Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA | Tags: Facebook, Google, Hulu, Mark Zuckerberg, NBC Universal, Searching, Social network, Web search engine
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Google saw healthy growth in the number of search queries on its core U.S. search engine in January, according to comScore qSearch numbers that came out last night. Google’s query growth rate was 38.4 percent, compared to January, 2008, outpacing the industry’s overall 28.6 percent growth in search queries. Any way you slice it, people are still doing more and more searches, which suggests that the search market is far from saturated. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/02/18/google-shows-healthy-january-growth-in-us-search-volume 2/18)
After trying to calm everyone down first, Mark Zuckerberg has now posted a new blog post stating that the company will revert to its previous ToS
while they “resolve the issues that people have raised” (the post is being hammered right now so it’s going up and down). (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/02/17/facebook-backtracks-under-community-pressure-goes-back-to-old-tos-for-now 2/17)
CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s ultimate goal is to turn Facebook into the world’s standardized communication — and marketing — platform, as ubiquitous and intuitive as the telephone but more interactive and indispensable. Facebook plans to “build one worldwide platform,” he says. (Iwantmedia 2/18, http://money.cnn.com/2009/02/16/technology/hempel_facebook.fortune/index.htm 2/16)
Hulu.com rose to No. 4 among unique visits to online video distributors in January, but, according to this analysis, its hold on that position is tenuous because it has only a two-year contract for the exclusive rights to play NBC and Fox shows (outside of the media giants’ own sites). If NBC Universal and News Corp. decide to distribute their content on a wider scale, Hulu will have to differentiate itself from its competitors based on quality and features, this writer says. Advertising Age (2/17)
Something is up at TV.com, the CBS-owned site that recently relaunched as a competitor to Hulu. Since last summer, when TV.com was owned by CNET and was still primarily a community hub, the site has featured content from NBC and News Corp through a partnership with Hulu. Now, only two months after TV.com relaunched as a CBS-supported direct competitor to the popular media portal, it looks like much (if not all) of the content served through Hulu is no longer working. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/02/17/did-hulu-just-pull-the-plug-on-its-deal-with-tvcom 2/17)
Boxee, the powerful software package that can convert computers, Apple TVs and other popular products into media centers, has just been kneecapped by major studio content owners. One of the product’s most popular features since its implementation last October has been the ability to watch Hulu’s entire catalog for free, on your TV. Today, Boxee has announced that Hulu will no longer be supported. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/02/18/content-owners-force-hulu-to-kill-boxee-support 2/18)
In another apparent coup for Microsoft’s Silverlight platform, CBS Interactive is adding an “HD quality” player for its comprehensive ad supported streaming of 2009 NCAA March Madness on Demand on CBSSports.com next month. Microsoft’s traditional Windows Media player will continue to serve the standard 550 kb/second feed while Silverlight will power enhanced video of up to 1.5 MB/second. CBS reported a 164% year-over-year growth in total unique visitors to NCAA March Madness on Demand in 2008 with 4.8 million total unique visitors and 81% year-over-year growth in total hours of live video and audio consumed. (Cynopsis 2/18)
In the landmark trail against Sweden’s The Pirate Bay prosecutors were forced to drop half of the charges against the site just two days into the proceedings. Prosecutors acknowledged that the site didn’t actually copy the files being uploaded by users and thus should no longer face charges of producing copyrighted material unlawfully. Both sides claimed victory of course – the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) issued a statement explaining that scaling back the charges will only simplify the case for the prosecution. (Cynopsis 2/18)
Twitter is starting to test ways to put its real-time search front and center. It is just bucket-testing the change right now with a few randomly selected users, so you might not see it. But you should expect it to be rolled out to everybody eventually. The search and trend features, which currently exist on a separate page, are being placed on the home page of the test accounts. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/02/18/twitter-moving-to-make-real-time-search-more-central 2/18)
SoundExchange, a group that collects royalties for music artists and recording companies, is agreeing to reduce rates for U.S. radio stations that also play songs online. Internet radio station operators had complained that the rates originally set could force them to shut down. (Iwantmedia 2/18, http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/090217/na_us_internet_radio_royalties.html 2/17)
President Barack Obama signed the $787 billion economic-stimulus package Tuesday. The package contains more than $7 billion for broadband deployment for unserved and underserved areas of the country. Broadcasting & Cable (2/17) , The Washington Post (2/18)
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Filed under: WIRELESS | Tags: Computers, Google, Google Latitude, Google Maps, Privacy, Search Engines, Searching, Windows Mobile
Google unleashed Google Latitude software today that allows users of wireless devices to be tracked on a Google map under a location-based system that will operate in 27 countries. The company promises that it built “fine-grained privacy controls” into the system that gives users total control over who gets to see their location — as well as the location where they are tracked. Reuters (2/4)
I love how Google always makes it seem like they were the first to come up with products like this one… It aint a party unless Google’s there.
