WO2004063950A1

WO2004063950A1 - Spatial classified advertising directory

Info

Publication number: WO2004063950A1
Application number: PCT/AU2004/000053
Authority: WO
Inventors: John Knorr
Original assignee: Super Internet Site System Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2003-01-15
Filing date: 2004-01-15
Publication date: 2004-07-29
Also published as: TW200511005A; AU2003900169A0

Abstract

A system for providing spatial discovery of advertisements over the Internet includes an uploading component, allowing advertising service providers to upload advertisements on behalf of individual advertisers. A spatial identification component assists advertising service providers in specifying discovery settings for each advertisement including at least one spatial location to be associated with the advertisement, as well as key words and attributes. A search component assists users of the system in searching for goods/services by reference to one or more attributes of the subject matter of the advertisement and to a geographical catchment area. A result display component displays search on a mapping system with location icons identifying the spatial locations associated with relevant advertisements. A search modification component allows a user to modify and refine a search. An advertisement removal component provides for removal of an advertisement and references to it.

Description

SPATIAL CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING DIRECTORY

Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a method and system for delivering advertising over the Internet. It particularly but not exclusively relates to an integrated advertising system that provides for the location of classified advertisements on a mapping system at a point that represents the location of the item for sale and the display of classified advertisements that meet the searcher's needs in the geographic area defined by the searcher .

Background to the Invention

The Internet has a number of portals and web sites that allow for placement of advertisements. While the Internet is a medium that is readily accessible from many locations around the world, classified advertising tends to be more geographically specific. Some portals and web sites that provide for placement of advertisements allow the advertiser to specify an approximate location by way of a Country, State or Suburb.

When the user is searching the portal or site for items of interest, they may nominate a particular geographical area. For example, the user may reside in the general vicinity of Melbourne in Australia. In searching through advertisements, for employment for example, the user may nominate that they wish to search through advertisements for employment opportunities in Melbourne. There is still a shortcoming however because the user is unable specify with greater specify their the area of interest. They may for example, only be interested in advertisements where the place of employment is up to 5 km from their home.

The other major problem with online classified advertising is that the establishment of a classified advertising system is a very inexpensive process that can be afforded by any website owner that receives a reasonable volume of traffic. This means that classified ads are being spread over an ever greater number of websites which means that persons searching for items or employment need to visit a greater number of websites to view all relevant classified advertisements. Summary of the Invention

In a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for providing spatial discovery of classified advertisements over the Internet, including: (a) an uploading component, allowing advertising service providers to upload classified advertisements relating to particular subject matter;

(b) a spatial identification component, which assists advertising service providers in specifying discovery settings for each classified advertisement including at least one spatial location to be associated with the advertisement, as well as key words and attributes;

(c) a search component, which assists users of the system in searching for goods or services by reference to one or more attributes of the subject matter of the advertisement and also to a geographical catchment area;

(d) a result display component, for displaying the results of any search on a mapping system with location icons identifying the spatial locations associated with relevant advertisements found in the search;

(e) a search modification component which allows a user to modify and refine a search;

(f) an advertisement removal component, which provides for removal of an advertisement and references to it if the offer contained in the advertisement has expired, if the subject matter offered by the advertisement has been exhausted, or if the advertisement is being withdrawn.

Each time an advertisement is uploaded, the following information is preferably included: ^■ identifiers including o keywords and attributes o unique advertising service provider and advertiser number

^■ details of geographic location of the subject matter of the advertisement

^■ a title for the advertisements ^■ a brief description of the subject matter such as goods, services or employment

^■ URL of the content of the advertisement

^■ details of a duration for which the system is to display the advertisement. Preferably, the search component provides users with options to search for:

■ the Classification of an advertisement

■ the keywords or attributes of an advertisement ■ the geographical location of the advertisement

■ a title for the advertisement

■ a short description of the subject matter on offer. Preferably the result display component shows:

■ a mapping at a resolution that suits the extent of the geographic catchment defined by the user

■ a location icon identifying each relevant advertisement found

^■ a title for each advertisement found

■ an information box relating to each icon of each advertisement found

^■ facility for the user to view each advertisement in its entirety via a link to its content site.

