Via ShopCity.com
Meanwhile, new options are in the works. Colin Pape has come to Mountain View from Canada to set up U.S. operations for another local business Web site, ShopCity.com. I sat down with Pape and local cofounder Jim Terry to discuss how ShopCity could compete with the bigger firms like Google.
First of all, they believe that to get good local business descriptions on the Web you need "feet-on-the-street." So they're building a network of representatives who make local connections with local establishments like the Chamber of Commerce.
Pape and Terry said they were in the business of making templates for merchants and reps to help them list businesses. The basic listing is free, but businesses can pay from $495 to $995 a year to get more coupons and ads and list under more categories.
ShopCity.com wants merchants to display the ShopCity logo in their storefront — just like Visa did when it started. ShopCity.com has invested in Internet domain names, like ShopMountainView.com. Given the fact there are several towns called Mountain View, they guess your location and allow you to select from alternative cities with the same name."
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