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According to an article in Time magazine: “Companies have been promising the dawn of the smart home–a futuristic dwelling full of gadgets working seamlessly to satisfy your every whim–since the ’50s. Yet early efforts failed to deliver because of clunky tech and consumer wariness.” 

A company called SmartThings has built a platform that allows the objects in your home–doors, locks, lightbulbs, even sprinkler systems–to talk to one another and prioritize your needs. 

SmartThings has competition from other companies with more familiar names, such as Apple, AT&T and Google. But according to the Time article, “SmartThings, though smaller and less resource-rich than the tech titans, is well positioned to lead the pack. Unlike bigger companies, it doesn’t have an established business model to protect, so it can reimagine the connected home from scratch.” 

This month, SmartThings was acquired by Samsung. 

Click here to read This Startup is Trying to Create—and Control—the Internet of Your Home. 

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Research shows that the internet is now the primary way that most US consumers find local business information and search engines were identified as the primary tool used by consumers to find local information. 

Furthermore, “While the internet has emerged as the go-to source for finding location information and details about businesses ranging from hair salons and veterinary clinics to gyms and restaurants, it is rife with errors. As a result, companies are missing out on customers at their bricks-and-mortar stores, and driving them to competitors, say analysts.” (Financial Times 3/4/13) 

Your business address, phone number, email address, hours, policies, specials and other details—they’re all subject to change. Make sure your local listings are up-to-date. 

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Google’s recent local search algorithm update has no official name; Search Engine Land calls it “Pigeon.” So we’ll go with that. 

According to a Search Engine Land report: “The new local search algorithm ties deeper into their web search capabilities, including the hundreds of ranking signals they use in web search along with search features such as Knowledge Graph, spelling correction, synonyms and more. In addition, Google said that this new algorithm improves their distance and location ranking parameters. The new algorithm is currently rolling out for US English results and aims to provide a more useful and relevant experience for searchers seeking local results.” 

Click here to read more.