Google recently announced that they would be making significant updates in the Google Places user dashboard, but so far, the attitude shared among businesses on Google Places is generally unimpressed. Unfortunately for Google Places users and developers alike, it seems to be too early to judge whether or not the changes can be considered an improvement. While the verdict remains undecided, here are a few things you should keep in mind when exploring the updated Google Places dashboard:

The updated dashboard is immediately available to newly created and newly verified business locations in the United States. Existing users will have to remain patient for the updates to be rolled out to older verified listings.  For the time being, availability is limited to locations within the United States.

This new dashboard has severely improved the relationship between Google Places and Google+ Local listings. Now data from your Google Places listing is fed directly into the Google Knowledge Graph, making it easier to manage across Google apps. At the same time, Google is advising businesses to not merge their Google Places and Google+ Local pages just yet. The plan seems to be to eventually implement an “Upgrade” option to make the merge and data migration as simple as possible.

The new dashboard interface advises users with tips for completing the fields of their listing; however, there has also been a decrease in number of overall fields, meaning less options for customization. On the other hand, Google is adding new listing options for service area businesses for the first time.

All updates made through the new Google Places dashboard should be reflected live within 48 hours; however, anticipate photo updates to take longer, and users will now be required to use a personal Google+ account in order to add video content to their listing.

A bone of contention among users who already have access to this new dashboard is that the analytics reported on Google+ listings are still weak and in need of improvement; however, search engine experts are advising patience. It seems as though this is just the first phase of SEO-friendly updates being rolled out by Google, and users should anticipate greater improvements over time.

This weekend, the northeast coast of the U.S. is preparing for the season’s first blizzard. While on Long Island, where BOTW headquarters is located, we’re anticipating 12-18 inches of snowfall between now and Saturday afternoon, residents in upstate New York and further north into New England are expecting as much as four feet before the precipitation ends.

Since the blizzard was first forecast earlier this week, residents along the northeast coast have been scrambling for emergency supplies. Those from Long Island and New Jersey are especially eager to stock up in case  there is further destruction where they’ve only just recovered from Hurricane Sandy. With a forecast that includes up to 60 miles-per-hour winds, many people are particularly concerned with potential power outages since the Long Island Power Authority handled the hurricane recovery efforts so poorly just a few months ago.

It seems as though LIPA is all too aware of having left a bitter taste in the mouth of many of its customers: they have already sent out blizzard warnings that include details about their preparation efforts such as having extra crew teams dedicated to the power lines as well as tree trimmers to quickly remove obstacles that may inconvenience residents, cause traffic problems, or further damage property.

In addition to these preparation measures, the power company recommends that everyone within the storm’s path acquires a battery-powered radio or TV, replacement batteries, electric pump supplies, non-perishable foods, bottled water, and a first aid kit. For further advice in storm safety and preparedness, consult the reliable resources featured in the BOTW Directory. From emergency supplies to practical advice, turn to BOTW for meaningful guidance during the snowy weekend.

Just under two weeks ago, Hurricane Sandy rocked the East coast, leaving devastation in its trail. Tuesday morning, residents throughout New Jersey and New York awoke to powerless homes, a lack of cell phone reception, and no signs of immediate improvement.

Over the course of the last two weeks, however, there has been a generous influx of relief efforts. Between the NBC telethon that aired last Friday, the Red Cross, and countless celebrities, communities, and organizations gathering to contribute to patching up the Northeast coast, residents are reassured that life will return to normal eventually. The only remaining question is, of course, “When?”

When the response to this query from the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) became vaguer as the days passed and residents throughout the New York metro area continued to live without power or heat, frustrations grew. It became clearer that LIPA was entirely unprepared for the storm despite countless severe weather warnings. Additionally, the company’s original plan for tackling the devastated South shore of Long Island was to first require those thousands of homes to undergo new electrical evaluations before having power restored.

Needless to say, LIPA customers waiting for a much needed sense of normalcy to be restored to their lives have grown restless. Therefore it was no surprise to fellow Long Islanders when a protest was staged just this morning at a LIPA news conference held in Oceanside. Accusing the company of neglect, the residents of Long Island expressed their desires to have the military take over the recovery and restoration effort.

Governor Andrew Cuomo was quick to agree that LIPA handled the aftermath of the storm poorly, and stated that the whole area will need a long-term recovery plan. As always, Internet users rely on the resources featured in the BOTW Directory to stay up-to-date with the relief efforts spreading throughout the nation. Find charities to donate to, reliable news sources providing updates about restoration, or local volunteer opportunities all through the BOTW Directories.

At the end of May, Google made major changes to their local search offerings by replacing Google Places with Google+ Local. The update automatically changed approximately 80 million local business profiles to Google+ Local pages.

Google+ users will have already noticed a “Local” tab on their G+ homepages. In many ways, the functionality of the local search remains intact. The biggest changes include the appearance of business pages, and the integration of these pages across other Google tools such as search, maps, and G+, and mobile.

Google+ Local has also incorporated features from Zagat such as business reviews, which all users can access for free. Additionally, Google+ users can see what their friends and colleagues are saying about a given local business by filtering reviews from their circles.

The local search now operates on Zagat’s 30-point rating scale as opposed carrying over the star ratings from Google Places. Local business owners may see changes in their local SEO influence through these new Google+ Local pages, where customer reviews and social interactions develop organically. Since the Google+ Local pages have not yet made any noticeable impact on search engine results, however, small businesses should not be hasty in halting existing marketing campaigns.

Regardless whether it will be affecting your home area or not, you’d have to be living under a rock to have missed the recent weather alerts about this tropical monster known as Irene. Hurricane Irene has already caused damages throughout the Caribbean, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, and the Bahamas as well as the British territories of Turks and Caicos Islands. These damages range from street flooding and power outages to fires and severe property damage.

Having moved passed the southeast states of Florida and the Carolinas, and causing some minor damage along the coast – particularly in the form of fierce waves that injured at least 6 people – the storm has set its course for the Northeastern U.S., and meteorologists anticipate it will reach Canada’s eastern coast as well.

Since Irene first appeared on radars as a potential threat to the East Coast states, 677 North American flights have been cancelled and another 3,691 have been delayed. As it approaches the New York metropolitan area, residents unaccustomed to such severe weather alerts have begun to panic.

If your anxiety is growing with each passing weather update, turn off the television and instead take advantage of the resources provided to you through Best of the Web. Whether you’re seeking advice about essential emergency supplies, or simply need a different format in which to absorb the various hurricane alerts, reports, and warnings, the trusted sites listed in the BOTW Directory will be able to address all your questions and worries regarding the impact of Hurricane Irene.

Still concerned? You can also find contact information for local emergency services in your area from listings on BOTW Local to act as additional reassurance for you during this stormy weekend.