Groupon pump and dump?
Ever since the IPO of Groupon which landed at around $28 the first day, it has been sliding constantly. Today it is around $16. Wondering if the merchant horror stories are catching up with them.
Google Earth on Google Maps
Google just added a new Earth plugin feature to Google Maps. Now we can have all the functionalities of Earth as one of the selections buttons on Maps just like Satellite view. This is a very exciting new development.
Web Startup Taking Feature Away From Basic Membership
I have been using Biznik for a while and have been pleased with their features and the community they have built. Changes they have made to the site and services have been well thought out and fair to the users until the latest one that took away the ability to see who has viewed your profile. It had been a feature that was available to all members, even the basic free membership since day one, but they decided to take it away in order to drive basic members to upgrade to a paid membership. It stirred up some criticism with many different viewpoints ranging from features should never be taken away to businesses can change features offered anytime in order to be profitable. One interesting and important point was that taking away a feature that helps both paying and non-paying members connect is always a bad thing as it takes away from the building of a community. Since the community is the value brought forth by Biznik, they are in fact lowering their value proposition to all members by taking this feature away. I am sure it was a difficult decision for them as they must try to increase revenue to keep afloat but in doing so, might hinder their value hence stifling growth. A rough estimate of their current annual revenue is $77,000. Certainly just squeaking by with three people working and technology costs.
Microsoft Taking Yahoo To Compete Against Google?
Microsoft just made a bid for Yahoo for 46 Billion with the goal to compete against Google for online ad revenue. It does make sense that if Microsoft wants to compete, they need something much more robust than MSN. However, I wonder if they could properly integrate an internet company like Yahoo into the Microsoft culture. Internet businesses need to remain nimble in order to attend to ever changing end user needs. That is what Google does that makes it so competitive. On the flip side, we all know how long it takes Microsoft to release software. An interview of an ex-employee of Microsoft who moved over to Google stated that while at Microsoft, he worked on code that would not be released in a piece of software for ten years. In comparison, at Google he would write code that would be immediately posted on the Google Labs section of their website and within 24 hours, thousands of users have downloaded and used.
It is not to say that Microsoft is incapable of running Yahoo in the high pace internet manner, but is a matter of will they. I guess we are a ways away from knowing as Yahoo has not even responded to today's unsolicited offer.
Sun Microsystems
There has been talk lately that Sun Microsystems might begin to see the light at the end of it's 4 year tunnel. It is hard to fathom how their market share could increase while other less expensive server hardware and software are out there. Is Solaris that much better than a Linux server on an AMD 64 chip? It remains to be seen.