Yesterday Samsung unveiled the Mobile Applications Marketplace
, a storefront purposed with peddling Samsung-friendly Windows Mobile and S60 applications to consumers while making developers some more cash than they otherwise might. It’s an admirable idea at face value – but is it the beginning of a terrible trend? (http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2009/02/04/not-every-company-needs-an-app-store 2/4)
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Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA | Tags: Google, Google Maps, Joost, New York City, Search Engines, Searching, TV.com, YouTube
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Big media companies have always had a love-hate relationship with YouTube. They don’t know whether to sue YouTube for abetting copyright infringement or get in bed with it because it is the biggest Web video game in town. YouTube is trying to convince them that love is better than war by giving them a cut of advertising revenues from their videos that appear on YouTube, regardless of who put them there. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/01/21/exclusive-youtube-will-soon-let-big-content-partners-bring-their-own-ads 1/21)
Here’s the moral of the story kids. Don’t try to control the uncontrollable. Monetize it instead. If only media companies could start thinking this way, consumers everywhere would rejoice.
New York City has just launched a revamped webportal at NYCgo
, which now offers an extensive database of events, restaurants, hotels, and other points of interest. All of these are tied into the Google Maps API, making it easier for visitors to quickly find things to do in their vicinity without having to hunt down their hotel’s concierge. The site will also include a listing of promotions and discounts, like the incredibly popular Restaurant Week, during which upscale restaurants offer meals at a flat (and heavily discounted) rate. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/01/21/nyc-teams-with-google-to-launch-its-own-citysearch 1/21)
Online video sites such as TV.com, Hulu and Joost, which offer much of the same content, are building more social-networking applications into their portals as a way to differentiate themselves and build loyalty. TV.com, for instance, allows viewers to comment on and review videos, enter discussion forums and even create their own blogs. BusinessWeek (1/19)
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Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA | Tags: Google, Google search, Googlers, Netflix, News and Media, Search Engines, Searching, Web search engine
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Search engine Cuil launched earlier this evening, claiming a bigger index size (120 billion web pages) than Google or any other search engine. The pedigree of the founders and execs, which includes three ex senior Googlers, means the service will be compared to Google from day one. And the way they will be compared is index size and, more importantly, relevance/ranking of results. Techcrunch has been testing the engine for the last hour. Based on their test queries Cuil is an excellent search engine, particularly since it is all of an hour old. But it doesn’t appear to have the depth of results that Google has, despite their claims. And the results are not nearly as relevant. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/07/27/google-beats-cuil-hands-down-in-size-and-relevance-but-that-isnt-the-whole-story 7/27)
In my own search tests, I also found the results less than Google-relevant in three attempts. I’m also not quite a fan of the visual search results. Perhaps, I’m just too used to the Google search results or perhaps Google search results are easier to scan through.
Netflix, which attracted 168,000 new customers during the second quarter, plans to stick with its current subscription models for movie rentals. “We don’t plan to enter the pay-per-view segment, where Apple, Amazon, Sony and others focus, or the ad-supported segment, where Hulu, YouTube and others compete,” Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said. “Both of those segments will likely be substantial, but our subscription segment will also be large and will provide Netflix plenty of room for growth.” (The Hollywood Reporter 7/25, Los Angeles Times/Associated Press 7/26)
Emboldened by Optimedia’s new Power Ratings survey that combines TV, streaming, iTunes purchases, and mobile viewing, The CW has changed its mind and decided to once again stream episodes of Gossip Girl on its web site. Gossip Girl ranks as the #15 on TV when factoring in multiple platforms and other intangibles. (Cynopsis 7/28)
Someone still needs to do something about the completely intolerable CW site but for this above, I am thankful. Now seriously, can someone work on making the site intuitive and simple in use. I think it’s a testament to how obsessed fans are with this show (present company included) that they would be willing to inflict CW.com on themselves.
