Latest Articles

LinkedIn helps companies like InfoSpace get connected

February 27, 2012 By Stacy

LinkedIn has been getting quite a bit of media coverage lately, from news about sharing its privacy policy to being ranked in a study as the top social network for recruiting. Today, LinkedIn announced its new “Follow Company” button. As the company blog states, companies can now add this button to their company websites. LinkedIn users can then follow news about companies they’re interested in on LinkedIn. While this sounds to me a little like it’s share button, as the social media online publication, Mashable, also noted in its article about LinkedIn today, it seems that this new “follow” feature allows for more direct access to each company’s page. We’ve added a LinkedIn follow button to our company homepage today to see if it would be worth all the excitement. LinkedIn has never proven to be a disappointment to us in the past.

As a primarily B2B company, InfoSpace’s social network is more active on LinkedIn more than it is on its more consumer-facing social networking pages on Facebook, Google +, Twitter and YouTube. We’re pleased that we have an online social outlet to share InfoSpace’s company news, job opportunities and industry trends on our LinkedIn Company Page. In fact, our new LinkedIn Group, “Infospace Search Group” started just recently, and we’ve been able to get discussions started with our business partners, peers, and colleagues in the search space. Sign into your LinkedIn account and join our group or follow our Company page at: www.linkedin.com/company/infospace. You can also click our new LinkedIn “Follow” button on the homepage of our corporate website at www.infospaceinc.com, or click the icon right here:

The Top Searches of Dogpile.com for 2011

December 20, 2011 By Stacy

Today we released our annual most-popular searched terms for our flagship metasearch engine, Dogpile. Based on an analysis of hundreds of millions of the most searched queries submitted on Dogpile.com, we were able to gauge the interests of American Internet users. We found that 2011was filled with celebrity curiosities, high-profile trials, sex scandals and economic anxieties. Following are the top ten favorite fetches, or top searches, on Dogpile.com for 2011.

Top Ten Overall Favorite Fetches:
1. Facebook
2. YouTube
3. NFL
4. American Idol
5. iPad
6. iPhone
7. Kim Kardashian
8. Justin Bieber
9. Casey Anthony trial
10. Powerball

For the second year in a row, Facebook appeared on the top of our list of the most-searched terms. Although navigational searches can account for many of those searches, Facebook had such strong numbers in comparison to other terms, that we couldn’t discount it for its popularity, the numerous site updates, and its impact on Americans’ lives.

Unlike 2010, when news events saturated most of last year’s lists, two people made it to the top ten this year. Reality TV show queen, Kim Kardashian, and pop/R&B teen sensation, Justin Bieber, showed that their celebrity status piqued almost every online users’ interests this year.

Dogpile users also seemed to use the Internet more often this year as an outlet for entertainment aside from celebrity intrigue. Searches for online games, dating sites and tech gadget reviews made noticeably high appearances throughout the years.

The economy was ever-present in Dogpile search queries through more unemployment related themes, such as job listings, resume templates and cover letter samples. Based on an increasingly high number of searches like coupons, credit unions, minimum wage, Sallie Mae, and lottery results, it seemed that Internet users were finding more money making tips and savings strategies online.

Whether Internet users search on Dogpile.com for news and navigation, or reviews and resources, it’s clear that Dogpile, with its renewed partnerships with Bing, Google and Yahoo! this year, provided the most comprehensive search results again in 2011.

For more on Dogpile searches, follow Arfie on our Dogpile Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/dogpilesearch, and search on www.Dogpile.com every day, where you’ll find a daily listing of Dogpile’s favorite fetches.

The Most Popular Retail Shopping Websites of the Holiday Season

November 28, 2011 By Stacy

The beginning of the traditional holiday shopping season began a little early again this year – Thanksgiving night around 9 p.m. in some areas to be exact. If you were like me, you were quickly out the door after having Thanksgiving dinner and your second helping of pumpkin pie, to head to, and maneuver, the annual Black Friday sales.

