @nearmedia.bsky.social newsletter now online: Ask Maps Is the Future, PoS Review Penalty, AI Short List, AIO Accuracy. www.nearmedia.co/ask-maps-pos...

Zuckerberg and Musk do battle for most odious tech leader. www.engadget.com/big-tech/mar...

The enshittification of Instagram: www.threads.com/@upasnagauta...?

This seems kind of irresponsible: futurism.com/future-socie...

Latest @nearmedia.bsky.social newsletter: Apple Maps Ads, OpenAI's Retreat, GBP Benchmarks, Socially Addictive www.nearmedia.co/apple-maps-a...

The new @nearmedia.bsky.social legal marketing newsletter: Attorneys Embrace AI, LSA Secrets, Lawyer Finding, Review Diversification. www.nearmedia.co/attorneys-em...

Here's the most recent @nearmedia.bsky.social newsletter: Google Reviews Slip, New TikTok Local Feed, Ads Not AIOs Are Killing Your Traffic, Social Media 'Addiction' on Trial www.nearmedia.co/google-slips/

Join @mikeblumenthal.bsky.social @davidmihm.bsky.social and me next Tuesday (Feb 24) for a webinar on our latest behavioral research: Winning in 2026: Reviews, AI, and the New Rules of Search. go.gatherup.com/winning-in-2...

Bad actors in the US gov't are trying to get info on critics from Google and Google is complying in some cases. Take my poll on how you might react if you were being targeted: www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

The latest @nearmedia.bsky.social newsletter, Super Bowl edition. Local Pack Ads, Google Ka-Ching!, Claude Super Bowl Ads, AI Ankle-Biters www.nearmedia.co/local-pack-a...

Broken Siri and lack of AI capabilities don’t seem to have hurt Apple results: quarterly sales up 16% on ‘staggering’ iPhone demand www.reuters.com/business/app...

The latest @nearmedia.bsky.social newsletter: Local AI Visibility Study, AIO-->AI Mode, Daily Queries Decline, CEOs Squandered Tech Trust

Tim Cook’s delayed and bland response to events in Minnesota is not going to satisfy his critics. He’s going to need to accelerate his retirement.

This is the future and the United States is, dangerously, putting its head in the sand. US auto makers will wake up five years from now finding their market share disappearing. insideevs.com/news/785541/...

Yahoo launches new AI "answer engine" Scout, which offers a nice blend of AI and traditional search features. www.nearmedia.co/scout-yahoos...

Tesla sales continue to decline in California and Europe, its biggest markets. Yet the Tesla board clings to Elon Musk as though it has no choice. He’s not an asset he’s a liability.

Increasing reliance on Musk’s propagandapedia might cause me to switch my usage from ChatGPT to Gemini. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Tim Cook's obsequious cozying up to Trump -- really true of the lot of them (maybe Nadella is the exception) -- has tainted his legacy and the Apple brand.

@nearmedia.bsky.social newsletter: Agentic Shopping, GBP Agents, Gemini Share Surge, Siri-Google Deal www.nearmedia.co/agentic-shop...

Gemini Nano Banana is faster than ChatGPT, but ChatGPT produces consistently better images.

From @nearmedia.bsky.social … a look back at local in 2025. www.nearmedia.co/looking-back...

Because of Elon Musk's toxic politics, many people are rooting for Tesla to fail. But Tesla was and still is an important company. I would rather see it sold or Musk ousted. However Musk may try to merge Tesla with xAI for even greater control. www.theinformation.com/articles/pre...

I would encourage everyone so inclined to donate to ProPublica. They do old school investigative journalism at a time when many news organizations are turning into social media. www.propublica.org

Here’s a bitter but amusing article about Elon Musk‘s failed/false promises mashable.com/article/elon...

A movie that’s not explicitly an Xmas movie but is a better Xmas movie than almost all of them.

For those who are curious, here’s a link to the 60 Minutes segment that was pulled in the US but aired in Canada last night. www.thereset.news/p/breaking-h...

From @nearmedia.bsky.social: ChatGPT local results with Knowledge Panels. www.nearmedia.co/chatgpt-loca...

One of the reasons for Gemini's recent popularity vs. ChatGPT is Nano Banana and the fact that Gemini was much faster at images than ChatGPT. That has changed dramatically with the release of upgraded image creation. openai.com/index/new-ch...

Haven't written a Google review in a while. Wrote one tonight and got their reward-points screen, which I won't be manipulated by and laugh in the face of ...

Saw this is my credit card bill today, which is Amazon Prime fee plus tax. It’s incredible that it has become so expensive over the years.

Google is apparently bringing more visual local results to Gemini (per @rustybrick.com and a Twitter post now deleted). However, Gemini is way too slow to take usage from Google proper or AI Mode.

The latest @nearmedia.bsky.social newsletter: Got Moats?, Google AI Training Probe, Agencies Are 'OK,' SMBs Are Social www.nearmedia.co/got-moats-go...

When I see sponsored content I almost always bounce without reading it.

Terrific podcast discussion with Jes Scholtz about the future of search, SEO and AI. Lots of strategic and very tactical advice via @nearmedia.bsky.social www.nearmedia.co/ep-234-p-1-g...

Google keeps making me sign in again and again. So annoying.

All data captured by Meta AI chats will now be used for ad targeting. No opt-out in the US. Yet more confirmation the company is a bad actor. techcrunch.com/2025/10/01/m...

The latest @nearmediaco newsletter: ChatGPT 'Code Red', Dynamic SERP, Local AI Visibility, AI Shopping on the Rise www.nearmedia.co/chatgpt-code...

It's pretty clear that most of these recent RTO orders are layoffs in disguise (e.g., Amazon). Same with the latest Instagram 5-days a week RTO policy. sfist.com/2025/12/01/i...