Preferably the system further includes a billing component which bills advertising service providers on a unit by time basis.

Preferably the system further includes an advertising service provider registration component, which receives relevant details of advertising service providers for billing and maintenance purposes.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of providing spatial discovery of classified advertisements over the Internet including the steps of:

(a) an advertising service provider assembling a plurality of advertisements from different advertisers for goods or services on offer;

(b) associating each advertisement with a spatial identifier corresponding to the geographical location where the goods or services are on offer;

(c) assigning one or more attributes to the advertisement to enable the goods or services on offer to be identified; (d) the advertising service provider uploading the advertisements to an advertising database;

(e) a user nominating a search catchment area within which a search for advertised goods or services is to be conducted; (f) the user nominating one or more attributes to identify advertised goods or services of interest within the search catchment area nominated by the user; wherein only those advertisements which are associated with a spatial identifier which falls within the search catchment area nominated by the user and are classified using attributes or other search criteria nominated by the user is displayed to a user via a user interface.

Preferably, each spatial identifier corresponds to one or more precise points of latitude and longitude.

In one form of the invention the user nominates the search catchment area by reference to a single geographical point. The search catchment area may be an area within a user nominated distance from the single geographical point.

In another form of the invention, the search catchment area is nominated by (a) presenting a map to the user on an interface and (b) the user nominating an area of the map displayed on the interface. The search catchment area is a geographical area corresponding to the area represented on the map displayed to the user. The user may modify the area of the map displayed on the interface by panning or zooming to modify the search catchment area.

The method may further include the steps of (a) representing the relevant subject matter of the advertisement on the map, the relevant subject matter being within the search catchment area; and (b) the user selecting one or more items from the map.

In another form of the invention, the database operates in conjunction with a secondary database of known street addresses and geographical co- ordinates such that, when additional goods or services are entered in the database, a geographical location identifier is provided for the goods or services by entering a street address for the goods or services, the street address to be used by the secondary database to provide geographical co-ordinates for the goods or services. According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided an Internet site for facilitating the viewing of advertisements, including: (a) an uploading component allowing advertising service providers to upload a plurality of advertisements from different advertisers for goods or services on offer; (b) a database containing listings of goods or services being offered by the advertisers, each listing being associated with a spatial identifier corresponding to the geographical location of the goods or services;

(c) a search catchment area defining component; and (c) an attributes nomination component which enables a user to identify goods or services of interest; wherein the user searches the database to identify goods or services of interest within the search catchment area.The search catchment area defining component may allow the user to define the search catchment area by reference to a single geographical point. The search catchment area defining component may allow the user to define the search catchment area as an area within a user nominated distance from the single geographical point.

In another arrangement, the search catchment area defining component includes: (a) presenting a map to the user on an interface; and

(b) the user nominating an area of the map displayed on the interface; wherein the search catchment area is a geographical area corresponding to the area represented on the map displayed to the user.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention will hereinafter be described in greater detail with reference to the attached drawings that illustrate an example form of the invention. It is to be understood that the particularity of those drawings does not supersede the generality of the preceding description of the invention. Figure 1 is a screen capture of an interface of a system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is an example of an advertisement assembled by the system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Figures 3 to 5 are examples of various interfaces presented to the advertisers during use of an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The present invention encompasses an integrated advertising system. When using the system for the first time, an advertising service provider, such as a newspaper proprietor chooses to register and agrees to the terms and conditions. The advertising service provider is then prompted to enter contact details including items such as company name, contact name, email address, phone, URL and contact email. The advertising service provider collects advertisements from a number of individual advertisers, and loads them onto the database provided by the present invention.

