BUSINESS BLOGS
BUSINESS BLOGS
category: business
29 May 2008

Interesting to see FB CEO Mark Zuckerberg say this:

“Facebook is a technology company … a technology company is a company that creates technology”.

I actually like Zuckerberg more and more for sticking to his own guns… but I am not sure how much of what he says is him and how much is his advisors and posse.

Anyway, I would not know the answer to that.  What I do know, is this.

- on one side, you have technology, software and subscription licenses…
- and on the other, you have media, publishing and advertising.

Both can be tremendously successful and valuable.  In the 1970s, 80s and 90s technology outperformed media mainly due to the PC and its requirements and growth.

But in the 2000s, free technology on the Internet has outperformed traditional technology because of a new medium, the Web, and the rapid rush of new audiences and migration of advertisers. 

Google managed to leverage its technology to build a business around what’s on the other side of the fence because of its timing.

No other company has or will do that, probably ever again.  Why?  Google envy.  Googlegrew so profitable so fast that no one will ever let such a thing happen.

Facebook IS worth a lot, but it will never be the next Google because media companies can generate $15B in advertising revenue, not technology companies (let alone social networking companies).

In fact, is Google a technology company alone?  It could be argued that it is the single example of a perfectly balanced technology-media company.

category: business
29 May 2008

Glam Media - a company that reaches some 35M uniques via the Glam.com property and its network of blogs and like-minded web properties - is the latest to join our syndication network.

Check out the press release here,







Glam Media, Inc.,
(http://www.GlamMedia.com), the pioneer of vertical content networks and number
one in reach for women online with 35 million uniques in the U.S., today
announced the launch of the GlamTV Platform, a video distribution and
advertising platform for Glam’s network of 500+ premium web sites and
blogs. The GlamTV Platform is a flagship service that allows Glam
package its content with ads for hyper-targeted audiences

(…)


Glam Media's publishers can access premium Indie video content such as:
interviews with real-life fashionistas from BeautifulStranger.com; the best
in fitness content from ExerciseTV.tv; cutting-edge entertainment reporting
for the urban audience from Kevin Frazier's HipHollywood.com; expert advice
and green-living tips from Howdini.com; social video content and interviews
from MOLI.com; premium short-form episodic comedy, original scripted
series, and musical performances from Safran Digital Group; lifestyle
videos from UK-based Simply Media; smart videos about relationships from
TangoMag; video horoscopes from Tarot.com; vintage fashion footage from
VIDCAT.com; useful infotainment from VideoJug.com; and international
fashion and travel content from WatchMojo.com. Premium videos at launch are
available in Fashion, Beauty, Shopping, Celebrities, Entertainment, Living,
Health and Wellness Channels.




That’s 35M more uniques that our content just reached, in one deal.


Check out some of our content on Glam here.  Arguably more interesting than this video launch is the fact that VentureBeat reports Glam just snubbed a $1.3B offer.  Not sure who the would-be buyer would be, but I estimate one of the following players:


- Hearst

- Conde Nast

- Burda Media (an investor who just led the recent big funding, so less likely)

- etc.