CBS Interactive unveiled a new CBS HD Gallery on CBS.com containing clips and a few full episodes from a dozen of its prime time shows. You can check out clips from 6 new fall shows: The Mentalist, Eleventh Hour, Worst Week, Harper’s Island, The Ex List and Gary Unmarried there as well. Intel is sponsoring the offering to promote its Centrino mobile technology. (Cynopsis 7/28)
Jimmy Fallon, who will take Conan O’Brien’s place on NBC’s Late Night next year after Jay Leno leaves The Tonight Show, will hone his skills online in 5-10 minute segments beginning in the fall, reported the New York Times. (Cynopsis 7/28)
To promote the latest collection of short stories by Stephen King CBS Corp.’s Simon & Schuster is introducing a series of daily animated shorts on iTunes and Amazon.com today produced by Marvel Entertainment. A season pass for the Stephen King’s N, one of the stories in the Just After Sunset anthology, can be had for the economical price of $3.99 for 25 episodes. Click here to download an embeddable widget that will automatically deliver an ad-supported version of each episode for free. (Cynopsis 7/28)
Click the image below for the first episode. It’s like a cheesy version of The Ring but the artwork is amazing. And to try to redeem my snarkiness, here lies one very well coordinated widget strategy.
A new website called GoAnimate.com launched at Comic-Con enabling novice users to create their own cartoons using a simple menu-based interface. A new deal will also allow users to create reels with characters under the Entertainment Rights umbrella of licenses including Underdog, Richie Rich and Mr. Magoo. To kick things off (and attract talented animators) GoAnimate is hosting a contest looking for original creations, dangling $5,000 for the top-judged entry and $2,500 for the most popular entry. (Cynopsis 7/28)
Hulu is attacking that sizeable segment of the market that’s never heard of the service by unveiling a new Widget Gallery to help spread the word and remind loyal users to check back often for new shows. A selection of embeddable players allow users to queue and track featured, recently added or most popular videos from a number of environments including Facebook, Netvibes and Piczo. Hulu.com also began streaming its first soap opera – Guiding Light – on July 25 and will debut two other TeleNext Media shows As The World Turns today and Another World on July 29. (Cynopsis 7/28)
Microsoft is working with producer Peter Safran (Scary Movie, Meet The Spartans) to create a series of comedic shorts for free distribution on the 12 million member Xbox Live platform, directed by leading horror film directors including James Wan (Saw) and Marcus Nispel (Texas Chainsaw Massacre.) The 10-minute shorts, which will also be available on MSN and Zune, are actually pilots that could be developed into full blown online series, according to Microsoft. (Cynopsis 7/28)
NBCU’s Sci Fi Network announced a slate of new online programming (including another series of ten Battlestar Galactica webisodes) as well as a new stand-alone entertainment site based on the entertainment news section SCI FI WIRE, expected to launch during Q4. Sci Fi also plans to launch a new social network in the fall based around Ghost Hunters where users can share their favorite ghost stories and gear. The recently redesigned SciFi.com just finished its best quarter ever in terms of uniques (3.4MM), visits (5.7MM), page views (36.8MM) and video streams (5.2MM). (Cynopsis 7/28)
From the indefatigable vertical women’s online network Glam Media comes the Glam Application Platform, aka “Atako,” designed to allow developers to build apps and share in revenue generated when their apps are used by Glam’s 77 million monthly readers. For instance the GlamTV app lets publishers embed video accompanied by brand advertising, revenue from which is shared between publisher, video provider and content owner. The open source platform, currently in private beta, even has its own embeddable Glam Apps Store. (Cynopsis 7/28)
Short form videos still dominate online viewing, according to a new study conducted by Frank N. Magid Associates & Metacafe. The online survey, which looked at the habits of 2,000 users aged 12-64, identified Comedy (37%), music videos (36%), UGC (33%), news (31%) and movie trailers (28%) as the top 5 short form categories. Other findings include:
- 50% of respondents watch online video weekly
- 11% watch online video daily
- 28% of those who watch online videos report watching less TV as a result
- 19% of online video users report regularly sharing a link to a video with someone else
