Recently received a ping from a Facebook friend (whom I don't think i have ever met in real life) saying that he too is one of the few that created a mashup site like SocialURL and was very intrigued and asked what i thought about the future of Mashups would be.
Its simple, Mashup sites will all soon disappear. The recent ID wars going on between Google Friend Connect, MyspaceID and Facebook are only the beginning and this will allow all sites to become mashups. Pete Cashmore and I had tea when he was in the states and we discussed how this idea of mashups will soon become integrated with more niche services such as locality based services, etc.
SocialURL will soon be transformed and we will turn this site into a social search portal. This was one original intent of the site and not a dating portal or another social network.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Channel 3 exclusive interview with Rubicon Project
My friend blasted this over to me less than 1 minute ago...I have to give it to them for leverage LA for its ability to put together some very funny and creative content
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Its as "Sleazy" as 1-2-3
A New Way to Be Stalked
We don't want to alarm you or anything. But you might want to watch your back.
Starting today, it just got easier for you to be tailed.
The culprit: 123people.com, an Austrian-based search engine that officially launches in the US this week after months in beta.
Like Google if it focused solely on stalking people, 123 is going to be making it much more convenient for your exes, currents and potentials to find out everything you've ever gone public with. The site is just as simple to use as Google, but all the relevant info is displayed in easier-to-read categories. So, say an old flame types in your name. In seconds, the search engine aggregates everything from email addresses and phone numbers to ancient blog posts, regrettable YouTube videos, profiles from Facebook, LinkedIn, Friendster (remember that?) and MySpace. (Might be time to clean house.)
Of course, the upside is, thanks to those enterprising Austrians, it's now easier than ever to reconnect with people you've actually been wanting to hear from—even if you didn't know you had until a flirty email from them popped into your inbox.
Because every once in a while, an old flame just needs a new spark.
123people.com
We don't want to alarm you or anything. But you might want to watch your back.
Starting today, it just got easier for you to be tailed.
The culprit: 123people.com, an Austrian-based search engine that officially launches in the US this week after months in beta.
Like Google if it focused solely on stalking people, 123 is going to be making it much more convenient for your exes, currents and potentials to find out everything you've ever gone public with. The site is just as simple to use as Google, but all the relevant info is displayed in easier-to-read categories. So, say an old flame types in your name. In seconds, the search engine aggregates everything from email addresses and phone numbers to ancient blog posts, regrettable YouTube videos, profiles from Facebook, LinkedIn, Friendster (remember that?) and MySpace. (Might be time to clean house.)
Of course, the upside is, thanks to those enterprising Austrians, it's now easier than ever to reconnect with people you've actually been wanting to hear from—even if you didn't know you had until a flirty email from them popped into your inbox.
Because every once in a while, an old flame just needs a new spark.
123people.com
Monday, October 20, 2008
Invest in the 401-Keg plan while economy is down
If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in Delta Airlines one year ago, you will have $49.00 today. If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in AIG one year ago, you will have $33.00 today. If you had purchased $1,000 of shares in Lehman Brothers one year ago, you will have $0.00 today. But, if you had purchased $1,000 worth of beer one year ago, drank all the beer, then turned in the aluminum cans for recycling refund, you would have received $214.00. Based on the above, the best current investment plan is to drink heavily & recycle. It is called the 401-Keg.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
FFWD is the new Pandora of Online Video
FFWD.com just came out of private beta today. A few months ago i attended Under the Radar at the Microsoft campus and saw Patrick Koppula present his online video startup "FFWD.com" and I felt the fire for online video reignited in me. I was truly blown away at how he fully captured the idea i had for MyTV for ManiaTV a year ago.
Patrick and I have never met before that day but i had heard about his prior startup venture iLike.com which he co-founded. I can see how closely the layout looks to what I was working on at ManiaTV early last year! For my friends who are still at ManiaTV will know what i'm talking about:)
Some Positives on FFWD:
1. The User Experience execution is really dead on - lots of white background, short 4 line sign up, pick your interest with thumbnails (limited choices) and bam! start enjoying the pandora of online video!