It seems that I wasn’t the only one with this plan either as I could attest by the long lines at the local chain stores. According to a survey conducted by the National Retail Federation, a retail trade association, nearly one-quarter of Black Friday shoppers were at big box retail stores by midnight on Thanksgiving night. Last year, that figure was 9.5 percent, and only 3.3 percent in 2009.

The National Retail Federation reported that Black Friday sales hit the highest figures in its survey history. By the end of the biggest shopping day of the year, consumers spent more than $52 billion at retail stores and online.

Weekend sales figures are still being calculated, but even investors are bullish and optimistic. U.S. stocks posted sharp gains today, Cyber Monday, after reports of strong Black Friday weekend sales. If such reports, along with predicted Cyber Monday sales, are any indication, holiday sales will continue to climb this week based on earlier (Cyber Sunday) and longer (Cyber Week) promotions. Retailers, big and small, are hoping to reach new highs in sales for the remaining holiday shopping season; consumers are just as eager to find more great bargains, and all are hoping the holiday sales will stimulate the economy.

Cyber Monday isn’t over, and there are still 27 shopping days left until Christmas. You can quickly find the best deals on Dogpile.com to help sort through it all at http://www.dogpile.com/dogpile/web/Cyber+Week+Sales.

Here’s the top 15 list of the top searched retail websites from Dogpile.com online users between Black Friday to today, Cyber Monday:
1. Best Buy
2. Apple Store
3. Shari’s Berries
4. Amazon
5. Walmart
6. Home Depot
7. Lowes
8. Target
9. Sears
10.Toys R’ Us
11.Kohls
12.Kmart
13.Costco
14.Bed, Bath and Beyond
15.Sam’s Club

Did you score any fabulous deals on Black Friday – Cyber Monday? Brag all about it on InfoSpace’s Facebook or Google+ pages. One of your FB friends may hope they’re the lucky recipient of it, or they may get one for themselves before the season is over!

How To Be Thankful and Give Back on Thanksgiving Day and Every Day

November 23, 2011 By Stacy

This year has been difficult for many Americans, but despite the hardships, there are still many things to be grateful for. That’s one reason why we were thrilled to see an increase in search results on ways to be charitable and thankful. We’d like to share a few of these top search results on the ways you can give back this Thanksgiving and throughout the holiday season.

1. Donate to Meals on Wheels home-delivered meals for seniors – Millions of elderly Americans are unable to leave their homes to go grocery shopping, eat out at restaurants, or travel to have Thanksgiving dinner with family members who may live out of state. Organizations like Meals on Wheels provide home-delivery of meals to the elderly. Volunteer your time by preparing food, or delivering a meal to senior citizens in your area.

2. Thank U.S. troops for their service – American troops are, thankfully, beginning their journey back home this holiday season, but it’s not too late to send them thanks for the time they spent serving our country. Email a thank you note through a non-profit organization, or help with transition services through your local Veterans Affairs office.

3. Donate and read a book to inpatients at a children’s hospital –In all the excitement over the holidays, many American kids may forget that there are other little ones just like them that may not get the chance to enjoy Thanksgiving at home, or even worse, have the luxury of having good health. Encourage your kids to pick a book or toy to give to young patients at the local children’s hospital. This may also help kids learn to be more thankful for their own health.

4. Donate a warm blanket or jacket to the homeless – Some organizations are unable to take in volunteers who haven’t signed up weeks in advance. Sometimes, it’s just enough to safely leave warm blankets and coats at donation boxes at shelters, or near locations where the homeless can find and use them.

5. Donate warm clothing to a foster care organization – Many children in foster care homes have already endured a lot in their young lives, and need a lot of time to adjust to their new environment. Help ease their transition during the holidays by donating new, trendy clothing that you’d enjoy wearing yourself at charity organizations dedicated to helping foster care youth.

6. Entertain others at a senior citizens home – Show your appreciation for your own musical talent and or performing arts skills by volunteering to sing or entertain others at a local nursing home.

7. Invite an extra guest for Thanksgiving dinner – Some friends may be alone or away from loved ones during the holidays. Show graciousness by extending a dinner invitation to a friend. Your company will help spread joy.

