This project has been in the works for some time: Universal Business Listing.
The idea is basically that SMBs pay $30 to be included in a database that is offered for free to any publisher or search engine. It won’t replace commercial databases in the near term because of all the familiar challenges with self-service. From the publisher POV, in the near term, it’s a way to obtain more accurate listings and metadata about some subset of US SMBs.
It’s basically a dirt cheap version of LocalLaunch’s RegisterLocal product and other similar offerings.
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Related: See Ahmed Farooq’s post about the falling cost of local data.
Screenwerk 
October 24, 2007 at 4:02 pm
They should really list ‘partners’ using the data.
October 24, 2007 at 9:17 pm
Greg,
You say this has been in the works for some time – who are these guys and why shouldn’t one take their very thin site as a “run, don’t walk, to the nearest exit” message?
Will
October 25, 2007 at 1:07 am
This looks like it’s the making of Scientigo / find.com. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientigo…
Why aren’t the upfront about that? Why the secrecy?
– ask
October 25, 2007 at 1:09 am
Eh, the wikipedia link should be http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientigo without the trailing dots.
It looks like find.com have a new “local” feature, too (although it is terrible – straight “zip code matches”, etc etc).
– ask
October 26, 2007 at 1:20 pm
Great to see the coverage and interesting comments. To respond: the data is owned by the .Org with industry oversight over who qualifies as a Directory to get access. Access is free, and it will never be sold otherwise, nor will the .Org try to be a national database, nor a marketing company, nor an SEO or anything else. It is a single purpose entity streamlining the enhanced listing process for those many businesses who care. It’s a tool to help the SEOs and CMRs with a problem. It also allows the business to get the information the way they want it and change as their business changes. This all makes it very different to the other groups mentioned. It is “dirt cheap” because it needs to be widely distributed and because it is not all about profits, even though partners share in the fee. The service arm that handles the operations and payment is Name Dynamics LLC which was started by Doyal Bryant and myself for this specific purpose – it has nothing to do with Scientigo or Find.com other than that is where I met Doyal.
Chris Travers – UniversalBusinessListing.Org
October 31, 2007 at 4:35 pm
[…] now seeing the PR and release around the Universal Business Listing. I wrote about it here previously. Some quick thoughts; first, the skepticism. I’ll voice the challenges so you don’t […]