Why poke when you can touch?

London-based local search site TouchLocal is repositioning itself as a professional social networking service.

TouchLocal introduces "Circles" that represent a level of trust. A sibling is likely to be in the highest circle of trust, while an acquaintance or colleague may fit in less crucial circles.

The circles combine to give users "increased confidence in choosing local companies to work with," according to the company.

TouchLocal calls its site a step above other local search sites that offer reviews, since third party reviews often cannot be trusted.

It also hopes to competitively tackle Facebook. "Facebook fatigue is already setting in," said CEO Tamer Ozmen.

"We anticipate great interest in our service from both end-users and companies keen to realize greater return from their online advertising investments."

Last summer, London alone boasted 810,000 Facebook users.

Some 2.4 million UK businesses are listed on TouchLocal, which attracts 18 million visitors a year, the company said.