In order to allow for administration in relation to the placement of advertisements, the advertising service provider allocates separate advertiser identification codes to individual advertisers and may delegate to those advertisers the authority to make amendments in relation to advertisements on the database which were placed by those advertisers. Invoices may then be rendered with either a single invoice going to the advertising service provider or alternatively, with separate invoices going directly to the various advertisers. The advertising system may also provide for an enhancement whereby the advertising service provider or an advertiser with delegated authority may retract or modify advertisements.

The system of the present invention allows for a person or business to assemble an advertisement and publish an advertisement on the Internet without any special skills. The advertising service provider or the advertiser selects and completes a template. They then select attributes or keywords for that particular advertisement. For example, the advertisement may relate to an employment opportunity.

Once the advertisement is built, the advertising service provider or the advertiser enters a precise geographical location of the advertisement into the system. This location will be the location at which the item being advertised is available. For example, where the advertisement is for an employment opportunity then the precise geographical location will be the location at which the person will be employed. This has the advantage of making Internet advertising available to small businesses having a localised customer base. Once the geographical location is entered into the system, the system places the advertisement on a mapping system. This is known as "spiking" the advertisement on the mapping system, that is, the advertisement associated with a precise geographical location to aid in location of that advertisement by users. This process of spiking may be effected by clicking on an icon which produces an address template which brings up the appropriate address on the mapping system, the advertiser then has the opportunity to move the "spike" to the exact desired location or to relocate the "spike" for any reason. Where the advertiser does not wish to include the exact location (for security reasons for example) then the advertiser may choose a location in close proximity.

An illustrative example of the search interface that may be employed by the present invention is shown in Figure 1. The search interface illustrated allows for a variety of different search methods. The radial search allows the user to search within a search catchment area specified by a single point and a pre-determined surrounding radius. Alternatively, the user may define the search catchment area simply by indicating a locality such as a town, suburb or postcode. A free range search is also available to allow a user to define a search catchment area. This involves presenting a map to the user on an interface (as shown in Figure 1) and the user nominating an area of the map displayed. The area nominated by the user will define the search catchment area. The user modifies the area of the map displayed by panning and zooming the map window.

The advertising service provider (or, with delegated authority, the advertiser) may modify their advertisement at any time. The advertiser or advertising service provider may add text, photographs and links to self edit the advertisement as required. The advertisement may then be published or unpublished at any time at direction of the advertiser. A particular advantage of giving the advertising service provider control over publication of the advertisement is that the billing may reflect this and hence the advertising service provider need only be billed for the period in which the advertisement is actually published.

The present invention allows for publication of various formats of advertisements. These advertisements may include multiple Internet pages, links, images, messaging and a live mapping interface to show the exact location of the item being advertised, advertising service provider are placed in control of their advertisements including their location on the system. Advertising service provider are also able to control how their advertisements will be discovered by users using attributes. To aid searching, the advertisements are be classified into one or more of attributes that may be introduced on a sector by sector basis. For example, Motor Vehicles or Real Estate. Further examples of various sectors and their sub sectors include: • Real Estate

^■ Houses

^■ Flats and apartments

■ Commercial Real Estate

■ Industrial Properties ■ Vacant Industrial Land

^■ Farms

^■ Business for Sale

^■ Water rights

^■ Carbon credits • Motor Vehicles

^■ Commercial Vehicles

^■ Motor cycles

^■ Recreational boats Plant and Equipment • Machinery

Communications, Media and IT Equipment

Furniture

Recreation & Sports Equipment

Building Materials • Hobbies

Employment

Gardening

Miscellaneous

The classification of each advertisement into one or more of these sectors by the advertiser allows for accurate and prompt refinement of user searches. To further aid searching, the advertisements may be further classified by more specific attributes that may be introduced on a sector-by-sector basis. An example of attributes used in the real estate sector Vacant Industrial Land may include:

SISSAD SECTOR - Vacant Industrial Land ATTRIBUTES

DISPOSAL METHOD For Sale For Lease

AREA

<0.2 Hectares

.2 to .4 .4 to .6 .6 to .8

.8 to 1

1 to 2

2 to 4 4 to 6 6 to 8

8 to 10

10 to 20

20 to 40

40 to 80 80 to 100

100 to 200

200 plus SERVICES

Phone Water

Power

Gas

Sewerage

Drainage TRANSPORT ACCESS Rigid Truck Semi Trailer B Double B Triple Road Train Railway Harbor Wharf

Use of such attributes allows the system to be tailored to the needs of advertisers and users (viewers or searchers) in a particular section. It also minimises problems caused by misspelling of search terms. It also acts as a prompt to both advertiser and searcher to include information in the advertisement or the search criteria where appropriate.

