Posted by Matt on April 4th, 2008
One of the presenters at the latest Web Innovators Group conference, WebInno17, was Traackr. The startup’s offering is basically a way for you to get a grip on how popular your content is on the web. You simply enter in the networks you are a part of (Flickr, YouTube, Revver to name a few) and the application tracks and aggregates the hit counts of your content. You can organize your content into campaigns, view charts on various statistics, and compare your online popularity to other Traackr users.
Analyzing your website’s performance is crucial.
While I am certainly sick of web companies with double vowels and missing ‘e’s, I see potential in Traackr. If it nails down the user interface, it could prove to be a very useful tool. The fact remains that user activity data is of the utmost importance to any media outlet, and the internet is no exception. To be able to track the popularity of your latest published content is crucial in paving the way for your improvement on the webosphere. Yes yes, I know it’s another aggregation tool, but hell, at least this one can prove useful.
Posted by Matt on March 21st, 2008
I’ve been looking at Twitter ever since it came out (hit me up on Twitter here), and at first glance it seemed like a weird idea. “Why would I spend time constantly updating people on my status throughout the day? People won’t care when I’m at work as opposed to at the gym, or if I’m in the library or at Starbucks waiting on my coffee.” But, while some people use it as such, Twitter is about a lot more than that. Twitter is best described as ‘micro-blogging’. You should think of it as updating a blog 140 characters at a time.
The main point about Twitter is that it allows you to share your thoughts, ideas, and experiences at the very moment you have them. This is incredibly interesting to the friends and families you know. With Twitter, you are able to peek into the life of someone you know on a day to day basis. They can share with you not just where they are or what they’re doing, but their emotions, thoughts, and opinions throughout the day. Partying tonight? Update your Twitter to invite others to join you.
And ever since Twitter’s launch, Silicon Valley has gone Twitter crazy. Given the ease at which people can update, Twitter has turned into a place of ‘back channels’ for public events. What to know what’s happening at the Techcrunch conference while it’s happening? Check out Twitter. Follow the right people and you can gain a very accurate feed and overall opinion and pulse of an event. Even the latest in tech news and rumors pop up on Twitter first. Just recently, a rumor on the acquisition of Revision3 by CNET for $57 mil popped up on Twitter. Twitter is becoming the ‘back channel’ for Silicon Valley.
But its it only for web nerds?
When I explain Twitter to new users, their barriers of entry are 1, no one they know uses Twitter, and more importantly 2, they just don’t “get” it. While Twitter is no different than any other social network and users simply won’t join unless their friends have already joined, Twitter has a bigger problem. People don’t “get” Twitter easily. Regular people don’t think it’s worth their time to update it throughout the day. While I truly believe in Twitter’s eventual raise to as one the biggest social networks, the Twitter team needs to solve this initial “question mark” of sorts for new users.
Posted by Matt on February 8th, 2008
There has been more movement in the local mobile space. uLocate, a location-based services company based in Framington, MA, has acquired Zync.
uLocate’s main offering is called WHERE. WHERE is a mobile application which is basically a platform for developers to create location-based applications (ex. local search, social, and shopping). So how does Zync fit in? Based in Boston, MA, Zync has implemented predictive software that provides recommendations to users based on the preferences of similar people. While, I am not sure on the specific capabilities of their implementation, this could prove very useful in mobile web applications, where a clever use of aggregated user opinions have yet to make an appearance. The acquisition price for Zync wasn’t disclosed.
More ‘Web 3.0′?
With many saying that Web 3.0 starts with mobile, interest and innovation in this space has been growing at a fast pace in the last couple of years. However, since the majority of mobile phones have no GPS, a location-based mobile offering has yet to make headlines.
Posted by John on January 28th, 2008
This is my first post. It’s so exhilarating. I thought I’d post some of my thoughts and early observations on some of the presenters for WebInno16 on Tuesday night 1/29/08. It’s at 6:30PM at the Royal Sonesta in Cambridge, MA. Keep in mind, I have briefly gone through the sites and browsed the Walkthrough/Tour/FAQ sections. I will return tomorrow night with a post to see if my thoughts have changed and who I felt exceeded my expectations, or those who unfortunately did not meet my expectations.