Facebook, LinkedIn and Imeem were the big gainers in Nielsen Online’s latest social networking rankings. Facebook added over 12 million new users during the last year, but it still trails industry leader MySpace by 20 million users, whose growth was almost perfectly flat. (Cynopsis 7/28)
Top 10 Social Networking Sites – June 2008
Site June-08 UA (000) June-07 UA (000) YOY Growth
Myspace.com 59,482 59,722 0%
Facebook 29,226 16,547 77%
Classmates Online 15,451 11,589 33%
LinkedIn 9,566 3,335 187%
Windows Live Spaces 8,546 7,825 9%
Reunion.com 7,481 4,098 83%
AOL Hometown 5,539 6,847 -19%
Club Penguin 4,347 4,218 3%
Flixster 3,662 2,626 39%
Imeem 3,558 1,603 122%
Source: Nielsen Online
Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA | Tags: Digg, Google, Myspace, New Yorker, News Corporation, OpenID, Search Engines, Searching
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Google’s on and off negotiations with Digg
have been back on in a big way for the last six weeks, we’ve heard from multiple sources inside and outside of Google. The two companies have reportedly signed a letter of intent and are close to a deal that will bring Digg under the Google News property. The acquisition price is in the $200 million range, says one source. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/07/22/google-in-final-negotiations-to-acquire-digg-for-around-200-million 7/22)
Google’s Wikipedia competitor, Knol, is opening to the public, at knol.google.com. So-called knols are articles about specific topics written by experts on that subject. Google is partnering with The New Yorker to allow any author to add a cartoon from the magazine to their knol. (Iwantmedia 7/23, http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-9997426-93.html 7/23)
News Corp.’s MySpace Internet social network will join the OpenID alliance to begin letting its users take their online identity to other sites and social networks without having to register again. Users will be able to log onto other sites by using their MySpace accounts. (Iwantmedia 7/23, http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSN2226219920080722 7/22)
Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman says that the Internet and mobile media are expanding his company’s reach worldwide. Also: Google didn’t do anything to stop piracy on YouTube because it helped build a massive audience, Dauman claims. Google must learn the value of “making friends.” (Iwantmedia 7/23, http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-9996614-93.html 7/22)
Google’s YouTube is said to be shedding its reputation as a clearinghouse for pirated content and could soon be home to legally obtained clips from movies and television shows. Google is adopting “a more accommodating approach” to its video-sharing site. (Iwantmedia 7/23, http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-9996905-93.html 7/23)
Barry Diller’s IAC/InterActiveCorp, preparing to spin off four of its operating units, says it plans to take about $170 million in charges because the housing crisis has diminished the value of its mortgage and real estate businesses, which include LendingTree.com. (Iwantmedia 7/23, http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080723/ap_on_hi_te/iac_spinoffs_charges 7/23)
Filed under: WIRELESS | Tags: Apple, Google, iPhone, Microsoft, News and Media, Search Engines, Searching, Web search engine
Google won 61% of the mobile search market during the first quarter of 2008, according to Nielsen Mobile. Yahoo came in at a very distant second at 18%. Google is set as a factory default search engine on all Apple iPhones. (Iwantmedia 6/17, http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080616-google-easily-extending-dominance-to-mobile-search-market.html 6/16)
Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA | Tags: Amazon.com, Google, Search Engines, Searching, United States, us, World Wide Web, YouTube
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
If more people are searching on Google for “Obama” than “McCain” does that mean he is more likely to win the election? Not every voter in the U.S. uses Google, or even uses the Internet, for that matter. But enough of the population does use Google that its search patterns cannot be ignored by either candidate, the press, or anyone interested in the outcome of the election. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/06/07/can-google-trends-predict-the-election 6/7)
YouTube is launching a “Reporter” channel, featuring news-related videos submitted by both amateurs to professionals, in time for presidential race. Also: The Google-owned video site is teaming with the GOP for a contest to send an amateur videographer to the Republican convention. (Iwantmedia 6/9, http://venturebeat.com/2008/06/06/youtube-launches-reporter-channel-in-time-for-presidential-race 6/6, http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6568233.html 6/9)
