http://www.yodle.net/ The Yodler - A local online advertising blog from Yodle. en lisa.wess@ellislab.com Copyright 2012 2012-01-27T17:39:22+00:00 http://www.yodle.net/post/yodle-ceo-selected-as-speaker-in-stellar-lineup-for-2012-local-adverti/ http://www.yodle.net/post/yodle-ceo-selected-as-speaker-in-stellar-lineup-for-2012-local-adverti/#When:17:39:22Z Yodle CEO Court Cunningham has been selected to speak at the 2012 Local Advertising Conference in New York in March. The conference brings together online advertising professionals who are looking to learn from leaders in the local space. In addition to talks from 50 speakers, four workshop sessions will be held focusing on organizational structure, sales strategies, and revenue performance.  The conference is hosted by Borrell Associates, an advertising research and consulting firm that assists local media Web sites in maximizing their ad revenue. Speakers are chosen because they are recognized as the top echelon of leaders who help drive the success of their company in the “local” online advertising industry and because their company has helped other professionals achieve success. As is explained on PRWeb: Borrell Associates' speaker announcement is tantamount to naming the top performers in the local online advertising industry. Speakers are vetted through Borrell Associates' database of online ad revenue for more than 5,200 local media companies. “Fantastic ideas don't interest us as much as fantastic revenue performance," said CEO Gordon Borrell. "We pack our agenda with people who are driving revenues in a big way and seek out the vendors who are helping them get there." Based on this criteria, it is no surprise that Yodle was selected to participate – having been named  to Lead411’s Annual Technology 200 List as well as to the Digital 100 List of the World’s Most Valuable Startups. Additionally, Yodle ranked among the top 150 companies on the Inc. 500/5000 List and #21 on Deloitte’s Fastest Growing Companies in North America...all in 2011 alone.    Other speakers include Bob Garfield, Ad Age columnist, NPR host and author, David Krantz, CEO of AT&T Interactive, and Maryam Banikarim, executive vice president and CMO of Gannett Inc. The 2012 Local Advertising Conference will be held at The Grand Hyatt at Grand Central Terminal in New York City. To register to attend, click here. You can read the press release announcing the lineup here. Yodle 2012-01-27T17:39:22+00:00 http://www.yodle.net/post/yodle-partnership-with-rogers-takes-things-international/ http://www.yodle.net/post/yodle-partnership-with-rogers-takes-things-international/#When:19:50:58Z   Yodle announced today an exclusive agreement with Rogers Communications. Rogers is the largest provider of wireless voice and data communications in Canada, as well as a leading provider of cable television, high-speed Internet and telephony services. Through their partnership with Yodle, Rogers will be able to offer small and medium-sized businesses options from Yodle's stellar product suite of online marketing services, including websites, paid search marketing, search engine optimization and display advertising. “Out of more than 2 million small and medium businesses in Canada, less than 45% have websites,” said Yodle CEO Court Cunningham. “Through our alliance with Rogers, we will quickly change that by making it easy for business owners, from Halifax to Vancouver, to attract local customers with a simple and cost-effective solution.” Check out the full release, here.   Yodle 2012-01-18T19:50:58+00:00 http://www.yodle.net/post/google-rolls-out-search-plus-your-world/ http://www.yodle.net/post/google-rolls-out-search-plus-your-world/#When:17:35:28Z Google rolled out “Search Plus Your World”, which will make a pretty dramatic impact on search results, further personalizing the search experience for users. The way it works is that when you are logged into your Google profile on Google.com and search for a specific term, say “banana smoothie,” Google will return results from personal, private, public, and social sources in one place. This means that certain private content you and/or people in your Google+ circles have shared on Google’s social network and other services like Picasa will appear on the search results page along with public matches from around the web. Personal results will be blended into the first page of results shown. So, if you privately posted a photo of an amazing banana smoothie you made and a friend, in turn, privately shared a photo of their favorite banana smoothie, Google would include those photos in search results when you or your friend searched for “banana smoothie.” Here's a screen shot of how results would appear, with a search for "sushi" as an example (photo source: http://www.google.com/insidesearch/plus.html):   No longer will users have to search