2. I was able to invite all my 1850 contacts from my Gmail all at once:)
3. Non crowded video search experience, intuitive options to drill down on my interests
Other notes:
1. I can't rewind to prior video that i watched unless i save it
2. I tend to not scroll down to see who else was watching the same channel and wish I could
3. no place to comment or give instant feedback
Patrick and I have never met before that day but i had heard about his prior startup venture iLike.com which he co-founded. I can see how closely the layout looks to what I was working on at ManiaTV early last year! For my friends who are still at ManiaTV will know what i'm talking about:)
Some Positives on FFWD:
1. The User Experience execution is really dead on - lots of white background, short 4 line sign up, pick your interest with thumbnails (limited choices) and bam! start enjoying the pandora of online video!
2. I was able to invite all my 1850 contacts from my Gmail all at once:)
3. Non crowded video search experience, intuitive options to drill down on my interests
Other notes:
1. I can't rewind to prior video that i watched unless i save it
2. I tend to not scroll down to see who else was watching the same channel and wish I could
3. no place to comment or give instant feedback
Friday, July 11, 2008
Blogging badly
Hung out with a professional blogger today and the best advice I've heard regarding blogging is that you need to blog and blog badly for about a year before you get all the bad writing out of your system.
But how do you know when all the bad has gone out from you? He also mentioned about blogging about the simple things like..."That was an awesome $5 dollar footlong today at SubWays" or "We just got this cool white bean bag at the office and made our PR team jealous".
Do people really want to know that i owe a book to the Stanford Library? Or that I ran out of gas while I was only 2 miles from home the other night which made my wife furious and rightly so? Or that I recently cut my own hair with thinning scissors and that my hair looks like crap? Or that I am a horrible non-profit fundraiser for LiveStrong San Jose? Or that I never wanted or intended for SocialURL to be full of half naked people and that I truly wanted to solve the problem of presence on multiple social networks, reputation management and how to systematically spread your social profiles in one place for the best Social Media Optimization results?
By the way i have a new problem that I am solving...how to stop blogging badly:)
But how do you know when all the bad has gone out from you? He also mentioned about blogging about the simple things like..."That was an awesome $5 dollar footlong today at SubWays" or "We just got this cool white bean bag at the office and made our PR team jealous".
Do people really want to know that i owe a book to the Stanford Library? Or that I ran out of gas while I was only 2 miles from home the other night which made my wife furious and rightly so? Or that I recently cut my own hair with thinning scissors and that my hair looks like crap? Or that I am a horrible non-profit fundraiser for LiveStrong San Jose? Or that I never wanted or intended for SocialURL to be full of half naked people and that I truly wanted to solve the problem of presence on multiple social networks, reputation management and how to systematically spread your social profiles in one place for the best Social Media Optimization results?
By the way i have a new problem that I am solving...how to stop blogging badly:)
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
July 13th LiveStrong 5K run
Lost my grandparents to cancer so this run is for those who are still fighting- join me in supporting this run.
Click Here to Donate My Run
Click Here to Donate My Run
Friday, June 6, 2008
Breaking into Madison Avenue
Under the Radar in Mountain View yesterday was a much better turnout than I expected. I truly wish we spent time to present at this event. I don't believe you really have anything real in the startup world unless its somewhat validated.
Its also not validated if you don't get the buy in from advertisers.
Ellen Mcgirt, Fast Company/Moderated a fireside chat for the finale of Under the Radar in Mountain View.
Panelists included:
Scott Schiller, Glam Media (cofounder of IAB)
Jeff Stiers, JWT (project Sector64)
Chris Colbourn, R/GA
Tom Bedecarre, AKQA
Props given: Hubert founder at Curse.com- went to Intel asked who works in the food chain in marketing, persistence in getting one Marquee advertiser was key to his success
Target: Old world was on 60seconds (TV) to plug brand for toothless, Now its blogs etc.
What Madison Ave looks for: REACH, TARGETING & ENGAGEMENT - planner figures this out
Problem: REACH + TARGETING + ENGAGMENT = VALUE...what other revenue models will win? Relevance matters...PUSH /REACH MEDIA vs CONNECTING MEDIA...not about new revenue models. Not about search advertising.
Just because Facebook has a lot of people doesn't mean its valuable...utility mode is not same as consumption mode on TV
Blogging Ad Networks are still untapped market...
