Web Site Features 14 Million Business Listings and Adaptive Search Technology; Advertising Rates Based on Monthly Fees Instead of Less-Favorable Pay-per-Click Pricing.

BURBANK, CA–(MARKET WIRE)–May 8, 2007 — CityWaboo.com, a community resource site, today announced the beta release of its site, located at www.CityWaboo.com. Visitors can now browse CityWaboo.com and try key features and services while the site’s functionality is continuously tested and improved.

With a mission to connect businesses with residents in communities nationwide, and provide businesses with affordable, measurable and cost-effective online advertising, CityWaboo.com offers a variety of marketing options.

“Our goal is to provide communities with a valuable resource tool to quickly find information while also helping businesses build their customer base with local and national exposure,” said Eduard Arakelyan, co-founder of CityWaboo.com.

CityWaboo.com provides a variety of customized advertising packages to suit almost any budget. Basic business listings are free and enhanced packages are available starting at $39.95 per month. Listings are optimized to appear on multiple search engines. Banner advertising placements are also available throughout the site.

Advertisers have 24/7 access to their account to view performance statistics, edit their business profile and update billing information as well as access to free business tools including forms, contracts and guides. Marketing advisors are also available to help advertisers optimize their campaigns. CityWaboo.com uses a flat-fee pricing model rather than a pay-per-click model, so advertisers know exactly how much they are spending and do not have to be concerned with click-through fraud.

Differing from similar sites, CityWaboo.com will feature user-generated editorials and city guides from street teams, instead of reviews and articles from paid journalists. “We’re trying to give people a real view of what’s going on in their city,” said Armen Akopyan, co-founder of CityWaboo.com.

CityWaboo.com features adaptive search technology and tagging association, which allows visitors to search by emotional-based, everyday phrases such as “best place to get sushi” instead of “sushi restaurants.” Business listings include comprehensive and up-to-date information including contact information, business hours, pictures, maps, driving directions, special discounts, a user-generated ratings and reviews system and a send-to-phone feature allowing visitors to text a business listing to their cell phone. Additionally, each page of the Web site is personalized to the user’s city and state.

Other services and tools include free event postings, real estate listings powered by Realtor.com, news and weather, jobs powered by CareerBuilder.com and free classified ads.

CityWaboo.com is a community resource site that brings local businesses and residents together. The company’s mission is to provide a valuable resource tool for communities nationwide while offering businesses affordable and cost-effective online advertising options. CityWaboo.com features a searchable business directory with up-to-date information on millions of businesses nationwide, event postings, real estate listings, news, weather, a job search engine and free classified ads. CityWaboo is based in Burbank, Calif. More information is available at www.CityWaboo.com.

Yahoo Finance

It’s a city . . . it’s a waboo . . . it’s CityWaboo! No, I don’t have a clue what the name means, but a new “community resource site” has launched in beta.

Eduard Arakelyan, a co-founder of CityWaboo, explained what he intends to do with the site. “Our goal is to provide communities with a valuable resource tool to quickly find information while also helping businesses build their customer base with local and national exposure,” Arakelyan wrote in a statement.

And that customer base has the potential to become quite wide - CityWaboo covers all sorts of ground. Yellow pages, news, events, jobs (courtesy of CareerBuilder.com), classifieds, weather, real estate (powered by Realtor.com), maps, and a “business corner” - pretty much every aspect of the community is there.

Well, everything except the community itself, that is. Like most newer sites, CityWaboo’s user population is a little lacking. Yet the “beta” tag is an encouraging sign - the CityWaboo team is not trying to foist this off as a finished product - and as a press release stated, “Visitors can now browse CityWaboo.com and try key features and services while the site’s functionality is continuously tested and improved.”

Business might do well to get their names on the site during this period, considering that “basic business listings” are free. “Enhanced packages” do have a price tag, though - $39.95 per month.

And on one other slightly discouraging note, I’ve discovered a possible meaning for CityWaboo. “Waboo,” by itself, at least, means “Internet (Web) taboo,” according to Urban Dictionary.

UPDATE: As explained by Eduard Arakelyan in an email to WebProNews, CityWaboo is “a name that we chose to stimulate conversation. For example turn to your co worker right now and say CityWaboo, the first sentence out of his or her mouth would be City What!? That is exactly what we want people’s reaction to be. This gives us a chance to embed the site name right from the get go.”

Submitted by Doug Caverly
Webpronews.com

CityWaboo gives users the power of one of the most comprehensive commercial listings database in the country, combined with a social networking platform to get the scoop on local businesses from their friends. CityWaboo members can look up a business listing in the main directory, or get recommendations just from their friends. Users have a large business directory at their fingertips as well as their own personal directory to the best places in town from their friends’ lists of favorites. If they are looking for the best pizza place in their city, they can search their friends’ favorites and in seconds find out where their “inner circle” thinks the best pizza can be found.

CityWaboo offers advertisers access to the people that matter most. The influencers… the people who other people turn to for advice and recommendations. A local, vocal and active base of customers who are looking for places to patronize in their own neighborhoods.

Unlike other sites that just let users post ratings and reviews, CityWaboo is about recommendations and favorites. It is people telling other people where to go.

Give your customers a chance to generate a great word-of-mouth for your business

A business can grow from great word-of-mouth when happy customers have a way to communicate with potential customers.
CityWaboo is how they communicate.

CityWaboo is a community-built city guide that lets users get recommendations, reviews and ratings from friends and others about everything from restaurants and bars to car washes and dentists. No matter what people are looking for, chances are there is someone who can tell them where to go. CityWaboo is a word-of-mouth Mecca that enables consumers to connect, be in the know and stay one step ahead. In just a few clicks, users can tap into their friends’ recommendations and the community’s pulse on all kinds of local businesses. Think of it as word-of-mouth.

Armen Akopyan is the creative force behind CityWaboo.com. Since the websites inception he has worked tirelessly to come up with new and innovative ideas to take CityWaboo.com to the next step. An artist since the age of 7, his talent for producing visually appealing graphics is unmatched by anyone in the industry.

In 2001 he started his graphics design company called Charisma Graphics. With attention to quality and customer service, Charisma Graphics became a well known staple in the local business community.

In 2004 with the establishment of CityWaboo.com, Armen assumed the role of President in charge of the Creative Department.

You can always find Armen at the corporate office no matter what time of the night, working on a new design idea. His expertise and vision is a valuable part of CityWaboo success.

Eduard Arakelyan grew up in United States since age of 11 and always thought about being an International Politician. Graduating from University of Southern California (USC), with double major in International Relations and Social Sciences (Economics) took him to New York to as an intern at International Conflict Resolution Program.

In 2000 he was hired by Philip Morris USA, as a Territory Sales Manager and later was given the responsibility as Key Account Manager. He received numerous sales and marketing awards which ultimately led him to the realization that, “…hey I can be doing this for myself.” That’s when an idea of CityWaboo.com came to him. He approached Armen and they started to develop the idea.

Eduard is now in charge of all marketing and sales operations for CityWaboo.com