Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Facebook announced plans to enable application developers to extend functionality beyond the Facebook URL, meaning third-party sites will have the opportunity to monetize traffic generated by popular widgets such as RockYou and Renkoo. (http://www.allfacebook.com/2008/01/facebook-extends-platform-to-the-web 1/26)
CBS Interactive signed a two-year partnership agreement with The Recording Academy leading up the 50th Grammy Awards on Feb. 10. CBS Interactive will develop online programming, communities and promotions around the Grammy brand and the annual awards show broadcast. CBS will distribute the content across online, wireless and digital platforms including CBS.com, CBS Audience Network, CBS Mobile and Last.fm. (http://www.worldscreen.com/newscurrent.php?filename=cbs012808.htm 1/28)
NBC Universal’s Local Media Division is acquiring LX.tv, a Manhattan-based broadband television network Web site that produces original video content about entertainment venues around the New York and Los Angeles areas. LX.tv will produce programs for NBC television stations and Web sites. (http://www.crainsnewyork.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080128/FREE/733452814 1/28)
I dig the site. The content is valuable and the user interface is easy to navigate through. Add in some location-based functionality and I’m sold. In other words, I don’t just want to see a line-up of random restaurant reviews. I would rather see these restaurants laid out on a map with links to the review available from a mapping interface.
As “Super Tuesday” on Feb. 5 approaches, MTV and MySpace.com are announcing the final installment of their “presidential dialogue” series. All candidates from both parties are invited to participate in the Feb. 4 event. So far, Hillary Clinton and Mike Huckabee have confirmed. (http://www.news.com/8301-13577_3-9859820-36.html 1/28)
The last time Digg officially announced how many registered users it has was back in March when it passed the one-million mark. Now, programming sleuth John Graham-Cunning extracted registration dates from Digg user profile pages to come up with an estimate of 2.7 million registered Digg users. Some of the key inflection points came in June, 2006 when Digg expanded beyond technology to cover world news and entertainment, and in December, 2006 when it added video links. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/01/29/digg-nearly-triples-registered-users-in-a-year-says-sleuth-programmer 1/29)
(Below) I believe in aggregation of my life online. I really do. But, honestly, now the number of social networking aggregators is rivaling the number of sites themselves. Stop the insanity!!!
Jason Calacanis has announced an expansion to the Mahalo social platfrom that allows users to access most major social networking sites within Mahalo itself.The idea of social networking site aggregation or single landing page isn’t new, we’ve covered startups aiming to provide a similar service, such as MyLifeBrand, ProfileLinker and Loopster, but none have really captured the imagination of the broader internet. Mahalo is trying to better these services by becoming the front page destination for those looking to access sites such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Flickr, YouTube and others. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/01/28/mahalo-expands-multiprofiles-one-stop-for-various-social-networking-sites 1/28)
Break.com, a popular Web site for young men, is launching three related sites and forming an advertising network with other Web publishers aimed at 18- to 34-year-old males, a highly-sought-after demo. Break, backed by Lions Gate, offers games and hosts user-posted videos and photos. (http://www.redherring.com/Home/23600 1/28)
(Below) CORRECTION to posted item yesterday.
In what may be the dumbest business move of the year so far, Qtrax announced its free music download service this weekend before bothering to sign contracts with three of the four major labels. Now the music companies are saying, “Wait a second, there is no deal yet. We’re just talking to Qtrax.” Without the labels on board, there is no service. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/01/28/qtrax-really-blows-its-launch 1/28)
Time Warner Cable will debut a new Web site to help subscribers more easily navigate the plethora of shows and movies available on video-on-demand. The site, www.twondemand.com, lets viewers see what others in their zip code are watching, search with a variety of criteria and preview new movies. (CED Magazine 1/28)
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