Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Mike Blumenthal @mikeblumenthal.bsky.social · 13d

I am so anxious to get and use my Meta glasses, for this very reason.

Mike Blumenthal @mikeblumenthal.bsky.social · 22d

simonwillison.net/2025/Sep/23/...

The Economist have a new piece out about LLM security, with this headline and subtitle: Why AI systems might never be secure A “lethal trifecta” of conditions opens them to …

simonwillison.net

Mike Blumenthal @mikeblumenthal.bsky.social · 22d

Local Marketing Attribution in the AI Age - Analytics vs. Customer Survey: Which Can Data You Trust?

A snippet from our Near Media members office hours

youtube.com/shorts/WETIl...

Local Marketing Attribution in the AI Age - Analytics vs. Customer Survey: Which Can Data You Trust?

YouTube video by Near Media

youtube.com

1

Mike Blumenthal @mikeblumenthal.bsky.social · Aug 30

1

Mike Blumenthal @mikeblumenthal.bsky.social · Aug 20

Changes to the Google LSA (Local Service Ads) program
Google Guarantee,Google Screened, and License Verified by Google ---> Google Verified. Effective 10/20/2025.

The Money Back Guarantee associated with the Google Guarantee badge will also be discontinued.

1

Mike Blumenthal @mikeblumenthal.bsky.social · Aug 16

A bad look for the McKean County Fair in the local paper and on the obituary page, to boot

Mike Blumenthal @mikeblumenthal.bsky.social · Aug 16

Why does the Great American Milipede need so many legs?

Reposted by Mike Blumenthal

gsterling @gsterling.bsky.social · Aug 8

The latest @nearmedia.bsky.social newsletter -- local search accuracy benchmarking: Google beats AI, Google Gaslights, double Local Pack and SMBs don't claim GBP. www.nearmedia.co/search-beats...

Search Beats AI, Google 'Gaslighting,' Double Pack, GBP Slackers

Local Comparison: Google Beats ChatGPT More than two-thirds of consumers have used ChatGPT for local business discovery. Yet local search is not a common use case for AI. That's because most consumer...

www.nearmedia.co

1 1

Mike Blumenthal @mikeblumenthal.bsky.social · Aug 2

Breaking news: Trump fires Bureau of Labor Statistics head because he doesn’t like her maths

1 2

Mike Blumenthal @mikeblumenthal.bsky.social · Aug 1

EP 217 on Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

The Future of Maps: User Focused, Contextual & Integrated AI with Goetz Weber

Podcast Episode · The Near Memo · 07/31/2025 · 48m

podcasts.apple.com

Mike Blumenthal @mikeblumenthal.bsky.social · Aug 1

EP 217 on YouTube: youtu.be/ep8V4FiXgq8

The Future of Maps: User Focused, Contextual & Integrated AI with Goetz Weber

YouTube video by Near Media

youtu.be

1

Mike Blumenthal @mikeblumenthal.bsky.social · Aug 1

📍New Near Memo EP217

Mapping veteran Goetz Weber joins @gsterling.bsky.social and me to explore why today’s maps fail to reflect user intent—and how AI, motion models, and social context could finally fix that.

The future of maps is personal.

🎧 Listen/watch here: www.nearmedia.co/ep-217-the-f...

EP 217 - The Future of Maps: User Focused, Contextual & Integrated AI with Goetz Weber

We talk with map expert Goetz Weber about why today’s maps fail to deliver personal, contextual experiences & what needs to change. From intent modeling to the limits of monetization, from ChatGPT to ...

www.nearmedia.co

1

Reposted by Mike Blumenthal

BrightLocal @brightlocal.com · Jul 30

Here's what to expect at Local SEO for Good:

📺 A high-energy livestream packed with ideas you’ll want to steal

💬 A lively chat where insights, emojis, & hot takes fly

🎤 Q&As

💚 and more!

Bonus: You don’t need to wear shoes. Or leave your house!

www.brightlocal.com/local-seo-fo...

A black banner with bright coloured star and floral shaped stickers. It says Local SEO for Good. September 3 - September 4 8am PT - 11am ET - 4pm BST

It says "WHAT TO EXPECT" as the main header.

2 3

Mike Blumenthal @mikeblumenthal.bsky.social · Jul 25

Podcast EP 216 with @gsterling.bsky.social & me
The Podcast Deets
🧠 1. Pew & Ahrefs Reveal Click Declines & AIO Disruption
🗺️ 2. Local SEO vs. AI: What Happens to the Pack?
🤖 3. ChatGPT’s Local Play & The Battle Over “AIO”

www.nearmedia.co/ep-216-new-d...

EP 216 -AI Overviews vs. Local SEO: Are Users Clicking Less? Who Will Win the Name Game?