by one of two different systems – personalized or social search – as was the case prior to this latest development that combines the two algorithms into one. However, users will be able to switch between personalized and unpersonalized results. To be clear, the private content that has been shared, and now incorporated into personalized search results, is not part of Google’s public results. The content that will now be visible is only content that has already been shared with your networks. Check out the full article on Search Engine Land here. Yodle 2012-01-13T17:35:28+00:00 http://www.yodle.net/post/yodle-austin-supports-casa/ http://www.yodle.net/post/yodle-austin-supports-casa/#When:14:36:00Z   I’ve lived in Austin for 21 years. Over those years I have seen the city grow dramatically. The downtown skyline is filled with buildings that did not exist a decade ago, freeways now run in places where there were two lane roads, celebrities live and work in a city few had heard of when I moved here. Despite all this change one thing has remained the same throughout the years and that is the spirit of Austin. As the sound of live music still fills downtown nightly, local businesses still thrive and are celebrated. Concerts, festivals and other events are held almost weekly not just in the name of fun, but to support worthy charities like CASA. In short, Austinites genuinely care about each other and making a difference. Our local charity, CASA, embodies the same spirit of Austin and Yodle. Just as Yodle gives small business owners a “voice” on the Internet that they may not be able to have on their own, CASA gives children who have been abused or neglected a voice in the court system that they would not have on their own. It’s hard to imagine doing anything more important than helping children who are in need and unable to help themselves. I feel lucky to be a part of a city, company and charity that still makes it a priority to look out for others. You can read more about Yodle's Annual Holiday Giving Campaign and ongoing community efforts around the U.S. on Yodle.org. Yodle 2011-12-21T14:36:00+00:00 http://www.yodle.net/post/yodle-boston-supports-abcd/ http://www.yodle.net/post/yodle-boston-supports-abcd/#When:14:38:46Z Bostonians are known for being loyal and passionate about whatever they focus their energy on. Whether it's rooting for a local sports team or standing up for what they believe in, the city has a passion that spreads across the entire community. At Yodle, we believe Action for Boston Community Development is a great fit with Yodle's core value of committing yourself to greatness. ABCD has been dedicated to serving the Boston community for 50 years now, and their commitment to our community has a positive impact on the lives of over 94,000 low-income individuals and families each year. Specifically, ABCD helps with providing basic resources for families in need, in addition to services that help promote self-sufficiency through youth education. Yodle is proud to assist ABCD as they continue to benefit the lives of our fellow Bostonians. You can read more about Yodle's Annual Holiday Giving Campaign and ongoing community efforts around the U.S. on Yodle.org.   Yodle 2011-12-15T14:38:46+00:00 http://www.yodle.net/post/yodle-scottsdale-supports-st.-marys-food-bank-alliance/ http://www.yodle.net/post/yodle-scottsdale-supports-st.-marys-food-bank-alliance/#When:15:35:34Z Scottsdale was recently ranked as one of the most charitable cities in America. As one of the fastest growing companies in Scottsdale (five employees in 2008 to 145 today), the team here in “YodleDale” also feels a responsibility to continue this tradition of giving back to our community. In addition to the many charities and organizations with which our individual YodleDalers are involved, we have chosen St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance as our designated charity for our Scottsdale office.  St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance, the world's first food bank, is a nonprofit organization that alleviates hunger by efficiently gathering and distributing food to sites that serve the hungry. Serving two-thirds of Arizona's 15 counties, the organization is committed to volunteerism, building community relationships and improving the quality of life for Arizonans in need. All of us at Yodle Scottsdale are proud to support this great organization and wish everyone in Yodle Nation the happiest of holidays and best wishes for another great year in 2012. You can read more about Yodle's Annual Holiday Giving Campaign and ongoing community efforts around the U.S. on Yodle.org. Yodle 2011-12-12T15:35:34+00:00 http://www.yodle.net/post/yodle-charlotte-supports-victory-junction/ http://www.yodle.net/post/yodle-charlotte-supports-victory-junction/#When:17:19:05Z Charlotte is