To further aid searching, advertisements may be further classified by including key words or search words associated with a particular advertisement.

In order to search for classified advertisements of interest, the user my may enter a geographical point and a distance from that point to define the search catchment area. The user also enters one or more keywords and/or attributes to restrict the search to goods or services of interest to the user. A search is then conducted for advertisements associated with a spatial identifier falling within the geographical catchment area nominated by the user and associated with the attributes nominated by the user. This allows the user to specify the exact geographical boundaries that he/she wishes to search.

In one variation of the search method, the user is presented a map on the mapping system on the computer screen which allows for the user to define the search catchment area which corresponds to the geographical area in which they wish to search for goods or services. The user can modify the search catchment area by panning or zooming on the mapping system to increase, decrease or otherwise modify the map window which corresponds to the geographical area that will be searched. This type of search is termed a "free range" search. This search effectively sets the parameters of the search to the extent of the screens exposure of the map which is displayed. A curtilage of the screen corresponds to the curtilage of the search area. Each geographically located good or service may be represented on the map as a token. The user may modify the area displayed on the screen by panning or zooming. This alters the search area and exposes new results for the same search criteria. As the user views goods or services of interest, the user may click on each of those items to add it to their basket of items representing goods or services. The user further qualifies the search by using attributes to define the types of goods or services that are of interest.

A still further variation on the search method allows a user to expose a particular map on the mapping system on the computer screen thereby defining an area. The user can then pan or zoom on the mapping system to modify the area that is searched. The search is qualified by attributes.

As advertisements are exposed on the mapping system by this search, the user may select advertisements of interest for addition to a list. This list is retained by the system for later examination. The list is retained despite the fact that the maps exposed are no longer the original map on the mapping system. This is particularly useful where for example a person is searching for real estate (for example, by house) along a road, lineal route or other elongated area. The user can select reported advertisements based on a visual assessment to other features such proximity to schools, parks and transport.

Advertising service providers may control the "discoverability" of their advertisements on the system by adding modifying key words and/or attributes associated with the advertisement. Users increase the accuracy and efficacy of their search by simply adding key words and attributes to their search criteria. The greater the number of keywords and/or attributes added, the more focussed the search will be. Searches may be as broad or as geographically local as required with the more search words added the more refined the results delivered. Advertising service providers can also link an advertisement to businesses of their choice. For example, the advertisement could link to a transport business with the system providing any purchaser of the advertiser's item with savings on the delivery costs for the item.

A sample advertisement is illustrated in Figure 2. The advertisement will ideally include full details of the advertiser including contact information, email, website address together with full details of the item being advertised. The present invention also allows for bulk marketing to a delivery catchment area. This allows advertisers to be advertised to by other (qualified advertisers). The system allows a bulk-marketing advertiser to send an offer to a group of advertisers. The bulk-marketing advertiser defines delivery catchment area including advertisers to whom they wish to market. The delivery catchment area may be defined by reference to a single geographical point. The bulk-marketing advertiser then chooses an advertising sector of interest using attributes. This bulk marketing is further refined by the bulk-marketing advertiser entering key words and/or by specifying particular attributes.

The system then reports to the bulk-marketing advertiser, the number of advertisements on the system that meet its criteria, the cost of marketing to those advertisers and the status of the bulk marketing advertisers account. If the bulk-marketing advertiser wishes to proceed, the bulk-marketing advertiser then directs the system to deliver the advertisement to the selected advertisers. The system then delivers the advertisement and forwards a file to the bulk- marketing advertiser which includes the various details (such as name and Web site URL) to which the offer was delivered. The bulk marketing advertiser may then insert that file into a standard spreadsheet or alternatively, use a customised marketing spreadsheet that will track and cost all aspects of the their subsequent marketing campaign.

