Leading Israeli newspaper to charge for access
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz has decided to join a growing number of publications worldwide that are charging for access to their websites and mobile apps.
Haaretz made its announcement with the upbeat proclamation of “the start of a new era,” adding that it “will enable us to provide you with accurate and comprehensive news coverage, analyses and commentary on Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.”
The revamped site, which went live on Monday morning, is slightly more content heavy than its predecessor, but not enough to warrant such a rosy declaration, in our opinion.
Haaretz’s new digital subscriptions pricing plan mirrors that of The New York Times – no charge for access to a limited number of articles per month (only 10 vs. 20 at The Times) with the front page always free and the rest nestled behind a pay wall. Print subscribers will get access to the whole kit and kaboodle. A subscription will cover all digital platforms: web and mobile (both smart phones and tablets). Continue reading
AutoTrader.com / DealerTrack team up
By Sharon Hill
AutoTrader.com and dealer software provider DealerTrack appear to be planning an early-2013 collaboration to somewhat change the face of online consumer auto-loan search. According to Automotive News, AutoTrader.com will provide a car shopper with auto financing access specific to her or his preferred vehicle. An AutoTrader.com spokesperson told AutoNews.com that dealers will control the loan process, sharing with consumers only what they wish, and still profiting from the new finance service.
Whether this is an important addition to the auto listing giant’s services to consumers and / or dealers remains to be seen. According to AutoNews article comments, however, the service is not unique. There representatives from OfferLogix [PDF] and DriveItNow both claimed to have similar features in place. AutoTrader.com’s differentiator, however, might well be that neither OfferLogix nor DriveItNow offer these financing features on their own consumer-facing auto listing site. Regardless, it’s solid information for auto-listing publishers about the workings of the auto-loan finance world, and the online options available to consumers.
Edmunds.com rolls out live chat
By Sharon Hill
Edmunds.com just signed with Contact At Once, joining AutoTrader.com and Cars.com in adding live chat to its dealer listings, with the goal of increasing sales communications between consumers and dealers
“Today, according to Dealer Chat Market Share, nearly 20 percent of all dealers use live chat on their own websites and that number continues to rise,” Contact At Once director of marketing Aaron Hassen told us by email. “As the major automotive listing sites have embraced live chat, dealers have increasingly begun integrating live chat into their processes and are selling more cars as a result.”
“ContactAtOnce! fully managed chat is responsible for a 25 percent increase in our sales, both new and used,” Chris Forsythe, Internet & BDC director at David Stanley Chrysler reported to Hassen. “ContactAtOnce! is the most cost-effective way to sell more cars immediately,” he said.
Here’s the official announcement, from Edmunds.com: Continue reading
BiteHunter starts Daily Deals mobile buys
Though it’s only enabled for Apple mobile devices, Daily Deals aggregator BiteHunter alerts consumer to individualized Daily Deals from several sites and lets them buy them right from their own Iphones. Dozens of well-known Daily Deals sites are aggregated, including Google, Living Social, Gilt City, Travel Zoo and Restaurant.com.
Consumers searching for dining deals can, for example, search as specific as cuisine. They can see reviews and recommendations for the various restaurants, as well as contact details and menu. The consumer enters her or his credit card information once and the BiteHunter BiteBuy technology takes care of the rest of the buying process for every transaction from then on.
This is technology worth emulating. We hope they add Android capability soon.
YPG re-launches API with 1.5 million business listings
Canada’s Yellow Pages Group (YPG) has re-launched its YellowAPI. The move is slightly surprising given Yellow’s preoccupation with debt and a crumbling stock price. That plus the fact that, although nearly 2,000 software developers signed up for YellowAPI since it launched in 2010, only 35 apps have been created. Do the math: that’s a paltry 2% of developers. Not the best follow-through. But then, as we said, Yellow has been a bit distracted. Continue reading
Tribune242.com, new Nassau news site, classifieds coming soon – UPDATE
Ellington Marketplace, a licensed product of The World Company’s Mediaphormedia, is the platform behind Tribune Limited’s new Tribune242.com, in Nassau, Bahamas. While the online / PDF publication is news only, classifieds are coming soon. Viewers can listen to Tribune Radio News podcasts, take part in polls, and follow the publication on Twitter – @Tribune242, or Facebook – Facebook.com/tribune242.
Please note: this update is a correction of a prior version that affiliated the publication with Chicago-based Tribune Company. That is not the case. The entirely separate Tribune Limited organization is based in Nassau, Bahamas.
Prior to the launch of classified listings, the Marketplace product offers ad sales opportunities to auto dealers, real estate practitioners, property managers and service firms through its business directory product. Marketplace enables a directory of local businesses, typically at no charge to the business, with upsells that boost the publisher’s bottom line. Coupon capability, and ad tracking / analytics are part of the package. While not the only Marketplace product for publishers, Mediaphormedia’s Marketplace has a long history of working with media clients that include Ogden Publishing Corp., Amarillo (TX) Globe News, and Fayetteville (AR) Flyer. For what Marketplace can do for classifieds, take a look at WorldClassifieds, the classified home of The World Company’s flagship newspaper, the Lawrence (KS) Journal World.
- New Study Names Edmunds.com Most Popular Car Dealer Review Site
- HomeZada Integrates to Pinterest for DIY Projects
- Contact At Once! Dealer Chat Software Now Available to DealerRater Certified Dealer Partners
- United States:
- Vizu Moves into Social Media Ad Success Measurement
- McClatchy Names Elaine Lintecum As Vice President, Finance And Chief Financial Officer And Announces Other Leadership Changes
- United States:AutoTrader.com Announces New Leadership at VinSolutions
- Grenlist.com is a “Classifieds Community”, with environmental integrity! Every aspect of the site, has been created by the people, for the people!
- Canoe.ca publisher Quebecor reports Q1 2012 results
- Yellow Media Reports $3 Billion Quarterly Loss
