SearchEngineUpdate with Vanessa Zamora - 06-10-2008 Part I
Abstract: 1. Yahoo Launches Local Information Service in India, 2. Healthline Launches Semantic Health Ad Network, 3. Google, Microsoft IBM Goodwill In China
Vanessa Zamora
Video Content Producer, SearchEngineWorld
5:21 pm on June 10, 2008 (utc 0)
Transcript
Tuesday June 10, 2008
Yahoo Launches Local Information Service in India
Yahoo has expanded its Local service, available in the United States and U.K., to India in a modified localized version to provide users information including walking and driving directions, local taxi fare information and local listings for businesses and services. The site is also integrated with SMS, which allows users information such as road directions from a PC to a mobile phone. Yahoo Local, now available in beta test form, is rolling out in the Indian cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai and will expand to other locations pending success in the trial cities.
Online health information provider, Healthline, has devised its own health centered third party advertising network, launched yesterday, to provide advertisers and publishers the ability to benefit from its semantic search technology that provides ad matching capability. The network, dubbed HealthSTAT on Demand, delivers ads relevant to content based on concepts as opposed to keywords. An advertiser, for instance, could target a product to any page that contains content related to a specific condition or illness. The Healthline Network reaches more than 10 million unique health seekers a month.
Following the earthquake that struck China on May 12, relief came in many forms, including those who gave food, while others provided shelter, and yet others, such as Web company Google gave using what it knows best, with technology. China-based Google engineers, developed a search engine to help people locate friends and relatives lost in the quake. In less than one day, and just three days after the earthquake, Google China's Lost Loved Ones was up and running. Five days after the quake, the search engine had already been used 500,000 times, according to Google. Microsoft came to the aid of local government with the development of a Web site meant to store the names of survivors and victims made available to the public. IBM engineers developed an open source software system to serve as a central database on some 500,000 refugees and to help manage relief efforts. Whether as a business move, or for goodwill, the relief contributions made by the three tech companies were essential in helping those affected by the recent tragedy.