Its also not validated if you don't get the buy in from advertisers.
Ellen Mcgirt, Fast Company/Moderated a fireside chat for the finale of Under the Radar in Mountain View.
Panelists included:
Scott Schiller, Glam Media (cofounder of IAB)
Jeff Stiers, JWT (project Sector64)
Chris Colbourn, R/GA
Tom Bedecarre, AKQA
Props given: Hubert founder at Curse.com- went to Intel asked who works in the food chain in marketing, persistence in getting one Marquee advertiser was key to his success
Target: Old world was on 60seconds (TV) to plug brand for toothless, Now its blogs etc.
What Madison Ave looks for: REACH, TARGETING & ENGAGEMENT - planner figures this out
Problem: REACH + TARGETING + ENGAGMENT = VALUE...what other revenue models will win? Relevance matters...PUSH /REACH MEDIA vs CONNECTING MEDIA...not about new revenue models. Not about search advertising.
Just because Facebook has a lot of people doesn't mean its valuable...utility mode is not same as consumption mode on TV
Blogging Ad Networks are still untapped market...
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Comcast buys into Web3.0 with Plaxo...
A Letter from the CEO and Founders
Dear Plaxo member,
We are excited to announce some of the biggest news in the history of Plaxo. Plaxo has signed a definitive agreement** to be acquired by Comcast, the nation's leading provider of entertainment, information and communications products and services. We've got at least a few months to go before the acquisition is completed, but we wanted to send you this note to let you know what's coming up and how it affects you and your account.
Plaxo will remain an independent brand, organization and entity. We've been busy at work on our networked address book service and our next-generation social network, Pulse (if it's been a while, please come back and check out all the new features). And, through additional projects with Comcast, we'll be able to take these services to a lot more users and places than we could on our own... including the TV, phone and more.
If you'd like to read more about some of the great new things we're planning, please read our official announcement.
So, what does this mean for current Plaxo members like you? The services you know and enjoy from Plaxo will not only continue to exist, but will also continue to evolve and improve. We will continue to make our basic services free, and we will continue to serve customers in multiple languages across the world. But, we'll now be able to invest even more in our services, and we will enhance them with more users and more content available across a wider array of devices.
We will also continue to protect your privacy and give you control of your information. We will continue to protect your data with one of the strongest privacy policies, which will remain in effect even after the transition. And, we'll continue to be a strong advocate for the open social web.
We've put together a quick Q&A about your privacy, account and your data.
Last, we'd like to extend an enormous thank you. Whether you've been a Plaxo user for a long time or just recently joined Pulse, we'd like to thank you for making Plaxo a vibrant network. We are excited to open a new chapter today and look forward to helping you keep in touch with the people you care about.
Sincerely,
Ben Golub, Chief Executive Officer
Cameron Ring, Founder and Chief Architect
Todd Masonis, Founder and Vice President of Products
Dear Plaxo member,
We are excited to announce some of the biggest news in the history of Plaxo. Plaxo has signed a definitive agreement** to be acquired by Comcast, the nation's leading provider of entertainment, information and communications products and services. We've got at least a few months to go before the acquisition is completed, but we wanted to send you this note to let you know what's coming up and how it affects you and your account.
Plaxo will remain an independent brand, organization and entity. We've been busy at work on our networked address book service and our next-generation social network, Pulse (if it's been a while, please come back and check out all the new features). And, through additional projects with Comcast, we'll be able to take these services to a lot more users and places than we could on our own... including the TV, phone and more.
If you'd like to read more about some of the great new things we're planning, please read our official announcement.
So, what does this mean for current Plaxo members like you? The services you know and enjoy from Plaxo will not only continue to exist, but will also continue to evolve and improve. We will continue to make our basic services free, and we will continue to serve customers in multiple languages across the world. But, we'll now be able to invest even more in our services, and we will enhance them with more users and more content available across a wider array of devices.
We will also continue to protect your privacy and give you control of your information. We will continue to protect your data with one of the strongest privacy policies, which will remain in effect even after the transition. And, we'll continue to be a strong advocate for the open social web.
We've put together a quick Q&A about your privacy, account and your data.