The provision of bulk marketing advertising to persons on the present system is useful in a wide variety of circumstances. For example:

(1) An antique shop requires more stock. The owner may utilise the present system to propose to all advertisers of antiques within a 30km distance of his shop that they should contact him to sell their antiques. The antique shop owner may, for example, offer each person contacted a better price and a free pickup service.

(2) A heavy haulage contractor may wish to contact advertisers that have heavy equipment for sale to advise them that he has a special low rate for heavy haulage. The contractor may only wish to contact advertisers within a range of 400 km of Karratha in Western Australia because he has a contract delivering machinery to Karratha from Melbourne and he requires loads back to Melbourne. The system of the present invention is almost a "self marketing" system. An advertiser can send an XML file of existing advertisements to the system and the system will create advertisements based on the information provided. The advertiser may also enter details of their website. Each web site can be automatically spiked to the advertiser's address and contain marketing material to allow users to search through and find advertisers' websites where they desire.

The system allows for advertising agencies to liase with the system to arrange for advertisements on behalf of their clients. The system can provide each agency with contact information together with the logon and password created for each advertiser. The agency can advise its advertisers about the system. The agency may also provide login details inviting each of the advertisers to explore the spatial searching of the system.

As a free trial, the system might allow free advertising for any purpose to the advertiser. A free trial for the period of, for example, two weeks will provide the advertiser (or potential advertiser) with sufficient time to build and publish an advertisement to take advantage of the present system. Potential advertisers can, for example, avail themselves of this free trial offer within 90 days. During the trial, the advertiser can naturally edit their advertisement by adding photos, text and their own colour schemes. The configuration of the advertisement can, if necessary, be modified from one template to another.

At the end of the trial period, the system will remove all trace of the offer for the free trial if it has not been utilised within a pre-determined time. The system will not retain any records of the agency database. The system will also manage matters so that potential advertisers receive only one offer in any three- month period.

The system includes a bulk uploading facility and can be used as a bulk ad building system whereby a call centre operator can upload say all today's newspaper ads as a promotional extra. For example, every advertisement sold by a newspaper for the day may be sent to the system for publication over, say, a week. The system of the present invention can facilitate exposure with negligible extra work for the call centre. Every advertisement can automatically feature the newspaper's wrapper. The system provides each advertiser will a powerful control panel. This allows each advertiser to have a customised and branded control panel where the advertiser may:

• edit their (published and unpublished) advertisement(s); • assemble additional advertisements for the system;

• publish, de-publish and re-publish advertisements;

If the advertiser is a business, a website may be purchased for the business which includes a logo in the control panel which will automatically be reproduced in each advertisement placed by the business. Advertisers also have the option to utilise the system to:

(a) spatially deliver banner advertising;

(b) change their logons and passwords;

(c) delegate within their business;

(d) check and pay their account for use of the system; (e) participate in surveys;

(f) change settings modifying discovery of their advertisements;

(g) dictate how inbound messages are managed, whether they are send as emails, delivered as system or converted to SMS;

(h) if they have registered with the system, they may utilise the catchment bulk marketing features of the present invention to send offers to other advertisers.

The system can be implemented at a relatively low cost resulting in efficiency and cost savings. The system can be highly automated. It also provides flexibility in that it keeps advertisers in control of their information and their advertising costs. The system also allows advertisers to expand their advertising as they require. The advertiser may also turn off his advertisement when the item being advertised is sold.

