National Post :: Fast times at Friendster.com
by Mark Evans
Mentioned in this article, in order of appearance:
Friendster, Match.com, CMGI, Jupiter Research, Google, Yahoo!, Sequoia Ventures, Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers, Tribe.net, LinkedIn, IAC/InterActiveCorp, Evite, Microsoft, and Time Warner.
...In many ways, Friendster's popularity is similar to that of Google Inc. Both services are useful and user-friendly. Much like Google's early days, Friendster is looking for a viable business model.
This has not deterred angel investors and venture capitalists from getting excited about Friendster's prospects. The firm has raised money from several high-profile investors, including former Yahoo! Inc. chief executive Tim Koogle and Ram Shriram, a Google investor and board member.
There is also speculation, on which Mr. Abrams declined to comment, that Friendster has closed a US$10-million deal with Sequoia Ventures and Kleiner Perkins -- the two Silicon Valley venture capitalists that backed Google. The deal reportedly would give Friendster, which competes against Tribe.net and LinkedIn.com, a valuation of US$40-million.
Friendster's ability to attract a large amount of capital despite little revenue and no profit could be proof the dot-com boom is still alive and well. It also makes one think Friendster may be more of a financing play than a business plan. With so much traffic, it is an obvious target for an e-commerce firm looking to gain access to consumers with a lot of disposable income.
The most likely candidates are Barry Diller's InterActive Corp., which owns Match.com and the Evite.com invitation service; Microsoft Corp.; Time Warner Inc. and Yahoo!, which also has a large dating service. Conspiracy theorists would get plenty of ammunition from the fact Mr. Abrams happened to have a copy of Business Week magazine on his desk featuring Mr. Diller, who has quickly built an e-commerce empire through a series of acquisitions...
Business Wire :: Socialtext Unveils First Enterprise Social Software Collaboration Platform
...PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 21, 2003--Socialtext Inc.(TM), a leading developer of enterprise social software, today introduced Socialtext Workspace 1.0(TM) the first social software collaboration platform to bring weblog and wiki-based technology into the enterprise.
Using easy-to-use, web-native tools, Socialtext Workspace provides a secure intranet website that anyone on a business team can access and edit without knowing HTML and with minimal training. Socialtext Workspace is designed for workgroup collaboration and project communication.
"We have developed a simpler way for people to work together," said Socialtext CEO Ross Mayfield. "Traditional enterprise software fails to serve users' needs for informal collaboration. As a result, people use email and attachments for most tasks, even though email itself is a victim of its own success. By channeling collaboration to a shared space for many-to-many interaction, people get their work done faster -- and the emergent link structure allows the best content and expertise to naturally rise to the top."
Socialtext Workspace 1.0 includes wiki and weblog functions adapted to the needs of the enterprise, including:
-- simple creation and administration of multiple workspaces for multiple groups and projects
-- secure, password-protected access with single sign-in to multiple workspaces
-- seamless integration with traditional, email-centered workflow
-- easy personalized navigation
In addition, Socialtext provides enterprise-level service, support and training. The company also announced the availability of an open source product, the Socialtext Kwikspace(TM). Socialtext Workspace and Socialtext Kwikspace inherit their modular design and open plug-in architecture from Kwiki, a well-respected and actively developed open source wiki core. Teams with technical skills who don't mind bearing the administration and support costs of an open source wiki can take advantage of easy installation, modularity and extensibility of Kwikspace. To reduce in-house costs and take advantage of enterprise security, scalability, and manageability, Kwikspace teams can seamlessly upgrade to the Socialtext Workspace, with its full-fledged business features.
Socialtext offers both a hosted service and a pre-configured appliance. Prices start at $30 per user per month or a Starter Package for five users for $995 for one year. Companies can experience Socialtext with a 30-day free trial at www.socialtext.com.
Socialtext Workspace is currently deployed with customers ranging from Fortune 500 companies to smaller startups to online communities...
Oakland Tribune Online :: Men hold the edge on gender gap odds
By Justin Pritchard, Associated Press
...Courtney Johnson of the San Francisco-based social networking company Emode, which launched an online dating service in the spring, recently gave a public talk on meeting your match.
"They're saying, I moved here because I know there's all these geeky guys who are waiting for the right person, but they can't find anybody," Johnson said. "People are too busy."...
The Straits Times :: Friendster takes Internet by storm
By Eugene Wee
...THINK of it as a warped pyramid selling scheme where, instead of cosmetics or health supplements, the commodity is people.
Only in this case, it's legal and costs nothing. Nobody gets cheated and everyone has a blast doing it, making new friends along the way.
If you're lucky, you might even score yourself a date. Friendster.com is taking the Internet by storm the way Napster first did four years ago...
The Straits Times :: Here you can make pals and get business partners
This article lists:
Friendster, Vanity Date, Pretendster, Tribe.net, and LinkedIn.