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• 06.27.08
  Could Anything Disrupt Google?
  Social Media

  Google seems to be on a tear. The 100 pound gorilla in the technology space. Unstoppable. But… Storage space is increasingly a commodity as evidenced by Google's Gmail. What happens when a user can download the entire Internet? Searches could then be conducted instantaneously. Advertisements would be unnecessary. Thoughts?
  
  
• 04.30.08
  Google to Launch Next Gen Blog Advertising Network?
  Business Models

  I’m sure such an announcement is imminent within the next year or two. Sure Google has Adwords and Adsense, but that's nothing compared to what they'll be ultimately be able to do. Anyone who has played around with the Trends feature in Google Reader knows what I'm talking about. As an RSS reader, Google Reader has an enormous portion of the market – and it’s growing. For example, at last check 38% of Andy Beard’s traffic was via Google Reader. For LeveragingIdeas it's more like 55%. As blogs become a more credible and socially accepted means of journalism, traffics to the ...
  
  
• 02.25.08
  Hybrid VC Model: The Preemptive Buyout
  Venture Capital

  A week or so ago on Techcrunch I came across this post: It got me thinking to another variation of a hybrid VC model that could be used. A  VC could conceivably invest in “good scouts” who could scour the trenches for really promising upstart technologies. A VC could then get in early enough to buyout the technology at a great price and swap out the team with a pre-assembled all-star team. This all-star team and product would then be owned entirely by the VC firm (or with some equity split) could then see the company through to a major buyout. The ...
  
  
• 01.24.08
  10 Pros and 10 Cons for Facebook Being the Next Google
  Social Networking

  Cons 1.     Employees self-proclaim “we don’t do any work!” 2.     First serious attempt at monetization was a disaster 3.     Early scam artists are now investors 4.     Struck a deal with Microsoft, not Google 5.     CEO is regarded as a ‘douche bag’ 6.     MySpace still crushes FB in terms of eyeballs and MySpace really sucks 7.     The younger generation is all about Webkinz 8.     FB top engineer masquerades as a stripper on weekends 9.     Facebook’s idea of good PR is a 60 Minutes special 10.  The valuation is crazy even compared to companies making real revenues   Pros 1.     Catching up to Myspace like a Ferrari 2.     Has a war chest of cash on ...
  
  
• 01.15.08
  News Flash! Google Isn’t Perfect
  My Experiences

  The other day my roommate and I used Google Maps to look up the address of a bar where we were meeting friends. The image above is the location our search returned. Clearly, 14 Orchard Street in New York City is not located in New Jersey. Google isn’t perfect. The more we come to rely on it, and other web-based companies as sources for critical information, the more scary such results are. ----- Update: Just looked at at my feed reader and Venture Chronicles is reporting that Gmail is borked...that's ironic timing
  
  
• 12.30.07
  Should I Become A Sharing Snob?
  Social Media

  Last week Google Reader added a feature allowing “shared” blog posts to be made available to contacts (actually you were forced into sharing, but that’s another post). Initially I thought this was an amazing addition. Since I already share articles I deem particularly worthwhile with several friends via private feed, I was excited to share and receive lots of new great feeds and posts. This concept of ‘public knowledge sharing’ is something I have done in Del.icio.us for a while. I invest a lot of time noting, organizing, and tagging my bookmarks because I see them as a real assets ...
  
  
• 12.03.07
  The Top 20 Blogs I Am Reading Right Now
  Social Media

  I like what Darren has done by posting his most read blogs from Google Reader Trends. I have done the same below and was surprised by a few blogs that I hadn’t realized I’ve been following as closely as I have. One thing that this exercise also highlighted is how niche my RSS subject matter is. RSS is my primary conduit to information these days, so it's interesting that I am not reading much outside of social-media sites within the reader. For example, I read the New York Times and Fast Company yesterday. I also watched CNN, checked my Facebook ...
  
  
• 11.04.07
  The Original Internet: Still a Great Place to Visit
  My Experiences, Tech'nomics

      As happens many a Sunday, today I spent the afternoon with some friends getting brunch and then browsing an independent bookstore on Court Street in Brooklyn. I spend an unhealthy amount of time browsing blogs and websites. Fewer and fewer of these sites (and their content) are inspiring me. Yes, there is a lot of interesting stuff going on with Facebook, OpenSocial and the like, but everyone writes about the same stuff. It’s really a Catch 22: to be well-read you need to write about what everyone else writes about (think Techmeme). However, to be an upper echelon blog, you ...
  
  
• 11.02.07
  OpenSocial: Hitting Facebook Like a Herd of Football Players
  Social Media

  Is this how Facebook feels right now? Some reactions: Dave Winer: “Standards devised by one tech company whose main purpose is to undermine another tech company, usually don't work. In this case it's Google trying to undermine Facebook. And I don't think it's going to work” Fred Stutzman: Agrees with Dave Fred Wilson: “I like what Google is doing with Open Social. Ganging up on the leader is a time-honored way of competing. And a level playing field is usually good for the newcomers, and we have a portfolio full of newcomers” Nick O’Neil: “If you think that Facebook’s ...
  
  
• 10.24.07
  Your Facebook Profile is Worth $306.12
  Social Networking

    I don’t have much to say on Facebook/Microsoft deal, expect to say, “wow, that’s a lot of money.” Nevertheless, I wanted to provide some vaguely helpful insight, so I started digging into a few numbers. My first thought was: I wonder what an individual profile is valued at under this deal? Also, how does that figure compare to Myspace two years ago? Furthermore, what’s the implication for the social networking marketplace? Web 2.0 valuations are of interest to me because no one has come up with a method for valuing the hundreds (maybe thousands) of social networks and other platforms that exist. ...
  
  

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