The advertiser may also reuse his advertisement or part thereof as many times as he requires. For example, where a car dealership designs its advertisements around a corporate logo with the advertisement having particular colours and layout, the advertiser needs only retain records of one advertisement so that that advertisement can be modified for further advertisements placed on the system. Where a standard advertisement layout has been approved in the organization, copies of that layout can be made throughout the organization by entering the appropriate authorisation. For example, a real estate franchise advertising on the system may require that advertisements from each branch of the franchise include particular format and colours. The advertiser therefore need only create one advertisement as a "master advertisement". That master advertisement can then be used as a template for further advertisements placed on the system. Once an advertiser has created an advertisement and nominated it as a "master advertisement", the interface of the system allows the advertiser to adopt the same format and colours for each and every advertisement placed by the advertiser. When required, the master advertisement can be replaced or modified with the click of a mouse.

The advertiser may also be messaged by the system to announce specials. For example, discount rates may apply to a particular sector. A message may for example, encourage the advertiser to maximise the impact of his advertisements to coincide with a promotion even marketing the system. For example, if the Dubbo television station is to run ads about classified advertising (designed to encourage searches), advertisers within say 100 km of Dubbo can be notified of the advantage of having publication of their advertisement coincide with the campaign.

The advertiser will have access to their interface or control panel so that they can manage their advertising as necessary.

Agencies associated with the system may earn revenue from placing advertisements on the system through placement of classified advertisement, catchment bulk marketing and spatial banner advertising. All agency and licensee revenue can be automatically apportioned to the agency.

The system of the present invention has a large number of advantages. The system is efficient in the management of an advertiser's advertising. Where an agency manages the advertising on the system on behalf of an advertiser, it is attractive for advertisers to stay with the agent to reap the rewards of efficient placement and location of advertising. It is unattractive for advertisers to change agencies because the advertiser would have to re-register, rebuild their advertising formats and re-load their logos (if they are a business). Marketers may also build rewards systems to minimise any prospect of the advertisers defecting from the agencies brand.

Agencies may build customised templates (website styles) to suit the needs of their advertisers, alternatively they may utilise the default templates provided by the system. The system may allow agencies to be accredited on the system as general agencies marketing all sectors of system or as specialist agencies marketing to only one sector such as real estate or employment. The system can negotiate the most favourable deals with classified advertising vendors. Illustrations of the various interfaces presented to the advertisers during use of the present invention are included in Figures 3 to 5. The interfaces shown allow for the advertiser to view their account information, place banner advertisements and utilise the catchment bulk marketing aspect of the present invention. The interface also allows for the advertiser to build and publish an advertisement on the system.

The system will be available to all vendors of classified advertisers. The system will also allow for advertisements that can be read in a variety of languages as required by the user.

It is to be understood that various additions, alterations and/or modifications may be made to the parts previously described without departing from the ambit of the invention.

Claims

Claims:

1. A system for providing spatial discovery of classified advertisements over the Internet, including: (a) an uploading component, allowing advertising service providers to upload classified advertisements relating to particular subject matter;

2. A system for providing spatial discovery of classified advertisements over the Internet according to claim 1 wherein, each time an advertisement is uploaded, the following information is included:

^■ identifiers including o keywords and attributes o unique advertising service provider and advertiser number ^■ details of geographic location of the subject matter of the advertisement

^■ a title for the advertisements

^■ a brief description of the subject matter such as goods, services or employment

^■ URL of the content of the advertisement ^■ details of a duration for which the system is to display the advertisement.

3. A system for providing spatial discovery of classified advertisements over the Internet according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the search component provides users with options to search for:

^■ classification of an advertisement

^■ keywords or attributes of an advertisement

^■ a geographical location associated with an advertisement

^■ a title for an advertisement ^« a short description of the subject matter on offer.

4. A system for providing spatial discovery of classified advertisements over the Internet according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the result display component shows: ^■ a mapping at a resolution that suits the extent of the geographic catchment defined by the user

^■ a location icon identifying each relevant advertisement found

^■ a title for each advertisement found

^■ an information box relating to each icon of each advertisement found " a facility for the user to view each advertisement in its entirety via a link to its content site.

5. A system for providing spatial discovery of classified advertisements over the Internet according to any one of claims 1 to 4 further including a billing component which bills advertising service providers on a unit by time basis.

