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Hiya Michelle,
Sorry I did not reply earlier - meant to, but I am on the road right now,
and my internet access has been dismal.
There are a few things I want to explain about what sets iBegin apart
compared to the sites you mentioned.
In regards to Toronto.com and Martiniboys - they are both nice sites, but
they are not search oriented. Toronto.com focuses on events (I know for a
fact that 50% of their traffic is for events), and Martiniboys.com is not
really a search - more of a editorial guide to the city and its nightlife.
So in that regards, we almost completely sidestep Martiniboys, but we do
run into Toronto.com (search).
Our site, in regards to a specific listing (eg: four seasons:
http://toronto.ibegin.com/hotels/four-seasons) is more complete. Whereas
Google simply gives their address, and Toronto.com has almost no info (in
fact searching for 'four seasons' brings about a ton of unrelated
searches), we not only have their phone/address, but integrated website
link, map, reviews, and pictures. The site is complete driven by users -
you can see that someone has tagged the listings, including the word
'yorkville'. So if anyone searches for 'yorkville hotels' (or a
derivative), Four Seasons will show up.
Basically - Google is an algorithmic search (and we appear at the top for
*a lot* of their local searches), and Toronto.com's quality is not upto
par. Our system is user driven - since inception, we have had over 10,000
user-submitted updates. This includes dead businesses, businesses that have
moved, website information, and so forth. So while companies like RedTO
(privately - they tried to acquire us) and Toronto.com employ people
fulltime who simply input data, we employ the masses to help keep the
business listings upto date.
The last bit you mentioned in regards to the financial district example, I
opted for a different design for two reasons: 1) Most people do not search
for specific districts (our own searches show that) and 2) There is certain
overlap. Instead of us choosing what district a place belongs to, any user
can tag a place. See my previous example of Four Seasons Hotel and
Yorkville - some user went out and tagged the place. Instead of a
hard-coded solution, we have a dynamic one that users control.
We also have our Explorer - http://toronto.ibegin.com/explorer/ Not sure if
you saw this, but it is my favorite tool. Especially great if you are
visiting a new area you have never been to - quickly find restaurants and
other locations as you move the map around.
I seem to be rambling (sorry, its early here, and I really wanted to shoot
you off an email), so let me do some closing:
Toronto.com is a decent site. But as a search engine, I was not happy with
it (which is why I created iBegin Toronto). RedTO is covered by ads all
over it, and other sites (like Martiniboys) are specialized. Google Local
Search is not bad, but it does not have the local search (eg 'restaurants
near 200 elm street') or the ability to explore a neighbourhood and see all
listings in an area.
So in that regards, I honestly believe iBegin Toronto is a superior way to
search and find locations (incidentally the # of searches performed on our
site is going up). We also have very good integration
(address+map+pictures+reviews), and if enough users do contribute (such as
you and your fellow chowhounders), the site will be an amazing resource for
anyone in Toronto.
Sorry for the long email, but I think iBegin offers a lot :)
Cheers.
-Ahmed Farooq
"Hello Michelle
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