Forkfly, which offers a turnkey, integrated mobile coupon app, has shown surprisingly good results in its first media partnership, which launched at the end of March, 2011. Exclusive by DMA, Forkfly's functionality is super fast and loaded, including locational technology and push notification outside the app, which can be controlled by the merchant. Pioneer's Herald&News says the first three days resulted in 150 downloads of the app. Here is the implementation strategy, full results and our take on the platform. more

One of the top performing television station interactive departments, according to Borrell & Associates, is Draper Holdings' WBOC in Salisbury. Here are key strategies that led to 59% digital growth in 2010, and 200% this year, including their Facebook strategy, sales structure, and directory play. more

BizzBuzzSearch.com, a spin off from the Evening Post Company, aims to take on Yelp in smaller markets by partnering with high traffic local media sites. Here's how the platform works. more

What do you need to know to select a certificate store (this is not a group deal provider, but a store for on-going deals) provider? Here are ten key questions we vetted with heads of interactive who have launched stores in their markets: more

Halfoffdeals and HalfOffdepot are both nationally branded companies that offer merchants advertising trade in return for gift certificates sold in an online store. Now two stores, MercPerks, created by The Portland Mercury (owned by The Stranger) and Kostizi, owned by Salt Lake City Weekly are alternative weekly-owned certificate stores that offer white label platforms to affiliates. Included are case studies on first year revenues, how the programs work, and how they compare to each other. more

On the spectrum of directories that include user-generated content, Wimgo is one of the most advanced. Wimgo doesn’t just use Facebook instant-connect to capture user-information, it also uses integrate people’s Facebook likes and their friends likes with business records in the directory, providing a key advantage over other recommendation sites like Yelp. Here's how they did it, and our take on this as a partnership opportunity. more

Here are nine take-aways from the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies' 2011 Web Conference about who Millennials are and what they want as local media consumers and employees. more

A key new directory partnership opportunity in the home services area, ServiceAlley.com, launched three weeks ago as a partnership between Teachstreet and the Washington Post. The group is challenging Angie’s List, IYP’s and even Valpak for the home services categories. Here is an outline of how it works and our recommendations. more

Many large publishers are investigating self-serve ad platforms as a way to sell small businesses- and replace classifieds - efficiently. A new entry into the field is QuickAds, a just-released self-serve ad platform from Creative Circle Media Solutions. Here's our review of the platform and potential uses. more

SeniorChecked, a directory of certified home service providers, demonstrates how local directories are evolving to serve different kinds of marketplaces. After the original business strategy faltered, a team of executives at AOL left to turn-around the start-up. Here's their plan, led by CEO Chris Spanos, to solidify the business model and take a run at the Better Business Bureau. more