Category: Websites (Page 13 of 23)

      Etsy founder Rob Kalin resumes control

      December 21, 2009 /

      Etsy founder Rob Kalin.Etsy founder Rob Kalin wrote in a blog post today that he will resume his position as CEO of the handmade site as the company has started to turn a profit. Etsy’s current CEO, Maria Thomas, who came to the site from NPR to help it make some money, will be headed for greener pastures.

      Etsy’s not just turning a profit now, it’s blowing up. The site has grown from more than $100 million in sales in 2008 and 1.7 million unique US visitors to nearly $200 million in sales and 3.4 million unique US visitors. Worldwide the site gets some 11 million unique visitors per month.

      As young as Kalin is, a lot of people wondered if he would be looking for another CEO. He responded to TechCrunch saying, “I’ll be CEO as long as it’s good for Etsy.” Now that the site is making some money, and has some potential for ad revenue, I’d say Kalin should be fine.

      News, Websites

      Reading Material: Will mobile web kill off the App Store

      December 21, 2009 /

      Cute little Fennec.There’s an interesting article up on Wired this weekend that’s worth a look if you have the time. The focus of the story is Fennec, Mozilla’s new mobile browser. It’s meant to be the closest thing to a desktop browser you can get for a mobile device, replete with features that have to date required native apps to work. Features like full Java and HTML5 support.

      That kind of flexibility is great for developers and users, but it’s a promise we’ve seen before. Remember that Java pitch from so long ago? Java was supposed to be the great equalizer, allowing one string of code regardless of machine. Different hardware capability and Java versions meant that never happened, and ambitious developers spent more time debugging than adding new features.

      It’s hard to say whether things could be different this time around. It could be fantastic for consumers, leaving us to make the choice between PC and Mac, PS3 and Xbox 360, Android or the iPhone based on more than just native Facebook support, or whatever else becomes the flavor of the month.

      Check out the full article on Wired.

      Mobile, Websites

      IMDB finally releases an iPhone app

      December 10, 2009 /

      IMDB app is now on the iPhone.I still can’t believe it has taken this long to get an iPhone app from IMDB. It’s here, though, and free, so I suppose I don’t have much to complain about.

      I was a little surprised to see it go with a dedicated app. For what it offers, I figured a web app would handle things just fine. It’s not like Facebook, where all kinds of nifty native hardware tricks are involved. In fact, the IMDB app doesn’t offer anything the website doesn’t, and it’s missing account support, so you can’t get Cate Blanchett’s phone number when you’re drunk (maybe that was on purpose). Still, for the way most people use IMDB, there’s no reason well-organized, free information won’t get the job done.

      Now, if they charged me another dollar just to have access to the likes of Uma Thurman when I’m at my whiskey-drunk worst, I can’t say I wouldn’t go for it.

      Apps, iPhone, Websites

      Aardvaark considering an offer from Google

      December 7, 2009 /

      vark.com logo.Aardvark, a social service that allows you to ask friends and other members to answer questions and give advice, is reportedly considering a buyout from Google. There’s no official word on price, but the rumor is that it’s over $30 million. To date the company has raised around $6 million in venture capital.

      As TechCrunch has it, Aardvark isn’t just talking to Google, it’s shopping around. There’s even the option of acquiring more VC for sale of some personal stock from the founders. I was actually surprised to hear that the valuation was so high. Aardvark is a fun way to kill some time and it’s got a great iPhone app, but I’ve asked so many questions that have gone unanswered I lost interest pretty quickly (seriously, no one can tell me the name of that composer). If I were these guys, I’d take the money and never look back.

      Source: TechCrunch

      Apps, News, Websites

      Google says deal searches up 20% for Black Friday

      December 2, 2009 /

      Black Friday search increases.Google has some interesting numbers around Black Friday and the deal-conscious consumer. Of course everyone loves a good deal, but it’s pretty cool to see the data. Apparently Black Friday searches in general were up 20%, while searches for “Black Friday deals” and “Black Friday ads” shot up 50% over last year. People were even after specific stores more than usual, with searches for “Walmart Black Friday,” “Kohls Black Friday Ad,” “Sears Black Friday Sales,” and “Target Black Friday Deals Online,” among the top searches.

      It’s funny, then, to consider that most of the Black Friday deals I found online were actually through snapshots of physical advertisements. Despite online retailers like Amazon running deals, it seems most retailers are still relying on old media to get the ads out. It’s consumers that have taken the time to get the ads posted and available online.

      Deal shopping this year was most apparent in the consumer electronics department where searches were up more than 300%. Again, makes sense. People want to get those big ticket items or less, and retailers have been willing to cut some of the bigger profit margins just to get people in the store lately.

      Source: Google Retail Blog

      Lifestyle, Websites

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