We’re please to let you know we’ve just updated our site with the biggest changes and improvements we’ve made since our inception. For those of you that are not familiar, theSUGGESTR.com goes beyond Local 2.0 to what we’d like to think of as Local 3.0. Unlike other sites that require you to search through 1,000’s of reviews to find businesses you want to try, theSUGGESTR.com as we like to say goes “Beyond Search to Suggestion”. Our unique algorithm allows us to predict how well you will like a business based on your own tastes. With over 200,000 ratings we are able to quantify how similar your tastes are to other users as well as how similar two businesses are (based on who likes them and who doesn’t). This information makes theSUGGESTR.com smarter than any other local search site.

Over the next few weeks we’ll be diving into details about the new great features we’ve launched, but for those who can’t wait here is an overview of some of the features we are excited about.

• Over 200,000 Ratings – We know have over 200,000 ratings from both our members as well as other data sources making our suggestions more accurate then ever.
• Local Search 3.0 – Our personalized search features allow users to get search results personalized for THEIR tastes. We’ve also introduced the ability to see WHY we suggest a business so you can be confident that the suggestion is right for you. This along with a number of other improvements (see our upcoming blog for more information) make your suggestions more useful than ever before.
• Search Like – Search like is our new type of search that allows a user to find businesses in one city that are “like” a business they love in a totally different city. Imagine, your from New York and McSorely’s Ale House is your absolute favorite bar. You find yourself in Los Angeles on business craving a bar that you’ll love. Using our Search Like feature you can look for a bar that is liked by those who share a liking for McSorely’s.
• Twitter & Brighkite Integration – We’ve created both Twitter and BrightKite bots so you can keep up with all the new ratings on theSUGGESTR.com. We’ve also allowed you to link your Twitter and/or BrightKite accounts to your theSUGGESTR.com account. By doing so we’ll automatically post your suggestions to your account so you can let your friends know about the places you love without doing any work.
• Mobile Site – Our new and improved Mobile Site allows you to get personalized suggestions quickly and easily while on the road. No special phone required, just something with a browser. You can even rate places to improve your suggestibility.
• FireEagle Integration - FireEagle is a service provided by Yahoo! that allows you to share your location with multiple websites. Our integration allows you to update your location (and notify other applications) as well use your current location to make your searches (from both your desktop and mobile phone) more quicker and easier.
• EmailBack - One of simplest but most exciting new features is EmailBack. Email back allows you to send an email to us with your search and get back the same personalized suggestions in a quick reply.

Check back here frequently over the next few weeks to learn more about each of the features above. Also please don’t hesitate to comment on our blog about features you like, don’t like or want to see.

Thanks.