Last, we'd like to extend an enormous thank you. Whether you've been a Plaxo user for a long time or just recently joined Pulse, we'd like to thank you for making Plaxo a vibrant network. We are excited to open a new chapter today and look forward to helping you keep in touch with the people you care about.
Sincerely,
Ben Golub, Chief Executive Officer
Cameron Ring, Founder and Chief Architect
Todd Masonis, Founder and Vice President of Products
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Racing to Web3.0
Joe Marchese of SocialVibe wrote his latest entry via Mediapost regarding MySpace, Facebook and Google racing to Web3.0.
It is clear that things are bubbling up and I have been preaching about social aggregation for years now...Its not a matter of whether "MySpace and Facebook play nice" its a matter of what users want. The nice part about web3.0 ubiquity is that neither "MySpace or Facebook have to win" one over the other. Those sites are there to serve the users and their need to connect- sure there is overlap but at the end of the day there are very clear user experiences that set them apart.
I for one would love to have the convenience of signing up to all the new sites (Although I'm not a big fan of Myspace) that interest me on Mashable posts which seems to be about 1 new site every 5 minutes but simply for the purpose of profile casting and search engine optimization as a social media practitioner.
FriendConnect is going to do what ClaimID has tried to do over the last couple of years and quite frankly what I originally wanted for SocialURL from the beginning.
It is clear that things are bubbling up and I have been preaching about social aggregation for years now...Its not a matter of whether "MySpace and Facebook play nice" its a matter of what users want. The nice part about web3.0 ubiquity is that neither "MySpace or Facebook have to win" one over the other. Those sites are there to serve the users and their need to connect- sure there is overlap but at the end of the day there are very clear user experiences that set them apart.
I for one would love to have the convenience of signing up to all the new sites (Although I'm not a big fan of Myspace) that interest me on Mashable posts which seems to be about 1 new site every 5 minutes but simply for the purpose of profile casting and search engine optimization as a social media practitioner.
FriendConnect is going to do what ClaimID has tried to do over the last couple of years and quite frankly what I originally wanted for SocialURL from the beginning.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
SocialURL App?
Met with Pete from Mashable last week and he announced that they have an API out similar to Facebook. Asked if I would create a SocialURL App so that he can plug. Often wonder how everything would be completely different if we partnered up. Its one of those rare occasions of "What If".
Guess If we do win that IdeaBlob contest it could come true!
Guess If we do win that IdeaBlob contest it could come true!
Friday, April 11, 2008
IdealBlob Winner!...(almost)
Got an email saying I'm just a vote away from winning the IdeaBlob contest for $10K- after that I'll go and collect my $950,000 from this other guy in Africa who just inherited the money from his family and is looking to invest in the US.
Monday, March 31, 2008
GrandCentral meeting at Google Campus
Visited the Google Campus the other day and met with the GrandCentral product manager, what an awesome place. First when arriving you see the employees riding the Google baby blue beach cruisers. When you sign in there is a screen that asks for your name and who you are there to see and it prints out your nametag sticker...ahh...makes you feel official.
The campus is only a few minutes from Ipevo's office but it felt like being on the movie set of Toys (that corky 80's movie with Robin Williams). The culture that they've created is one that all startups envy. Before going into the meeting conference room my colleague Ed and I pass through the cafeteria which is fully stocked with all the beverages and snacks you'll ever need to work 24/7...
Meeting was very interesting and crossing fingers for future integrations with IPEVO and Google...needless to say- I am an official Grandcentral member call me to test it out anytime: (408) 922-9933
The campus is only a few minutes from Ipevo's office but it felt like being on the movie set of Toys (that corky 80's movie with Robin Williams). The culture that they've created is one that all startups envy. Before going into the meeting conference room my colleague Ed and I pass through the cafeteria which is fully stocked with all the beverages and snacks you'll ever need to work 24/7...
Meeting was very interesting and crossing fingers for future integrations with IPEVO and Google...needless to say- I am an official Grandcentral member call me to test it out anytime: (408) 922-9933
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
MySpace Cancelled...
I cancelled my "MySpace" account today...It felt so liberating. I never used it so it was pretty easy to do so. I realized that it is a cause of a lot of drama in my domestic life and felt too much like high school with no end. I have kept in touch with my best friend since were were 12 and for the last 20 years we managed to keep in touch even without myspace.
