eBay-owned Skype today launched "SkypeWeb": Skype, the global Internet communications company, today announced SkypeWeb, a Web presence feature that is already integrated into more than 50 Web sites in 20 countries around the world. SkypeWeb allows people to see Skype…
I met with Steven Marder this morning, CEO of Eurekster. These guys were way ahead of the "social search" curve but confused users and the marketplace with their early positioning. People saw them as a complicated Google/Yahoo! competitor.They're really an…
I was invited by SimplyHired's Dave McClure to moderate the SDForum's Search SIG event last night on classifieds and search. Panelists were: Bindu Reddy, Product Manager Google Base, GoogleCraig Donato, Founder/CEO, OodleKeith Teare, Founder/CEO, EdgeioThe discussion was very candid and…
Seattle-based Zillow, which apparently stands for "zillions of pillows" (or that's the genesis of the name/URL), launched today. The site is a very polished and sophisticated new entrant in the increasingly competitive online real estate market. Its primary — and…
According to a piece in MediaPost (reg. req'd), PPCall provider Jambo has announced that it will enable PPCall for LA Weekly:The first slate of ads will be in the Feb. 9 issue, and will focus on Valentine's Day services, including…
Also in the "real estate file" is a new partnership between Spot Runner and Cendant Corp. Cendant is the parent of many familiar travel and real estate brands. For example, Cendant is the world's largest franchisor of real estate brokerage…
Thanks again to John Battelle for pointing out that Google has gone "public" with its program to allow advertisers to buy access (via auction) to print advertising in some very high-profile magazines: As you may know, as part of Google's…
I had heard a rumor earlier in the week that Yellow Book was buying Click Forward. Before I saw the release Loren Baker at Search Engine Journal confirmed it.Click Forward was started by alumni of WebVisible, formerly SME Global Solutions.…
The DEMO conference, which has been described as a dating service for funders and start-ups, is under way in Phoenix. There's nothing inherently local about the show, but some companies that may in one way or another have an impact…
A new forecast adds further fuel to the local shopping fire (sorry). According to this article, Jupiter says: The amount of money consumers spend online is expected to increase 75 percent by 2010, with the Internet influencing nearly half of…
Here's a long eWeek piece raising the question, "When o when will users take to the mobile Web in earnest?" Indeed, until they do there can be no effective mass mobile marketing. My belief is that the user experiences that…
Google is integrating its Google Talk/IM functionality into GMail. It doesn't replace Google Talk (because there's no VoIP yet). But it does: Potentially differentiate GMail Offer the first (that I know of) browser access to IM/chat Potentially expose more GMail…
A9's CEO (and last year's Drilling Down keynoter), Udi Manber, who famously told me "local search is not a solved problem," is apparently leaving for Google, according to John Battelle. This is obviously a blow to A9 and raises a…
As user reviews and other forms of user-generated content become a bigger phenomenon online so does the prospect of what might be called "review fraud." Word of Mouth guru Pete Blackshaw of the newly formed Nielsen BuzzMetrics points me to…
What is FON? No it's not a Spanish dessert — that's flan — although it is based in Spain. FON is an effort to build a global Wi-Fi network of hotspots with existing broadband connectivity — "members" are referred to…
While I didn't actually watch the Super Bowl, I did of course watch the commercials here. (You can also watch and vote for favorites at AOL.) I counted at least three ads touting mobile content: Motorola/Verizon, Sprint and ESPN; in…
Just because it's fun to speculate about such things — and there's a history here — I'm repeating hearsay. SiliconBeat discusses an unsubstantiated rumor about a possible Google acquisition of now tainted "social networking" (read: dating) site Friendster. Back in…
This piece in Reuters discusses the VW-Google partnership to develop a "prototype vehicle which features Google Inc.'s satellite mapping software to give drivers a bird's eye view of the road ahead." Nvidia is also part of the deal. There's lots…
When StepUp launched a couple of years ago with the intention of delivering real-time inventory information and product availability to the Internet it was met with considerable skepticism, along the lines of "yeah, how are they gonna do that?" and…
Speaking of "click-to-call," here's a Mercury News piece on Google's "click-to-call" initiative. According to the article, the company is working with Florida-based VoIP Inc.Click-to-call is not PPCall. There are many companies using click-to-call, which is about connecting calls between individuals…