8. Create wreaths for patients at a local hospital – Learn how to make a simple holiday wreath at home, and bring some to the local hospital. Visiting patients that are away from home during the holidays, and giving them a small gift that will scent their rooms, is a nice way to show and share the nice little things in your own life that you are thankful for.

9. Adopt a new pet from the local animal shelter – Some families will worry about over-feeding their pets, while many other pets remain hungry and alone at animal shelters. Visit your local animal shelter and adopt a new pet to take home and care for.

10. Donate non-perishable food and volunteer to serve the homeless at a local soup kitchen – While many consider this volunteer effort to be an annual Thanksgiving event, there are many Americans, including children, who are, unfortunately, homeless and hungry every day of the year. Bringing canned goods and volunteering at a local soup kitchen during the Thanksgiving holiday and throughout the year is a sincere way to give back.

The meaning behind Thanksgiving is to show gratitude for our blessings and to give to those less fortunate or in need. Reflect on your own reasons to be thankful, and try these ideas with your family and friends to show your gratefulness and goodwill. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Dogpile Now Offers Local Fetches

October 27, 2011 By Stacy

One of the exciting announcements we made during our earnings announcement today was the launch of a new local search functionality on Dogpile. Released by our Search Platform team this past month, this feature enables consumers to find local information faster and easier during their online search experience.

We partnered with CityGrid Media as our content provider for local data, which includes both paid and non-paid results. The partnership has quickly shown how local listings are beneficial for online users just as they are for businesses.

In a sponsored study released just today by the media company, CityGrid® shared survey findings and found that “when it comes to people researching and finding local businesses at the desktop, the majority of people (two-thirds) reported that search engines and review sites are their first stop when looking for local information online.”

Furthermore, when it comes to consumers searching on their mobile phones, the research finds that consumer behavior changes and people are more likely to base their decisions on a search engine (17%) than on a review site (15%) when searching for a local business or restaurant.

So, merchants need to enhance their content by being more mindful of how their business appears online, which, in turn, helps increase their local search results.

Find out where your business is ranked among others locally, or as an online consumer, check out the new local search tool on Dogpile.com to research and find your next local business or restaurant with this quick overview:

Visit www.dogpile.com and click on the local tab.

Type in your keywords and the city in the search fields, and then click “Go Fetch!” for your information.

In the search results, you’ll find geographical listings which can be sorted alphabetically, by relevance, highest ratings, most reviews, or by listings with offers. Search results can be further refined by additional factors such as cuisine, restaurant features and price ranges. These filter categories change based on the type of search that is submitted.

At Dogpile, we have the opportunity to improve the depth and breadth of our content by augmenting what we get from our partners, the major search engines – Bing, Google and Yahoo!, enabling a better user experience for our consumers. We’re excited that we’ll continue to add additional features to further improve this tool, and soon be able to offer this feature for our global distribution partners to use for local searches throughout the world, too.

A new season for search

September 8, 2011 By Stacy

As the summer wedding season winds down, and the back to school bustle begins, the search industry is undergoing a “life change” of its own. News of the departure of Yahoo’s CEO, Carol Bartz, has everyone inquiring about what is next for the company. With still a lot of speculation throughout the web over what is yet to come, we can only guess. What we know for sure, however, is that Yahoo has always been, and will continue to be a valuable partner to us. The inclusion of its search results within our metasearch engines enhances the comprehensive results we offer our Internet users every day. We wish Yahoo (and Bartz) the best of luck for a seamless and successful transition.

Similar to a couple in its newlywed stage, or a new school year with old classmates, it’s always comforting to know we can rely on some familiar relationships among new beginnings. Congratulations to another one of our search partners, Bing, for their renewal of their search deal with Twitter. Bing, like InfoSpace.com, has direct feed access to integrating real-time Twitter results within its own search results since its marriage in 2009.

While Twitter does not share its data feed with our other search partner, Google, we assume that the search giant isn’t fretting too much about being left behind at the altar. Like the start of any new season, we’re confident each of our search partners will turn a new leaf with exciting, new technology to share. With our own transitions at InfoSpace this past spring and summer, we, too, have new developments to share this autumn. Stay tuned!

The InfoSpace Search Team

How do your employees “Raise the Woof”?