Maslow's Hierarchy of needs is changing...it has gone from Self-Actualization as the pinnacle of needs to something needed as food and shelter. Many will deny it but it is a proven fact that people who are on social networks are spending more time on social networks than in real life networks replacing real friendships, family and/or even real sexual intimacy. It is a causing a false sense of "Self-actualization", a false sense of "Esteem" (reputation), a false sense of "Love/Belonging" and sadly a false sense of "Safety" to the ruin of many who are addicted to such websites like MySpace.
Facebook is also becoming much more like this and its initial purpose no longer exists. I will likely cancel that account soon too. Linkedin has provided me with support for my basic need- a network to help me find work in order to support my "Physiological" needs. Beyond that -most of the professionals that I am networked with I have met at functions or in business settings so it does not feel like another social network. Recruiters and Offshore engineers are starting to make it a bit concerning at times.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
The Best Document Social Network Site
So as of late I've been finding some great resources via the web (go figure). I was on google searching for key word terms: "Common Stock Option Agreements" and it came up with a few listings.
1. www.slideshare.net
and
2. www.docstoc.com
I am a member of Slideshare and enjoy their powerpoint presentations and PDF exchange forum, but last night i found myself downloading about 15 documents from docstoc.com and really enjoyed the search function on it which was very accurate, resourceful and fast.
I recommend any startup entrepreneur who is in need of documents to visit both of these sites to gather their needed templates for startup work.
I would totally invest in these sites if they were interested in taking investors.
1. www.slideshare.net
and
2. www.docstoc.com
I am a member of Slideshare and enjoy their powerpoint presentations and PDF exchange forum, but last night i found myself downloading about 15 documents from docstoc.com and really enjoyed the search function on it which was very accurate, resourceful and fast.
I recommend any startup entrepreneur who is in need of documents to visit both of these sites to gather their needed templates for startup work.
I would totally invest in these sites if they were interested in taking investors.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Jason Calcanis on Affiliate Spam
Jason Calcanis is in my direct connection on Linkedin and yesterday was the first time I have heard his voice via Webmasterworld radio. His passion for the web and the conviction in his tone reminds me of Christian evangelists on the radio. His speech at Affiliate Summit reads like the books out of the old testament to the new testament too.
"In the beginning...there was Usenet..."
It was very entertainning listening to his speech- don't take my word for it- just listen below:
"In the beginning...there was Usenet..."
It was very entertainning listening to his speech- don't take my word for it- just listen below:
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Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Taxes, Debts and other fun things due by April 15th!
So aside from having to deal with dissolution fees & taxes from my prior startup Viabuzz LLC. - I have to deal with other debts that are coming out of the woodworks...
When my wife and I moved to Denver we didn't have insurance kick in right away and our son got so sick due to weather changes that we incurred an emergency hospital bill because he needed an IV injection.
We got insurance for a few months and shortly after we decided to shop for another carrier- wouldn't you know it- our daughter falls on a corner of a side lamp table and receives 5 stitches over her eyebrow at 18 months of age- whammo another hospital bill...
Here I am trying to pull off being an entrepreneur, a consultant, a husband and a dad...cold harsh lesson that I'm learning is that things happen for a reason and often times it is not for any reason that you completely understand or are always immediately able to understand due to human nature or man's nature of fighting against nature and the laws that bind us (such as sleep, proper diet, socialization, etc.).
Next to worrying about taxes this year I had a project that went extremely sour in 2007- I was a consultant for one project called GenBB.com and I hired a team of guys in India called Wiantech to produce a php based social network for me. I had the wireframes all layed out and it was an extreme disaster for me personally and professionally. My client and I lost a total of $55,000 to this firm. Around the same time I was going to have develop my corp site which was amusingly done in less than one night and they wanted to bill me $400.
This happened around August last year and as of a few nights ago I receive this email from 2 guys in India threatening me to pay $300 or else...
"Or else what???"...needless to say- I would not recommend anyone working with this firm Wiantech ever if you are in the market to outsource your web development work or for anything.
I am working on a project now with a group called V2Solutions for another project that is Microsoft Windows based and the owner Vijay is in Silicon Valley and these guys I would recommend for all their professionalism, process and level of communication. You get exactly what you pay for and then more with this team.