known as the Queen City and is truly a jewel in America’s Southern Crown. A town recognized for its hospitality, vitality and creativity, Charlotte Yodlers exemplify the city’s spirit. Charlotte is also home to a number of different industries from big banking to motorsports. Therefore, it makes sense that our charity of choice would be Victory Junction. Founded by Richard and Lynda Petty, NASCAR legends, in honor of Adam Petty, this amazing 71 acre camp works to support thousands of children with chronic illness. To date Victory Junction has brightened the lives of more than 14,000 children since opening in 2004. As our Holiday gift for Yodle's Annual Holiday Giving Campaign, Charlotte is proud to support such a worthy organization and we encourage you to find out more by visiting www.victoryjunction.org. You can read more about Yodle's Annual Holiday Giving Campaign and ongoing community efforts around the U.S. on Yodle.org. Yodle 2011-12-09T17:19:05+00:00 http://www.yodle.net/post/yodle-scottsdale-plans-to-double-employee-count/ http://www.yodle.net/post/yodle-scottsdale-plans-to-double-employee-count/#When:17:00:05Z It's no secret Yodle is growing! Earlier this year, Yodle ranked #21 on Deloitte's Technology Fast 500™ 2011 list as a fastest growing company in North America. Yodle also ranked in the top 150 on the 2011 Inc. 500|5000 list. You can read more about Yodle's achievements here. Yodle's success is what enabled the acquisition of Austin-based ProfitFuel Inc. in May of 2011. Since  then, Yodle has continued to add more team members to our stellar ranks. Not only has the Austin office expanded its space but the Arizona office in Scottsdale has also, recently increasing lease space from 12,000 square feet to 26,521. Yodle Scottsdale's home is at Arizona State University Scottsdale Innovation Center, SkySong. There are more than 100 team members at Skysong currently but with the expansion comes plans to nearly double that amount. Of the Scottsdale hiring pool, Yodle chief financial officer Michael Gordon said, "It's been a good market for us. We've grown multiple times there. We're fortunate to be a very dynamic, fast-growing company. We're hiring in all of our departments ... and we have found the Scottsdale labor pool to be very attractive. The sales jobs we have are calling over the phone, so we could locate them anywhere," Gordon said. "The reason why we've been so excited about Scottsdale and why it's worked so well for us ... is we've had a lot of success in recruiting." Check out the full article here. And if you are interested in working with Yodle, visit yodle.us.   Yodle 2011-12-08T17:00:05+00:00 http://www.yodle.net/post/yodle-new-york-supports-daniels-music-foundation/ http://www.yodle.net/post/yodle-new-york-supports-daniels-music-foundation/#When:16:31:10Z New York City is known for its energy and its entertainment. Millions of diverse people and businesses reside here and interact to create a city unlike any other in the world. From the skyscrapers to the bodegas to the lights of Broadway, individuals labor to succeed in the city that Sinatra sang about:  “If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere…”  Much like Yodle supports local businesses throughout the country, Daniel’s Music Foundation gives voice to individuals that might otherwise struggle to be heard. Through music, the foundation teaches acceptance, respect, socialization, self-esteem, and builds confidence in disabled people throughout New York City. As our gift this Holiday Season, Yodle is proud to support Daniel’s Music Foundation in its endeavors to help people achieve personal success. You can read more about Yodle's Annual Holiday Giving Campaign and ongoing community efforts around the U.S. on Yodle.org. photo: Tara Cuccia Yodle 2011-12-06T16:31:10+00:00 http://www.yodle.net/post/yodle-ranks-26-on-forbes-list-of-americas-most-promising-companies/ http://www.yodle.net/post/yodle-ranks-26-on-forbes-list-of-americas-most-promising-companies/#When:20:08:09Z Forbes released their list of the 100 most promising young companies in the U.S. and Yodle is honored to rank #26! The list spotlights 100 privately held up-and-comers with compelling business models, strong management teams, notable customers, strategic partners, and investment capital.  Yodle is proud to be recognized as one of the country’s rising stars with serious growth potential.  Earlier this year, Yodle celebrated Inc. 500 and SAI 100 recognition as a fastest growing company and most valuable startup, respectively. Throughout the course of the tough ongoing economic environment, Yodle is extremely proud of being able to keep its positive momentum. You can read the full Forbes article on America’s Most Promising Companies here and find the complete list of featured companies here.       Yodle 2011-12-02T20:08:09+00:00