New data shows AI Overviews reduce website clicks and disrupt the local pack. Greg and Mike explore the implications for search, traffic, and branding in the AI era—plus some fun with burritos and Bos...

www.nearmedia.co

2 2

Reposted by Mike Blumenthal

Melissa Popp ✊ @melissapopp.com · Jul 17

I'm excited to be speaking at Local SEO for Good, and I'm also stoked to be raising money for @hrc.org.

Get your free ticket here: www.brightlocal.com/local-seo-fo...

2 3

Reposted by Mike Blumenthal

gsterling @gsterling.bsky.social · Jul 9

Our latest @nearmedia.bsky.social newsletter: Has ChatGPT swapped out Bing for Google? Optimizing for "Local AIOs," Demographics and Search Fragmentation, Antitrust for AIO ... www.nearmedia.co/chatgpt-goog...

ChatGPT ❤️ Google?, Winning Local AIOs, Search Fragmentation, Antitrust-IO

Near Media is the go-to advisor for executives at multi-location brands and vertical agencies seeking to optimize their search strategy and tactics.

www.nearmedia.co

1 2 2

Mike Blumenthal @mikeblumenthal.bsky.social · Jul 7

File under the category- Great ideas never die

Researchers hide AI prompts with white on white fonts to influence AI’s assessment of their research.

Every spam technique from the past 25 years is new again.

asia.nikkei.com/Business/Tec...

'Positive review only': Researchers hide AI prompts in papers

Instructions in preprints from 14 universities highlight controversy on AI in peer review

asia.nikkei.com

1 1

Mike Blumenthal @mikeblumenthal.bsky.social · Jul 3

🚨 GBP Suspensions Rising, Shifting Local AIOs, New Era of Local SEO
🔹 GBP suspensions still surging
🔹 Local AIOs reshuffle SERPs
🔹 Reviews - both 1st & 3rd party - are critical
🔹 New playbook for local visibility emerging

www.nearmedia.co/ep-213-gbp-s...

#LocalSEO #AIOverview #GBP

EP 213 - GBP Suspensions, AIO Overviews & New Best Practices for AI-Era Local SEO and Reviews

From Google's crackdown on suspensions to AI overviews reshaping the SERPs, Greg and Mike explore what's changing in local search—and why just answering your phone might be your best marketing move ye...

www.nearmedia.co

Reposted by Mike Blumenthal

Mike Blumenthal @mikeblumenthal.bsky.social · Jun 27

🎙️ Ep. 212 of the Near Memo is live!
AI & Local SEO: What Darren Shaw Says You Need to Know

@whitespark.ca dives into:
✅ AI & local search shifts
✅ First-party reviews FTW
✅ YouTube > Instagram for leads
✅ "Search Everywhere Optimization"

Listen now: www.nearmedia.co/ep-212-ai-re...

#LocalSEO #AI

EP 212 - AI, Reviews & the Future of Local SEO: What Darren Shaw Says You Need to Know

AI is reshaping local SEO, but most small businesses are still focused on Google. Darren Shaw shares how to prep for what’s next—diversified reviews, smarter content, and YouTube visibility for Search...

www.nearmedia.co

1 3 5

Mike Blumenthal @mikeblumenthal.bsky.social · Jun 27

🎙️ Ep. 212 of the Near Memo is live!
AI & Local SEO: What Darren Shaw Says You Need to Know

@whitespark.ca dives into:
✅ AI & local search shifts
✅ First-party reviews FTW
✅ YouTube > Instagram for leads
✅ "Search Everywhere Optimization"

Listen now: www.nearmedia.co/ep-212-ai-re...

#LocalSEO #AI

EP 212 - AI, Reviews & the Future of Local SEO: What Darren Shaw Says You Need to Know

AI is reshaping local SEO, but most small businesses are still focused on Google. Darren Shaw shares how to prep for what’s next—diversified reviews, smarter content, and YouTube visibility for Search...

www.nearmedia.co

1 3 5

Mike Blumenthal @mikeblumenthal.bsky.social · Jun 27

It seems to be appearing for many many sites. not sure what is oging on? Users are training ChatGPT?

1

Mike Blumenthal @mikeblumenthal.bsky.social · Jun 27

Screenshot from ChatGPT.

I assume that bad actors have been doing some sort of injection attacks and inserting bad links into ChatGPT answers? @lilyray.nyc has been showing how easy it is to get into these results. Time to pay the piper?

6

Mike Blumenthal @mikeblumenthal.bsky.social · Jun 24

Beauty in small spaces

My ice coffee

1

Mike Blumenthal @mikeblumenthal.bsky.social · Jun 21

Marketing slogan found on a port a potty:
A royal flush beats a full house

1 2

Mike Blumenthal @mikeblumenthal.bsky.social · Jun 14

That’s too deterministic. It is more like 9 out of 10 times you should probably leave the URL field empty

1