Google, which has struggled to find the best way to monetize YouTube, is now allowing content creators to sell advertising on their YouTube channels. The revenue is split between the content creator and YouTube, just as it would be if YouTube sold the ads. (Iwantmedia 6/9, http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=127619 6/9)
Amazon.com’s Web site experienced problems in North America for more than two hours on Friday due to system issues. Amazon’s systems are “very complex” and “on rare occasions” may experience problems, says a spokesman. The impact on sales is not yet known. (Iwantmedia 6/9, http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080606/ap_on_hi_te/amazon_down 6/6)
MySpace’s recent move to allow software developers to make money from their viral creations is beginning to pay off. About 1,000 new applications created for MySpace in the last two months have helped keep the site’s 117 million users online longer, which could boost advertising. (Iwantmedia 6/9, http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-mon-myspace-facebook-faceoffjun09,0,1364023.story 6/9)
(Below) I tried out a search with Weezer’s new video “Pork & Beans” which is number 2 on Viral Video Chart’s list. I tried Weezer and alternatively Pork & Beans with no relevant search results. Maybe this is considered user-generated (even though it’s not)? Additionally, along the left nav bar under sources, I couldn’t find any source related to blogs, social networking sites, etc. I understand Hulu’s desire to index video becoming the first stop for video search. I just don’t know how wise this will be when mucking up the results with blogs and social networking sites.
Hulu rolled out a new video search function indexing not only its 50+ content providers but also videos embedded on blogs, social networking sites and a host of other online video outlets. Search results appear within the Hulu video interface, so you don’t have to leave the site to hunt for something Hulu doesn’t have. (Cynopsis 6/9)
After shutting down its online music store Wal-Mart is trying to insure there is still demand for its CDs. The chain signed an deal with AC/DC to become the exclusive CD retailer for its next album this fall, similar to agreements struck with The Eagles and Journey, according to the WSJ. The company also says it plans to reduce its inventory of CDs to focus more on blockbuster titles. (Cynopsis 6/9)
After engaging in high-profile spats with Wikipedia over the accuracy, the Encyclopedia Britannica says it plans to experiment with user-contributed content. Britannica emphasizes that its staff will continue to police content: “We are not abdicating our responsibility.” (Iwantmedia 6/9, http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080609-britannica-to-cautiously-try-harnessing-users-for-content.html 6/9)
That said, TV Guide wants to make sure you can easily access its video content if you prefer to spend most of your time in a social networking environment. TV Guile Online officially launched its Video Guide widget as an embeddable extension of its popular online video guide. (Cynopsis 6/9)
FanFare, SanDisk’s free, ad-supported content portal, has been shuttered along with their ill-fated TakeTV video solution. TakeTV was a little device that you plugged into your computer, filled up with media, and then carried to your TV. FanFare was supposed to supply exciting, free content for the player. Anyone who knows anything about the average consumer would tell you that making someone use SneakerNet to watch Iron Man bootlegs on their TV is a losing proposition. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/06/07/sandisk-takes-fanfare-taketv-to-the-deadpool 6/7)
Disney Family.com plans to roll out a new parent-oriented social networking platform that will provide users with the ability to create profiles for their entire family. The new community will be different from typical social networks, which emphasize individual profiles. (Iwantmedia 6/9, http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/content_display/news/digital-downloads/broadband/e3i32a6c4ade2dd7b234f0417152699006a 6/9)
Nielsen Online is preparing a platform to monitor the number of downloaded media served through Apple iTunes and other systems. While Nielsen and others track the views of streaming video, third party monitoring of downloaded video are understood to not currently exist. (Iwantmedia 6/9, http://www.beet.tv/2008/06/scoop-nielsen-r.html 6/7)
