Los Angeles-based MySpace and West Hollywood-based CitySearch announced this morning that the two have launched a beta of a new local search site, MySpace Local, which will allow users to review, rate, and share information about small businesses. According to the firms, Coors and Outback Steakhouse are the brand sponsors for the new site, which leverages Citysearch's database of businesses and MySpace's social networking site. MORE

West Hollywood-based CityGrid Media , the unit of IAC formerly known as CitySearch, said today that it has acquired BuzzLabs , a social media monitoring and sentiment analysis software developer. CityGrid Media operates the Citysearch, Insider Pages and Urbanspoon web sites. acquisition merger analytics measurement media social buzzlabs citysearch citygrid MORE

Los Angeles-based Citysearch , the online local business guide site owned by IAC, said Monday that it has released a new, redesigned application for the BlackBerry. Citysearch said it has simplified browsing in the app, adding GPS enhancements, and upgraded features such as connections to Twitter, reviews, and more. Citysearch is a part of IAC's Citygrid Media unit. Tags: citysearch blackberry mobile application guide business local resaurant MORE

He also has served at such companies at Stamps.com, Citysearch/Ticketmaster, and TCI/AND Interactive and Packard Bell. Los Angeles-based financial software developer BlackLine Systems said today that it has hired a new, Chief Technology Officer. According to the enterprise software company, it has named Alain Avakian as its CTO. MORE

West Hollywood-based Citysearch said Tuesday afternoon that it has begun taking user input and polls for its "Best of Citysearch" award, which ranks the best local businesses on its site. citysearch user voting business ranking pollThe firm said that users can vote on different kind of businesses, ranking from such categories as vintage shops, menswear, kids shops, jewelry, and more in the site's top 10 cities. READ MORE>>. MORE

West Hollywood-based CitySearch said Tuesday that it has rolled out a new application for the Apple iPad, called cityseries. According to Citysearch, the new app allows users to find restaurants, bars, shopping, spas and other businesses in the top metro areas of the US. Tags: business guide city cityseries ipad apple citysearch The firm said the new app will be in a "digital magazine" format, and will be free to users. MORE

West Hollywood-based Citysearch, which operates online guides to local areas, said Thursday afternoon that it has launched an application for the iPhone and iPod touch. The new app, available in the Apple App Store, allows users to write reviews and access content from Citysearch. Citysearch said the new app uses the iPhone's location-based technology to identify local restaurants, hotels, shops, and other businesses near to users. Citysearch is owned by IAC MORE

West Hollywood-based Citysearch, which is a unit of IAC, has rolled out a mobile version of the firm's site. Citysearch said today that its new Mobile by Citysearch site is in beta, and will allow users to add reviews and pull information about business listings from cell phones. The firm also said it has created a new Facebook application to link the site into the social networking arena. MORE

In the latest cuts among Silicon Beach's high tech community, CityGrid , which runs Citysearch, Insider Pages, and Urbanspoon--has laid off a chunk of its staff, including a significant number of Los Angeles employees. Initial news of the cuts, which were made in the last couple of days, came through recruiters and others close to the company. MORE

West Hollywood-based Citysearch , the local online business guide owned by IAC, said Thursday that the firm has expanded its relationship with yellow pages publisher Idearc Media. Citysearch said it will integrate performance-based advertising from Idearc's Superpages.com site into its publishing network. Citysearch said that as a result, its own advertisers will be included on Superpages.com and Switchboard.com, which are both owned by Idearc. MORE

Wilson was previously at Sidebar, and also had served at GoTV Networks, JAMDAT Mobile, and Citysearch, where he was founding engineer. Los Angeles-based online ticket marketplace ScoreBig.com is bolstering its executive team today, saying it has named two new VPs to help drive growth at the company. According to ScoreBig, it has named David Marcus as Senior Vice President, Partnerships, and Eric Wilson as Vice President, Technology and Product. MORE

Coaches and mentors from companies like Topspin Media, Citysearch, Beachbody, Lootsie, Datapop, and Carbon also are involved. hack4la hackathon civic data government topspin citysearch datapop community collaboration prize google scopely esri factual makerspace Can your software skills help make your local community a better place? Could doing some coding over a weekend help improve your local government? MORE

