This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will develop and commercialize a free, location-based peer-to-peer (p2p) application for sharing user-generated content. The application combines mapping and visualization technologies with peer-to-peer technology, enabling new types of social interaction as users share place-based experiences. Micro-Targeted Advertising will connect buyers and sellers of products and services, especially those for which demand changes rapidly and is different from place to place. Phase I research will address technical risks and assess, develop and demonstrate search mechanisms and intuitive user interfaces for discovering Micro-Targeted Advertising in a p2p network and develop methods to combine Micro-Targeted Advertising content with user-generated content. This proposed capability is beyond the technical scope of current online advertising provided by giants like Google and Yahoo, and represents an emerging opportunity for p2p applications in the social networking and advertising markets. The application will let people share place-based experiences documented in user-generated media, and also let product and services sellers open an account, create channels for customer-generated content, purchase views and target local markets. The advertising business model is further enhanced by the ability to adjust the user experience for different cultures. Furthermore, relationships with industry leaders are being established to position the application for co-marketing
