Boo Coo launched on June 21 with 1700 items, mostly from employees and friends of its 300 media partners. With 80% of U.S. residential zip codes left, the question for local media companies remains: Does this model have legs? Here is a brief overview of the upsides and downsides of the partnership as we see it. more

There are a variety of weather maps available for small media sites. In response to a reader question, we did a quick comparison of the options, looking at major functions, price, ability to place ads and keep a local brand. A couple of winners emerge. more

As companies plan five year models, user-generated revenues should be part of the mix. AllMenus.com (owned by Dot Menus, Inc.) incorporates a field-tested online ordering services for restaurant and has recently signed up with two major dailies. Here's how the model works and early results. more

Over the last few months, we've been asking what new technology partnerships members are having success with. Hands down, daily deals and contest sales are generating the most revenues, and the top recommended vendor for both is SecondStreetMedia.com. Here are four more opportunities from vendors recommended by LMI or its members: more

Update: LCE's E-commerce banners are now being marketed directly to Facebook users, rather than media companies. more

For media agencies selling findability packages, Local Market Launch offers an up-sell worth considering. Here's what the product and service is, strengths and weaknesses, pricing model and our recommendations. This company is an Editor's Pick. more

Social Radio adds an option for creating interactive programing and new internet-only formats. Its first partnership is Federated Media, which has two pilot stations still in beta mode. Here is how the technology works, demo, the business model, and how the platform compares with Pandora and iHeart. more

LocalVox turnkey click to publish marketing tools range from listing distribution to email and GPS targeted mobile ads. And they white label. So should your agency partner? Here's an analysis of what this company has and does not have for local media partners. Plus a look through the well-thought out packaging. more

The Journal Register Company is a leader in cutting millions in costs from software by using open source solutions. So its recommendations for technology vendors are well-vetted on the cost side, and highly pragmatic. Here are a dozen "likes" from VP of local sales, Adam Burnham. more

The St. Petersburg Times is launching a new, paid, press release site today that has a lot of potential. Businesses already pay to submit releases to PRWire, and a local service makes even more sense, because of the SEO value. Here's how it works, with images, vendor contacts. more