Local handyman referral services have been a perennial favorite for startups in Los Angeles, with services as Done Right (acquired by Tree.com in 2009), and Insider Pages (acquired by Citysearch in 2007, now part of Citygrid). Amazon.com is in a bid to take a share of the Los Angeles market for local referrals for handymen and service providers, as Los Angeles continues to be a major launch market for on-demand, services marketplaces. MORE

Morrow had previously been at ThisNext, and also served at IAC/Citysearch and Download/com/CNET Networks. Los Angeles-based Oversee.net , the online domain name and Internet marketing firm, has set Debra Domeyer and Scott Morrow as Co-CEOs of the company, the firm said Monday. Domeyer was previously co-president and CTO, and Morrow was Co-President. MORE

West Hollywood-based Citysearch , the online local business guide site owned by IAC, said Tuesday afternoon that it has updated all of its mobile applications. Tags: blackberry android iphone guide business application mobile citysearch The firm said it has updated its apps for Android, iPhone, and Blackberry, including a complete rewrite of its Android application. All of the mobile applications are free. READ MORE>>. MORE

The startup, whose founders have served at such firms as CitySearch, Stamps.com, Rent.com, and ThisNext, said it provides a service which allows users to post to multiple, free job boards with one submission. The new company was founded by Ian Siegel (CitySearch, Stamps.com, Rent.com, and Pictage); Ward Poulos (Rent.com, Just Fine, Pictage, MyLife.com); Will Redd (Rent.com, ThisNext.com, Sony, GE, Maytag); and Joe Edmonds (Stamps.com, Rent.com, ThisNext.com). MORE

CitySearch, now a part of IAC, established the category of local online community directories. Bill Gross started Idealab in 1996 to create and operate pioneering technology companies. MORE

Among executives at the firm are Kenn Stearns (eRealty), who joins as Chief Product Officer; Saro Vasudevan (Capital One), Chief Customer and Credit Officer; David Subar (BreakMedia, Interthinx), as Interim Chief Technology Officer; and Michael Barton (Startup Exchange, TicketMaster-CitySearch), who joins the firm as Chief Operating Officer. In some what-did-our-spam filter eat-recently funding news, Santa Monica-based Privlo recently raised $2.1M MORE

West Hollywood-based Citysearch , the local reviews and directory service of IAC, has taken an unusual approach to finding its next business idea: it's running a contest which asks its users to submit a "brilliant" idea for web and mobile applications. According to Citysearch and IAC, the firms will award $10,000 in cash, and up to $1M in funding to develop and manage a new business venture around the idea, for users who submit the best business idea to go with its website Sidewalk.com. MORE

A report this morning says that West Hollywood-based CityGrid , the parent firm of CitySearch, Urbanspoon, and InsiderPages, has laid off two thirds of its staff. citygrid urbanspoon citysearch insiderpages jobs employment layoff angeles guide online publishing The layoffs--reported by TechCrunch-- reportedly affected 130 people. It''s unclear how many of those staff are based in Los Angeles, but CityGrid has a significant presence in the LA area. MORE

He also has served at IAC/Citysearch, prior to headin gup Ticketmaster. Santa MOnica-based Demand Media made a surprise move this morning, saying it has appointed former Ticketmaster CEO Sean Moriarty as its new CEO--and also acquiring Moriarty''s startup, Saatchi Art. According to Demand Media, it paid $17M for Saatchi Art, in a mix of cash and stock, in a deal which will add revenues of $0.5M to $1M per quarter to the company. MORE

According to Suster, Moonfrye ''s CEO is Kary Nortman, who formerly ran Citysearch and UrbanSpoon for IAC. MORE

He also had served at EVP at Citysearch, in addition to time at CNET Networks. Los Angeles-based Luxury Link Travel Group , the firm which runs Luxury Link, Family Getaway, and Vacationist, has tapped former Oversee.net CEO Scott Morrow as its new CEO. The firm said that Morrow also joined the company's board. Morrow was most recently co-Chief Executive Officer at Oversee.net, and also served as CEO and President of ThisNext. MORE