Now I just need to find a good creative accountant:)
When my wife and I moved to Denver we didn't have insurance kick in right away and our son got so sick due to weather changes that we incurred an emergency hospital bill because he needed an IV injection.
We got insurance for a few months and shortly after we decided to shop for another carrier- wouldn't you know it- our daughter falls on a corner of a side lamp table and receives 5 stitches over her eyebrow at 18 months of age- whammo another hospital bill...
Here I am trying to pull off being an entrepreneur, a consultant, a husband and a dad...cold harsh lesson that I'm learning is that things happen for a reason and often times it is not for any reason that you completely understand or are always immediately able to understand due to human nature or man's nature of fighting against nature and the laws that bind us (such as sleep, proper diet, socialization, etc.).
Next to worrying about taxes this year I had a project that went extremely sour in 2007- I was a consultant for one project called GenBB.com and I hired a team of guys in India called Wiantech to produce a php based social network for me. I had the wireframes all layed out and it was an extreme disaster for me personally and professionally. My client and I lost a total of $55,000 to this firm. Around the same time I was going to have develop my corp site which was amusingly done in less than one night and they wanted to bill me $400.
This happened around August last year and as of a few nights ago I receive this email from 2 guys in India threatening me to pay $300 or else...
"Or else what???"...needless to say- I would not recommend anyone working with this firm Wiantech ever if you are in the market to outsource your web development work or for anything.
I am working on a project now with a group called V2Solutions for another project that is Microsoft Windows based and the owner Vijay is in Silicon Valley and these guys I would recommend for all their professionalism, process and level of communication. You get exactly what you pay for and then more with this team.
Now I just need to find a good creative accountant:)
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Not MiHoo! but NewsHoo!
News Corp./Yahoo Combo Would Yield Display-Ad Powerhouse
$50 Billion Price Tag Puts Pressure on Microsoft to Up Its Bid for Portal
By Abbey Klaassen
Published: February 14, 2008
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Want to talk about massive display share? Forget Yahoo and Microsoft -- it's Yahoo and News Corp. that could shake up that world.
The two companies are discussing a deal that would make News Corp.'s Fox Interactive Media assets part of Yahoo in exchange for a 20% stake in the newly combined entity, according to a person familiar with discussions.
Right now the key for this deal is for management to test the idea with a few key shareholders to see how they would react to a potential merger -- and whether they would value the combination at $50 billion, which is the value News Corp. and Yahoo assign the deal. It's unclear at this point whether shareholders would share management's valuation estimate.
Best case, worst case
In the best case scenario, the market agrees that a Yahoo-Fox Interactive combination is worth $50 billion. In the worst case scenario, the talks put pressure on Microsoft to raise its bid to acquire Yahoo from $44.6 billion. News Corp.'s deal was first reported on blogs Silicon Alley Insider and TechCrunch and confirmed yesterday by The Wall Street Journal, which is part of News Corp.
What would such a combined entity look like? It would be a display-ad giant. According to ComScore, Yahoo has 18.8% of total display-ad impressions online, while News Corp.'s Fox Interactive, which includes MySpace, has 16.3%. Microsoft, meanwhile, serves up 6.7%. Yahoo-Fox Interactive would, however, lack the search scale of a Microsoft-Yahoo combo. According to ComScore, in December 2007, Microsoft sites accounted for 984 million U.S. searches while MySpace accounted for 342 million U.S. searches. Fox Interactive already has an ad deal with Google to provide search and other ads on MySpace; it's unclear whether a change of ownership would allow Google or Fox Interactive to end that partnership.
Yahoo desperately wants to stay independent and doing a deal with News Corp. could stave off the takeover proposed by Microsoft. Yahoo management believes it has not yet had time to prove out the strategy it has employed over the past year, as CEO Jerry Yang reiterated in a letter sent to shareholders today.
Grow its ad network
"We have a huge market opportunity -- and are uniquely positioned to capitalize on it," he wrote. "The global online advertising market is projected to grow from $45 billion in 2007 to $75 billion in 2010." He said Yahoo aims to grow its "starting points," such as e-mail and the home page, by 15% in 2007. He also emphasized the company's plans to grow its ad network, create a more friction-less marketplace through ad exchanges and open its platform to third-party developers.