July 26, 2011 By Stacy

At InfoSpace, we encourage our employees to donate to charities and support other causes important to them. Sr. SEM Manager Scott Penrose and our Dogpile mascot, Arfie, did exactly that during a “Raise the Woof” fundraiser on July 17.

Scott followed the story of Faith Creighton, a 7-year old girl from Silverdale, Wash., who had a stroke soon after she was born. She is now autistic and contends daily with multiple life threatening food allergies, mild cerebral palsy and recurrent polyserositis. When a family friend brought their dog for a recent visit to see Faith last February, Faith instantly became calm like she never had before. Faith’s mom made it an immediate goal to raise money to buy a service dog for Faith.

“I had heard of service dogs before and did some research when Faith was younger, but the cost was a huge deterrent,” said Faith’s mom, Allison Creighton. “(However) I knew that no matter the cost, or how long it took us to raise the funds, that we would get her a service dog.”

Alison got in touch with a non-profit organization that trains and places service puppies with autistic adults and children. Despite the high cost of buying and training a service dog, and regardless of the challenges that come with running a single-income military family, Allison was determined to earn enough money to buy an autistic service dog for her daughter. Soon enough, Allison raised enough money by selling bracelets on her blog, and also winning a Pepsi grant. Last April, Faith was paired with Bella, an autism service Siberian husky in training.

Faith will soon have a companion to help ease the difficulties she deals with daily due to her disabilities. Bella, however, will need to be trained further before the pup is fully ready to help Faith. To assist in training and travel costs, Allison partnered with Bella Bella, a cupcake bakery who had heard of Faith’s story, and hosted a “Raise the Woof” fundraising event in Silverdale. Kids sat in a fire truck, decorated cupcakes, and listened to live music.

Scott and Arfie were there to entertain Faith and her supporters, too. To help Faith get Bella sooner, Scott and Arfie also presented a $1,000 check to Faith and her family on behalf of InfoSpace.

“Thank you for helping us make our dream a reality,” said Allison. “Being able to have her own service dog is going to allow Faith, and me as her primary caregiver, a level of independence I had never even thought possible.”

We’re proud of Scott for taking the initiative to support Faith and Bella. Find out more about Faith and her journey to meet and train with Bella on the “Raise the Woof” Facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=128987803848734.

Favorite Fetches: Americans Emote

July 9, 2011 By Stacy

Fireworks on the 4th of July weren’t the only things sparkling in the last few days. A range of strong emotions seemed to flow throughout the web in response to numerous news topics based on favorite fetches on Dogpile.com this past week.

Casey Anthony Acquitted:
Many Internet users who followed the six week trial of Casey Anthony were enraged when a jury announced a verdict last Tuesday, and acquitted Anthony. The 25-year old who was charged with first degree murder, child abuse, manslaughter of a child, and providing false information to law enforcement in the 2008 disappearance and death of her 2-year old daughter, Caylee, was found guilty only for the last charge.

Cyclists Search Abroad about the Tour de France:
With the popular Seattle-to-Portland bike event held in July, it seems that everyone is inspired right now to go out and bike around our neck of the woods. Whether they’re searching for training tips or cheering for their favorite cyclist, Dogpile cyclists near and far have been searching online for the 2011 Tour De France the minute they get to a destination with a couch and cable TV. Although we’ll miss seeing Lance Armstrong bike through the Arc and Alps, it seems that Arfie fans will still continue searching for cycling inspiration this year.

Potter character Admits to Alcohol Abuse:
Many “Harry Potter” fans are eager to see the last of the “Harry Potter” film series. The highly anticipated film will hit the big screens on July 15. Unfortunately, a favorite fetch on Dogpile.com was news of Daniel Radcliffe, actor for the Harry Potter character, who admitted to having a drinking problem during a recent interview with GQ magazine. Harry Potter fans were quite disappointed to read the news, and are hopeful that Radcliffe will follow his goals to get cleaned up.