West Hollywood-based CityGrid , the unit of IAC which operates CitySearch, Insider Pages, and Urbanspoon, said this morning that it has acquired Felix , a performance-based, local advertising service for small and medium-sized businesses. felix acquisition phone citysearch merger citygrid MORE

West Hollywood-based CityGrid Media , the unit of IAC which operates CitySearch, Insider Pages, and Urbanspoon, said Thursday that it has rolled out three new advertising APIs for developers. citygrid media advertising citysearch urbandspoon mobile software developerThe firm said its new Mobile Ads API, Web Ads API, and Custom Ads API will allow web and mobile developers to get paid for featuring local businesses in their applications. MORE

West Hollywood-based online restaurant and business reviews and listings site Citysearch announced this morning that it has created a new way for its customers to connect with Twitter, with a new API which allows local businesses on the site to connect their existing Twitter account, or create a new one, with their business profile. Citysearch is a unit of IAC. Tags: review business restaurant twitter citysearch MORE

West Hollywood-based Citysearch said this morning that it has launched a new, online blog site called 3BuckBites , focused on "cheap eats" costing less than $3.99. The new blog site is part of an expansion of the firm into stand-alone, vertical sites, all of which push users to Citysearch information and search pages. 3BuckBites mostly features short review snippets from Citysearch editors pointing to "more info" on CitySearch's information sites. MORE

West Hollywood-based Citysearch , the online local business guide owned by IAC, announced today that it has launched a new online advertising service for local businesses called CityGrid Complete. According to Citysearch, it made an investment in OrangeSoda to build the new service. Tags: citysearch venture capital orangesoda investment online local marketing advertising MORE

West Hollywood-based Citysearch , the online business guide owned by IAC, said late Friday that it has created a new advertising network called CityGrid. According to Citysearch, the new content and advertising network aggregates advertisers from a number of partners, enhances that content, and distributes that through partner web sites. Tags: citysearch online advertising local network citygrid MORE

West Hollywood-based Citysearch has launched another dedicated vertical web site Thursday, saying it has created a new site, SugarBomber.com , which will provide photos and reviews of local providers of sweets and desserts. Citysearch said the site is the fourth in a series of what it calls "consumer trend lookbooks," including hair salon site MopShots, shoe site LuckyToes, and restaurant site 3BuckBites. Tags: citysearch food sugarbomber review MORE

Speakers include: David Karnstedt, Efficient Frontier; Kelly Perdew, Rotohog; Brian McCarthy, CitySearch; and Mark Gibbs, Network World. Thursday, July 23, 2009 -- SEO, Social Media, Sponsorship and On-line Advertising. See https://app.e2ma.net/app/view:Join/signupId:10203. MORE

West Hollywood-based Citysearch , the online local business guide operated by IAC, said this morning that it has rolled out a new mobile application fro Google Android. The firm said that its new Mobile by Citysearch app allows Android users to search for local business listings and post business reviews from their mobile device. Tags: citysearch android business local review rating mobile MORE

West Hollywood-based Citysearch announced today that it has hired on Christophe Louvion--the former CTO of Gorilla Nation Media--as its Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President of Core Products. Citysearch, which is owned by IAC, said that Louvion will be responsible for the firm's CityGrid's ad and content engine, plus its search and data platform. Tags: citysearch christophe louvion gorilla nation executive internet advertising MORE

McPherson had been General Counsel and VP of Corporate Development at Idealab for more than ten years; he also has served at Chief Legal Officer at Ticketmaster Online-CitySearch and CitySearch, and also had served at Heller Ehrman LLP, among other positions. Los Angeles-based online advertising technology provider OpenX announced this morning that it has appointed Douglas McPherson, the former General Counsel of Idealab, as its new Chief Legal Officer. MORE

West Hollywood-based Citysearch , the online city guide which is part of IAC, said that it has named Kimberly Salzer as its new Vice President and General Manager. Citysearch said that Salzer will be responsible for products and marketing strategy. citysearch executiveSalzer was previously HEad of Marketing and Product for Linden Labs' Second Life. MORE

West Hollywood-based Citysearch has launched two new products today, including both a visual city guide, and a new iPhone app. Citysearch said its new Guides by Citysearch service is aimed at helping users easily find new places in major cities around the country, in a photo-centric way. MORE