On person familiar with the Yahoo-News Corp. discussions said the integration challenges that critics of a Microsoft-Yahoo merger have raised are less of a concern with a Yahoo-Fox Interactive combo. Whereas Microsoft and Yahoo have their own robust ad platforms -- and would likely fight over whose gets used if the two were combined -- Fox Interactive would be easier to plug into Yahoo's ad platform. This person said the combination of MySpace's targeting and Yahoo's behavioral data could be a huge boon.
The hand News Corp. is lending to Yahoo appears to be a reversal of CEO Rupert Murdoch's position on his Feb. 4 earnings call in which he said News Corp. is "definitely not going to make a bid for Yahoo." However, when asked of a possible linkup between the two companies, he added: "I think that has passed, but you never know."
Yahoo and News Corp. face challenges convincing shareholders that their combination is worth $50 billion. But Tim Hanlon, exec VP at Publicis Groupe's Denuo, is bullish: "For Yahoo, [it] would add a key component that Microsoft can't -- content," he said. "For News Corp., [it would add] immediate access to a wealth of web services that neither MySpace alone nor ten digital acquisitions could ever get them."
$50 Billion Price Tag Puts Pressure on Microsoft to Up Its Bid for Portal
By Abbey Klaassen
Published: February 14, 2008
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Want to talk about massive display share? Forget Yahoo and Microsoft -- it's Yahoo and News Corp. that could shake up that world.
The two companies are discussing a deal that would make News Corp.'s Fox Interactive Media assets part of Yahoo in exchange for a 20% stake in the newly combined entity, according to a person familiar with discussions.
Right now the key for this deal is for management to test the idea with a few key shareholders to see how they would react to a potential merger -- and whether they would value the combination at $50 billion, which is the value News Corp. and Yahoo assign the deal. It's unclear at this point whether shareholders would share management's valuation estimate.
Best case, worst case
In the best case scenario, the market agrees that a Yahoo-Fox Interactive combination is worth $50 billion. In the worst case scenario, the talks put pressure on Microsoft to raise its bid to acquire Yahoo from $44.6 billion. News Corp.'s deal was first reported on blogs Silicon Alley Insider and TechCrunch and confirmed yesterday by The Wall Street Journal, which is part of News Corp.
What would such a combined entity look like? It would be a display-ad giant. According to ComScore, Yahoo has 18.8% of total display-ad impressions online, while News Corp.'s Fox Interactive, which includes MySpace, has 16.3%. Microsoft, meanwhile, serves up 6.7%. Yahoo-Fox Interactive would, however, lack the search scale of a Microsoft-Yahoo combo. According to ComScore, in December 2007, Microsoft sites accounted for 984 million U.S. searches while MySpace accounted for 342 million U.S. searches. Fox Interactive already has an ad deal with Google to provide search and other ads on MySpace; it's unclear whether a change of ownership would allow Google or Fox Interactive to end that partnership.
Yahoo desperately wants to stay independent and doing a deal with News Corp. could stave off the takeover proposed by Microsoft. Yahoo management believes it has not yet had time to prove out the strategy it has employed over the past year, as CEO Jerry Yang reiterated in a letter sent to shareholders today.
Grow its ad network
"We have a huge market opportunity -- and are uniquely positioned to capitalize on it," he wrote. "The global online advertising market is projected to grow from $45 billion in 2007 to $75 billion in 2010." He said Yahoo aims to grow its "starting points," such as e-mail and the home page, by 15% in 2007. He also emphasized the company's plans to grow its ad network, create a more friction-less marketplace through ad exchanges and open its platform to third-party developers.
On person familiar with the Yahoo-News Corp. discussions said the integration challenges that critics of a Microsoft-Yahoo merger have raised are less of a concern with a Yahoo-Fox Interactive combo. Whereas Microsoft and Yahoo have their own robust ad platforms -- and would likely fight over whose gets used if the two were combined -- Fox Interactive would be easier to plug into Yahoo's ad platform. This person said the combination of MySpace's targeting and Yahoo's behavioral data could be a huge boon.
