Local Search Pros Google+ Community - Join Us!

[Linda Buquet]

Announcing the new "Local Search Pros" Google+ Community
If you're a "Pro" - You're Invited!

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This week we are finally launching the G+ Community I started 2 years ago.
(You know me, too many balls in the air!) Haha... It's about time I open the doors.
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Goals & Community Mission Statement

The goal of this community is to provide higher level Local Search info & support to those in the industry.

Launched BY Local Search Pros FOR Local Search Pros - membership is only open to those that are Local Search professionals and is not open to business owners or the public. However, business owners, please feel free to read and benefit from the knowledge that is shared here.

This new community is an extension of the Local Search Forum, the leading Local Search Community with over 1800 members. But due to the fact that some folks prefer to hang out on G+ and in some ways it's easier to share info on G+, I finally decided to open this community to the public.

But it's an extension, not a replacement for this forum - which is still the 1st place I will post news.


ELIGIBILITY - This community is run BY local search Pros - FOR for local search Pros.

To be approved, you must either be known in the industry or apply with a profile that indicates you are a Local Search consultant, SEO, local search solution provider or are with a local search agency. You must also be in good standing in the industry.

BUSINESS OWNERS - I'm really sorry, but membership is only open to those in the Local Search industry. Feel free to read all the tips and knowledge that's shared at the G+ Community. But if you need help with your listing or have Local SEO questions, please post here at the Local Search Forum.


IMPORTANT - RE INTRODUCTIONS - GROUP INTROS ONLY - Please introduce yourself in the latest group introduction thread in the intro section. Please do not start a new thread for your own introduction, as that will cause problems for those that have notifications turned on.


COMMUNITY GUIDELINES

Please read the community guidelines before posting.

Please read the following sections of the guidelines closely.

- SELF PROMOTION IS NOT ALLOWED

- SHARING YOUR OWN CONTENT - IMPORTANT GUIDELINES

- LOCAL SEARCH 101 QUESTIONS


Where to post - If you have news to share or a question, please post in the appropriate category.

As far as whether to post here or there, that's one of the reasons I didn't open this community sooner. Have not quite figured out how to make sure info is connected across both platforms without being redundant. But realize most people are not going to be active at both places.

So just hang out and post where you are most comfortable OR if it's an important post, please do feel free to share it at both places, because many will hang one place or the other ,but not both and we don't want anyone to miss important news. So we'll all just figure it out as we go along.


Our Team - We have 6 moderators. They won't have much moderating to do though since we won't be letting in the general public. And because I'm personally reviewing every app, there won't be any spam. So their job is really to make you guys feel welcome and share the wealth of knowledge they all have. You know most of them from the forum if you've been active here.

Meet the Moderators

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Thanks go out to my great team, for your loyalty and support!


And now without further ado, here it is...

Please join us at the Local Search Pros Google+ Community!​

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Quite a few Pros you know have already joined, so you'll see some familiar faces!

See you there! This is going to be exciting!​

Oh and please feel free to share with other pros you know.

Please post questions, concerns or HIGH FIVES below.
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[Linda Buquet]

APPROVALS & IF YOU ARE DECLINED​

We are very selective to keep out spam and to keep it only high level industry professionals.

If you join with a bare profile OR all your posts are about food and music and not local search
OR if you don't list Local search as your job with a company URL that looks like it's about local search, OR if you are a business owner, not a local search pro, then your app will be declined.

However if you really are a pro and we mistakenly declined, please + mention me if you want to be reconsidered and mention your forum user name if a member here, plus need to know business name and URL. OR use the contact form on my site at the link above.


COMMUNITY BACK STORY

I started this G+ Community the day 'Communities' launched, but didn't open the doors til almost 2 years later - today.

Why did I wait until after Google+ was declared dead to open? Haha. ;-)

Because I had concerns about having to moderate 2 forums and cross post everything to 2 different communities. I worried about keeping everyone informed in 2 different communities without being redundant.

And because I'm usually busier than a one armed paper hanger. Haha

However by popular request and due to the fact that some folks prefer to hang out on G+
AND in some ways it's easier to share info on G+, I finally decided to open this community to the public.

So I hope you'll hang with us, share your knowledge & partake of all the great tips I know will be posted!

Welcome in advance! See you there!

From Linda and the Local Search Pros Team!

 

[Linda Buquet]

We just hit 97 members. (Not bad for private pre-launch.)

Thanks to everyone that's joined us so far!

Wonder who will be lucky #100?

 

[RobinOctane]

One armed paper hanger high five!

 

[Linda Buquet]

LMAO Robin. That was priceless!!!

Thanks for the high five and the laugh!

 

[Carl B]

Hey Linda
Just joined the group and thx for making it happen!

 

[Linda Buquet]

You're welcome Carl! You are all approved and thanks for joining us!

 

[Linda Buquet]

We are up to 128 members. Not bad considering this is just private pre-launch and since the group is not open to the general public, so I'm declining lots of apps.
(We are all about quality over quantity.)

Join us today if you are a local search pro!

Tomorrow is our grand opening and I'll be doing public invitations, so there could be approval delays as I work through all the applicants.

 

[cdawg2610]

WOO HOO a Google+ community I'm actually interested in (and its possible I failed at doing the ask to join properly, its one of those brain doesn't work afternoons)

 

[Linda Buquet]

WOO HOO a Google+ community I'm actually interested in (and its possible I failed at doing the ask to join properly, its one of those brain doesn't work afternoons)

Oh dear hope I didn't decline you.

If you don't use your real name here, or joined with a bare profile or all your posts are about food and music and not local search AND if you don't list Local search as your job with a company URL that looks like it's about local search, then I decline.

If your profile contains elements like above, I'd have no way of knowing it was you or that you were in the biz. If I declined you - sorry about that. I'm being pretty strict to keep out spammers and those that do not look like full-time pros.

Please + mention me if you want to be reconsidered and mention your forum user name. And if your profile does not say it - need to know business name and URL.

 

[cdawg2610]

Oh dear hope I didn't decline you.

If you don't use your real name here, or joined with a bare profile or all your posts are about food and music and not local search AND if you don't list Local search as your job with a company URL that looks like it's about local search, then I decline.

If your profile contains elements like above, I'd have no way of knowing it was you or that you were in the biz. If I declined you - sorry about that. I'm being pretty strict to keep out spammers and those that do not look like full-time pros.

Please + mention me if you want to be reconsidered and mention your forum user name. And if your profile does not say it - need to know business name and URL.

its ok I wasn't signed into my work Google account when I hit request (like I said, long day) so I just re-requested and doing the + post

 

[jonkeel]

Hi Linda - Thanks for putting this together.

 

[Linda Buquet]

Are you a PRO? Have you joined the Local Search Pros G+ Community Yet? Join Us!

Or even if you don't qualify to join, bookmark and read the wisdom from some of the leading minds in the industry!

 

[Eric Rohrback]

Agreed. I contribute more on this forum, but there are some great discussions on the Local Pros G+ Community. Great topics, especially if you're new to the biz