MakeMeSustainable is a very novel idea. In fact, it’s a great idea. Unfortunately, I don’t see it working. It’s true, GREEN is in. In fact, the hot new MacBook Air even has a blurb about how green friendly they are. It’s got these nifty graphs and percentages and visual keys to indicate how much you’re saving the world. The unfortunate thing is, I think the average person is lazy. Few people are going to go out of their way to go to a site, look through all the interesting stuff and take the time and effort to go through with it. Sure some may, and even get into it for a little bit. The honeymoon is short though, and the appeal will wear off. As for going out of your way to join another community, it might be better served as a Facebook App. Don’t get me wrong, I hope this site will work, I just don’t think it will.
Would I join:? Not likely
SpotScout is an interesting concept. It’s also been done before. Companies such as mobileParking LLC and ParkingCarma have done this concept. I’m not going to down the pros and cons of these companies, but the idea has been done before. It’s the whole scenario in which we drive, we can’t find a spot, and yes, you are my answer to linking my problem finding a spot and your service finding a spot for me. And the same paramount issue is about information that a spot is available, and parking in that spot. Oh, I would absolutely love getting a text alert that a spot is open, only to find that it’s been taken…. 2 hours ago. This idea is a tough one to execute. SpotScout, just like MakeMeSustainable tout the “green is good” motto of course. But the twist on this company is, it’s the “ebay” of parking spots. That’s a great idea, but just like uBid, if you don’t have a wide enough user base, why sell there? So if adoption of this site doesn’t increase at a rapid pace, the usability is defunct.
Would I use it: I’ll give it a whirl.
So to be quite honest, Urban Interactive seems the most intriguing to me. That doesn’t necessarily mean best, but in my opinion, it might have the most potential. And I unfortunately have not heard of any companies with similar business models, so it is also the most unique out of the “main dish presenters” that are presenting at Webinno. Let’s get down to business. Right off the bat, the homepage has a quote from the Boston Globe, “It’s a blend between ‘The Amazing Race’ and the TV show `Treasure Hunter.” I mean, that alone caught my eye. First, I thought this was some sort of Geocaching website. I’ve never tried geocaching, but it looks fun. I simply don’t have the time, but seems like it would be entertaining. Back to this site, so it’s not really geocaching. It’s more of a set theme adventure. The activity could be a mystery or spying on an “agent”, all that good espionage stuff…
Basically you get a cool phone to use for the game. That’s actually what caught my eye the most. An iPhone or Nokia E61. But you use the device and with your team you do the adventure and solve the crime or mystery. There are these improv actors along the way that contribute to the adventure as well. Now the business guy I am, I was thinking…. what’s the business model? My initial thought, ooh the adventures might have product placement or some sort of advertising model. It took me all the way to the registration page where I found out the price, $60 a team. Team is a max of 4, so $17 a person. Hmm, there’s a lot I can do with $17. But honestly, I really wanted to try it, when it’s warmer that is. It’s kind of like that guilty pleasure like watching Bravo or MTV shows. It looks kind of dopey, but it also looks fun! As Matt would say, Web2.0 is all about the free.
Would I use it: I think it might be fun to try!
Let’s see what impresses, and what doesn’t tomorrow evening.
Posted by Matt on November 8th, 2007
WebInno15 took place last Tuesday, and I must say that I am impressed at the growing audience. While I don’t know the exact number, it looked like over 450 people came to see some of the latest local startups show their stuff. Of the three “main dish” presenters, FlipKey, Lemonade, and iiProperty, the best of show for me was iiProperty. I believe the market is wide open for a clean property management system and iiProperty brings enough useful features and intuitive design to get a thumbs up in my book. More to come about iiProperty later.
Other Notables
Other notables include Untravel Media, another step towards location aware content with its Boston audio tours, and StudentConcourse, a web based organizer designed and developed by highschoolers. One company that had a lot of potential but blew its thirty second pitch was 360Gadget. No one could understand what the presenter was saying and it clouded an otherwise great product, basically an iGoogle for Facebook. Look here for more information on these startups in the coming days.
