“There have been a number of posts here and there about fallout and changes at Judy’s Book and InsiderPages. Here are Andrew Goodman and Peter Krasilovsky discussing the downsizing and challenges. (Krasilovsky’s post also discusses MerchantCircle.)
Both of these sites (Judy’s Book, InsiderPages) to some degree have stalled on sales channel issues. They had good consumer traction but found (are finding) it difficult to sell to local merchants. The winners, beyond established media companies with deep pockets, will be those who can hold out for a long time and build tremendous consumer value and usage.
There are still companies flooding into the local space because nobody has fully nailed it (that’s the perception anyway) and it’s such a big opportunity on paper. But on the ground it’s extremely difficult and a long-term play.
Even as newspapers and more startups are now focusing on local, the question is: are we on the cusp of a bit of a shakeout? It would seem so.”
http://gesterling.wordpress.com/2006/11/27/local-shakeout-part-i/
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