The hand News Corp. is lending to Yahoo appears to be a reversal of CEO Rupert Murdoch's position on his Feb. 4 earnings call in which he said News Corp. is "definitely not going to make a bid for Yahoo." However, when asked of a possible linkup between the two companies, he added: "I think that has passed, but you never know."
Yahoo and News Corp. face challenges convincing shareholders that their combination is worth $50 billion. But Tim Hanlon, exec VP at Publicis Groupe's Denuo, is bullish: "For Yahoo, [it] would add a key component that Microsoft can't -- content," he said. "For News Corp., [it would add] immediate access to a wealth of web services that neither MySpace alone nor ten digital acquisitions could ever get them."
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Reasons why Linkedin + Plaxo = Plinxo or is it Plaxedin
I've been getting a ton of Plaxo invites from my business connections. Its been very interesting to see the overlap between what Plaxo is doing and where Linkedin should eventually be.
A few reasons why I believe they should merge:
1. It would make for an interesting Valentines Day merger
2. I like how the tech industry is utilizing entertainment celebrity marriage slang such as the recent (MiHoo) name generated from Microsoft + Yahoo! acquisition talks, but in this case it would be Plinxo or Plaxedin! (quick someone buy those domains!)
3. When i started using Linkedin I already had over 2700 business contacts in my Plaxo address book. To this day I only have around 1500 linkedin connections. Linkedin could greatly benefit from the amount of varied users who are on Plaxo.
4. Plaxo has a much more Facebook "like" user interface which lends it to be more useful to a mass population. Don't get me wrong- Linkedin is profitable because of its focus in the executive level players currently using it- I wonder how much longer that is going to be until that changes...(my guess is less than 12 months)
5. It would relieve me from having to go to an extra site just to add the same business contact (and all the Web2.0 brethren sayeth...AMEN)
A few reasons why I believe they should merge:
1. It would make for an interesting Valentines Day merger
2. I like how the tech industry is utilizing entertainment celebrity marriage slang such as the recent (MiHoo) name generated from Microsoft + Yahoo! acquisition talks, but in this case it would be Plinxo or Plaxedin! (quick someone buy those domains!)
3. When i started using Linkedin I already had over 2700 business contacts in my Plaxo address book. To this day I only have around 1500 linkedin connections. Linkedin could greatly benefit from the amount of varied users who are on Plaxo.
4. Plaxo has a much more Facebook "like" user interface which lends it to be more useful to a mass population. Don't get me wrong- Linkedin is profitable because of its focus in the executive level players currently using it- I wonder how much longer that is going to be until that changes...(my guess is less than 12 months)
5. It would relieve me from having to go to an extra site just to add the same business contact (and all the Web2.0 brethren sayeth...AMEN)
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Microsoft, Yahoo! and Maven Networks
Microsoft makes $44 Billion dollar offer to Yahoo! Names like MiHoo! flies around the space marketing news or about 7 days. Yahoo! announces that it is a low offer and rejects Microsoft's bid.
Yahoo! now agrees to acquire Maven Networks for $166Million - Its stock is still at a low $29 per share.
Yahoo! now agrees to acquire Maven Networks for $166Million - Its stock is still at a low $29 per share.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Consulting for start ups
So I've recently moved up to the Bay area and consulting for a few start ups while i'm working on Social Media Ventures.
1) www.myphonescreen.com - is a Mountain View based start up with a ton of potential and working with the founder to create a more viral mobile/web application. It needs major funding in order to scale.
2) www.gotothedoghouse.com - these guys are a Colorado based internet start up. They have some huge plans up ahead and I am helping them in focusing in on fundraising efforts for their second round and also their online marketing/monetization plans.
Social Media Ventures is looking for a Marketing person with 10-15years of combined online + offline marketing experience to join our venture. If anyone is interested please contact me.
1) www.myphonescreen.com - is a Mountain View based start up with a ton of potential and working with the founder to create a more viral mobile/web application. It needs major funding in order to scale.
2) www.gotothedoghouse.com - these guys are a Colorado based internet start up. They have some huge plans up ahead and I am helping them in focusing in on fundraising efforts for their second round and also their online marketing/monetization plans.
Social Media Ventures is looking for a Marketing person with 10-15years of combined online + offline marketing experience to join our venture. If anyone is interested please contact me.
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