Posted by Matt on November 5th, 2007
One of the “main dish” presenters at WebInno15 is a startup called Lemonade. The company’s offering is basically a customized ad widget for blogs and social networking profiles. Users can decide which products to advertise and any click-throughs earn them money. The widget is very easy to setup and there is some flexibility on the appearance. Also, similar to that sour sweet refreshment you once sold at the nearby street corner, Lemonade adds a bit of charity to the equation. The company donates a percentage of its revenue to several non-profit organizations.
Give me that ad money!
It seems everyone is jumping into ad money lately. With both Myspace and Facebook developing their own ad platforms, people are getting excited about this space again. However, I just don’t see ideas like Lemonade strong enough to base a business on.
Posted by Matt on October 22nd, 2007
For those unfamiliar with the Web Innovators Group, it’s basically a community for web and mobile innovation serving the greater Boston area. Founded and currently led by David Beisel of Venrock, the Web Innovators Group has held a demo conference every month or so for the past couple years. The conference, named WebInno, allows local web and mobile startups to present their offerings in order to seek feedback, advice, and even funding from the community.
The latest WebInno conference, WebInno15, is scheduled for November 6th and they have just release the names of the presenting startups. The “main dish” presenters are FlipKey, Lemonade, and iiProperty, who will showcase their recently launched services to the entire crowd. Carbon Rally, Mix and Meet, Panospin, 360Gadget, and Student Concourse will demo their services in booths in a more informal mingling session.
I have attended WebInno a few times in the past and each time the audience grows. With over 400 people in attendance last time, WebInno has become a great place for local Boston entrepreneurs and startups to get their feet wet in the community. While the presenting companies are sometimes stale, the overall quality of services and products introduced is high. Stay tuned this week on TheWebosphere for coverage on these local Web 2.0 startups.
Posted by Matt on October 17th, 2007
Bubble, ahem ‘That which must not be named’ is on the mind again. The webosphere is buzzing with “bubble” talk lately. However, while most poke fun at the idea of another dot-com bubble, it is not something to take too lightly. In an article this morning, the New York Times pointed out the now record setting influx of money into web startups. They put it plainly:
“Internet start-ups are drawing investment based on their ability to build an audience, not bring in revenue — the very alchemy that many say led to the inflation and bursting of the dot-com bubble.”
Can it last?
When social networks for fishermen start popping up, I start asking questions, but are we really in a “bubble”? Is all things web 2.0 going to crash, leaving thousands of geeks and web nerd jobless around the world?
I do not believe so and here’s why. Value. With DRM free music, on-demand IPTV, enterprise level web applications, user generated ad-driven communities, video blogging, and the widespread growth of broadband - this new web, this web 2.0, is hitting on all cylinders. We can all agree that there is a ton a hype in the webosphere right now, but, really, it’s there for a damn good reason.
Posted by Matt on October 5th, 2007
Acebucks, a Facebook vitural currency application, just relaunched today. The new version is mainly an improved UI and better sponsor integration. It also touts the tagline “You Gotta Earn ‘Em to Burn ‘Em”
If you haven’t already, you can read my (mostly negative) thoughts on Acebucks and you can install the application here if you must. But really…why?
Posted by Matt on October 4th, 2007
An article this morning in the New York Times paints a negative light on the commonly assumed lucrative environment of Facebook applications.
“Rajat Agarwalla, 26, and his brother Jayant, 21, developers based in Calcutta, created Scrabulous, a popular Facebook adaptation of the word game Scrabble that has been added to more than 840,000 pages. Rajat Agarwalla said he had tried all the Facebook advertising networks and found that none earned much money. Now he is using Google AdSense to put text advertising links on the Scrabulous canvas page, and he said he is barely recouping his swelling bandwidth costs.”
While a quickly coded Scrabble application would probably take up more bandwidth than a common virtual gift Facebook app, this article should serve as a warning for developers and entrepreneurs looking to make it rich on the Facebook platform. For those unfamiliar, Facebook gives app developers 100% of ad revenue generated on their “canvas” pages. These are the pages visited when Facebook users install and interact with their application. Sadly, most of the ads on applications today are ads promoting other Facebook appllications. This is obviously an unsustainable model and there needs to be another form of revenue to support the growing number of Facebook platform developers.
Either way, it looks like the New York Times doesn’t expect to make too much money on its own Facebook App.
