WebProNews

MySpace announced a partnership with Citysearch today to launch MySpace Local. This is a social directory of small business profiles, where users can review, rate, and share content from businesses across the US.

"Today’s announcement marks a defining moment in MySpace’s emergence as a social portal," says MySpace CEO Chris DeWolfe. "MySpace is about the discovery of content and culture through the lens of your friends. Building on the success of Music and Video, MySpace Local represents both an evolution in social discovery and a revolution of our larger content strategy."

Here's what it looks like:

Small Business Listing Pages for MySpace Local Features:

- Citysearch's database of major cities nationwide

- Small Business categories available at launch: restaurants, bars, and nightlife

- Ratings, reviews, real-time content sharing

- business photos, menus, videos, maps, hours of operation

- Viral functionality - add businesses to profile, share listings, bookmark businesses

- User review module

- Coupons for local businesses

City Hubs include:

- New local search functionality

- Search by neighborhood, small business categories, cuisine type

- Users can browse by subcategories

- Hubs include citywide user reviews

- Celebrity reviews

This week, MySpace is launching MySpace Local for a test group of users to enlist a first round of reviews. Next month it will be launched in Beta. More features will be added.