More Favorite Fetches:
Other favorite fetches this week included searches on the massive dust cloud that engulfed Phoenix, Arizona this past week. Onlookers and viewers of the Phoenix Dust Cloud left many in awe of the 10,000 foot high “wall of dust that blotted out the sun.” Searches on the surprise selection of South Korea as the host for the 2018 Olympics also topped the list this past week.

Space Shuttle Ends an Era:
However, perhaps the most emotional and favorite fetch of the week, was on queries about the last NASA Space Shuttle mission. After 30 years, NASA’s Space Shuttle program ended its final stage today as its Space Shuttle Atlantis launched into space for the last time. The last flight to International Space Station ends an era in space travel, leaving many Americans nostalgic from witnessing launches in the past, yet optimistic that journeys into space will again continue someday.

This week of favorite fetches may’ve been based on a full range of emotional sparks, but one thing is for certain – it was also a week full of American pride.

Responding to Trends in the Portal Experience

June 17, 2011 By Stacy

We’ve been busy the last couple of days at the National Cable Show in Chicago presenting the Content Experience Platform (CEP) and our new Start Page Portal solution. Now that the show is winding down, I wanted to take a few moments to share some of the background on our new product for those who missed the conference.

When we started this project, we identified trends in the portal world that we wanted to incorporate within the next version of our own solution. Those trends include:

1. Content is becoming more interactive, localized, and targetable. This means portal providers need systems that can ingest any type of content and deliver a highly optimized user experience.

2. Devices are offering completely new content interaction models. Your portal needs to feel modern, fresh, and full-featured in the way that it takes advantage of the device it is being presented. This includes smart phones, tablet PCs, and laptops.

3. Users are more sophisticated than ever. A generic solution is not an option. Portal providers need to provide a service that is pleasing and simple, consistent and adaptable, and flexible, while still being useful to the customers.

4. There are more opportunities to maximize value. At InfoSpace, we are always looking for new ways to effectively monetize traffic for our partners. The Content Experience Platform presents a host of new opportunities for our partners to maximize the value of their portal customer base. That maximized value is found in both revenue generation and cost containment. Both are ultimately necessary for our customers.

With these trends in mind, we developed the Content Experience Platform. It is capable of delivering a compelling Start Page Portal solution that will engage your audience from the very beginning.

While the product won’t officially launch until later this year, we are currently running several pilots for new and existing partners, and we are actively recruiting new partners as we go along. If you are interested in testing the beta or in learning more, contact us at contentexp@infospace.com.

Best,
Nathan and the CEP Team

This Royal Wedding is Socially Connected

April 30, 2011 By astigha

If you’re like many Americans, you were one of millions who stayed up late last night, or woke up early this morning, to tune in to see the Royal Wedding of Prince Williams and Kate Middleton. It aired live on network channels, cable channels, and even The Royal Channel on YouTube.Dogpile’s landing page today.

 

The viewing experience of today’s Royal Wedding with the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had its comforting similarities and majestic British traditions compared to the magnificent Royal Wedding three decades ago of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.Perhaps the most obvious difference was from the point of view of the spectator on this side of the Atlantic. For the Royal Wedding of 1981, most of the comments heard were from the television reporters and whoever was watching in your living room alongside you. The range of opinions were vastly expanded by a much larger audience with today’s Royal Wedding from comments by Facebook friends to tweets on Twitter from strangers using the #royalwedding hash tag. The modern day Royal Wedding was also guided with background information, visuals, and real-time commentary on websites. Even in surfing for these details, our search engine partners shared their fascination with the Royal Wedding, too, with their special logos today:

Google’s Royal Wedding Logo

 

Bing’s fact-ridden home page for the day of the 2011 Royal Wedding.

 

With the use of a video loop, Yahoo had an animated, moving carriage to showcase their version of the Royal Wedding

 

On the tube, online or in person, the Royal Wedding was captivating to watch and it’ll certainly be one that we’ll remember for generations to come. Who knows, then, what types of technology will aid the spectator in observing the next Royal Wedding.Congratulations and cheers to the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge!!

The InfoSpace Team

 

 

InfoSpace’s lovely ladies, Alana, Marnie and Korina, all dressed up wearing their hats (and a fascinator) for the Royal Wedding. : )