6. A system for providing spatial discovery of classified advertisements over the Internet according to any one of claims 1 to 5 further including an advertising service providers registration component, which receives relevant details of advertising service providers for billing and maintenance purposes.

7. A method of providing spatial discovery of classified advertisements over the Internet including the steps of: (a) an advertising service provider assembling a plurality of advertisements from different advertisers for goods or services on offer;

(b) associating each advertisement with a spatial identifier corresponding to the geographical location where the goods or services are on offer; (c) assigning one or more attributes to the advertisement to enable the goods or services on offer to be identified;

(d) the advertising service provider uploading the advertisements to an advertising database;

(e) a user nominating a search catchment area within which a search for advertised goods or services is to be conducted;

(f) the user nominating one or more attributes to identify advertised goods or services of interest within the search catchment area nominated by the user; wherein only those advertisements which are associated with a spatial identifier which falls within the search catchment area nominated by the user and are classified using attributes or other search criteria nominated by the user is displayed to a user via a user interface.

8. A method of providing spatial discovery of classified advertisements over the Internet according to claim 7, wherein the user nominates the search catchment area by reference to a single geographical point.

9. A method of providing spatial discovery of classified advertisements over the Internet according to claim 8, wherein the search catchment area is an area within a user nominated distance from the single geographical point.

10. A method of providing spatial discovery of classified advertisements over the Internet according to claim 7, wherein the search catchment area is nominated by:

(a) presenting a map to the user on an interface; and (b) the user nominating an area of the map displayed on the interface; wherein the search catchment area is a geographical area corresponding to the area represented on the map displayed to the user.

11. A method of providing spatial discovery of classified advertisements over the Internet according to claim 10, wherein the user modifies the area of the map displayed on the interface by panning or zooming to modify the search catchment area.

12. A method of providing spatial discovery of classified advertisements over the Internet according to any one of claims 8 to 11 , including the steps of:

(a) representing the relevant goods or services on the map, the relevant goods or services being within the search catchment area; and (b) the user selecting one or more items from the map.

13. A method according to any one of claims 7 to 12, further including the steps of:

(a) each advertisement having a business catchment area indicating the geographical area from which an advertiser wishes to receive customers; and

(b) the user searching the database to identify advertisements for goods or services offered by advertisers associated with a business catchment area which overlaps with the search catchment area nominated by the user.

14. A method according to any one of claims 7 to 13, including the steps of the user:

(a) composing an offer;

(b) nominating a delivery catchment area;

(c) nominating one or more advertising criteria governing delivery of an offer; and

(d) delivering the offer to advertisers within the delivery catchment area which meet the advertising criteria.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the user is also an advertiser having an item registered on the database.

16 A method according to any one of claims 7 to 15, wherein the database operates in conjunction with a secondary database of known street addresses and geographical co-ordinates such that, when additional goods or services are entered in the database, a geographical location identifier is provided for the goods or services by entering a street address for the goods or services, the street address to be used by the secondary database to provide geographical co-ordinates for the goods or services.

17. An Internet site for facilitating the viewing of advertisements, including: (a) an uploading component allowing advertising service providers to upload a plurality of advertisements from different advertisers for goods or services on offer; (b) a database containing listings of goods or services being offered by the advertisers, each listing being associated with a spatial identifier corresponding to the geographical location of the goods or services;

(c) a search catchment area defining component; and

(c) an attributes nomination component which enables a user to identify goods or services of interest; wherein the user searches the database to identify goods or services of interest within the search catchment area.

18. An Internet site according to claim 17, wherein the search catchment area defining component allows the user to define the search catchment area by reference to a single geographical point.

19. An Internet site according to claim 17, wherein the search catchment area defining component allows the user to define the search catchment area as an area within a user nominated distance from the single geographical point.

20. An Internet site according to claim 17, wherein the search catchment area defining component includes:

21. A method of delivering advertising over the Internet substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of the embodiments shown in the drawings.

22. An Internet site for facilitating the viewing of advertisements substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of the embodiments shown in the drawings.