No ChaChing For ChaCha Guides Michael Arrington Sun, 07 Sep 2008 10:29:08 -0000 ChaCha used to be a ridiculous human powered web based search engine that's best use appeared to be for killing time when bored.
They raised a boatload of money from Jeff Bezos and others and eventually switched to an all-mobile interface. They also began offering their platform to third party marketers.
But now there are indications that the company is having cash flow issues, even after a recent pay cut to guides. As before, the information is coming from their poorly-paid and poorly-treated human guides. Everyone Needs To Calm Down Michael Arrington Sun, 07 Sep 2008 08:39:06 -0000 I haven't had a lot of time to jump into the fracas this weekend emerging about TechCrunch50 because the team has been busy organizing the conference, working with the Expert Panelists on scheduling issues and spending hours and hours working with the 52 startups that will be launching at the event to make sure their demos properly reflect what they've worked so hard to create.
But I do have a few things to say.
First, thanks to Chris O'Brien at the San Jose Mercury News who wrote such a great article on TechCrunch and the conference. What a wonderful, positive way to kick things off as we go into the craziness on Monday. He really gets what we're trying to accomplish and how honored we are that these startups have chosen to launch at our event.
Family Tree Wars Continue: MyHeritage Raises Big Round, Shows Impressive Growth Michael Arrington Sun, 07 Sep 2008 01:30:06 -0000 It's been just a few days after our post on Geni's big growth numbers - and now big news from Israeli competitor MyHeritage.
The site has grown from 180 million profiles a year ago to 260 million today, they say. Registered users have also grown, from 17 million to 25 million. Compare that to almost 2 million users for Geni. 230 million photos have been uploaded to the site, which is available in 25 languages and has 5 million monthly unique visitors. Support for ten more language will be released this month.
Investors have certainly noticed MyHeritage's stellar growth. The company has raised a new round of funding - $15 million in a Series D round led by Index Ventures and joined by current investor Accel Partners. That brings their total capital raised to $24 million. ContestMachine: A Product Giveaway Widget For Bloggers Erick Schonfeld Sat, 06 Sep 2008 21:28:38 -0000 Giving away products can be a logistical pain. For instance, when we give away a T-shirt or laptop, we have to go through hundreds of comments, contact the person, and do a lot of manual processing. A new Y Combinator startup called ContestMachine that just launched makes giving stuff away as easy as putting a widget on your blog.
You create a contest widget by entering all the details of the giveaway: prizes, deadlines, rules. Winners can be randomly chosen by ContestMachine or judged by the blogger. It automates the process of creating giveaways, and opens up contests to any blogger or small business who has a Website. The service is free to try out for up to two contests a month, and then charges $9 a month or $90 a year for more contests. The Big Conference Launch: How to Stand Out from the Crowd Brian Solis Sat, 06 Sep 2008 20:31:27 -0000 Editor's Note: This post represents the professional advice of Brian Solis who is not formally affiliated with TechCrunch50. If you are a participating TC50 company, resident TechCrunch PR expert Sarah Ross is available to share and review the public relations guidelines with you. It is important to work directly with Sarah to ensure you are in compliance with these guidelines to maximize your PR opportunity while also avoiding disqualification.
How do you launch a startup at a big tech conference without getting lost in the crowd? With TechCrunch50, Demo and several other major tech conferences around the corner, this question is on the minds of more than one entrepreneur. How do you create visibility for your startup, and do you need PR to do it, or just a great demo?
The coming days and weeks will be filled by some of the industry’s most anticipated, attended and watched conferences. They’re all competing for mind share and they are attracting influential attendees and spectators who will report their experiences and observations far and wide. In the next two to three weeks, over 150-200 companies will vie for attention and precious blog and media real estate.
Your story, as wonderful as it is, will need help rising above the flurry of news that will jockey to reach the ears and eyes of bloggers, press, customers, investors, and partners. The Push To Cure Spinal Muscular Atrophy Michael Arrington Sat, 06 Sep 2008 19:05:40 -0000
Gwendolyn DeBard Strong was born on October 4, 2007 and was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1 (SMA1) in April 2008. SMA1 is a terminal genetic disease that results in loss of nerves in the spinal cord and weakness of the muscles connected with those nerves.
Her parents are asking that you consider signing a petition asking Congress to fund research into a cure for the disease. The NIH has said that a cure is possibly only a few years away.
The petition is here. Please read and sign it, and pass this on to others. The goal is 50,000 signatures. If each of you reading this sign now, we'll get to that number in just a few hours. And if you watch the video, you'll sign.
500APDIP Internet Governance Headlines - Internet Governance News Headline service primarily directed at Developing Countries in the Asia Pacific. Produced by UNDP.
Meta Description: [ Youth Consultation Project Home ]
Governing the DNS Commons - A conference by Computer Professionals For Social Responsibility about ICANN and the Domain Name system. Papers, Audio and Video Feeds, Printable Proceedings. Keynote by Ralph Nader.
Home--Berkman Center for Internet and Society - The Berkman Center for Internet Society at Harvard Law School is a research program founded to explore cyberspace, share in its study, and help pioneer its development. Highly active in Internet Public Policy.
ICANN-Related Content from the Berkman Center for Internet and Society - Complete index of all ICANN-Related Content from the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, including meeting archives, webcasts, and analysis.
Meta Description: [ Complete index of all ICANN-Related Content from the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, including meeting archives, webcasts, and analysis. ]
ICANNWatch - Three academics providing a central point for those concerned with the actions and structure of ICANN. Mailing List, Editorial.
Meta Description: [ ICANNWatch.Org monitors and tracks the action of ICANN and global domain name policy. ]
Internet and Society 1999 - Course Description - Harvard Law School Course on Internet Policy. This course examines current legal, political, and technical struggles for control/ownership of the global Internet and its content.
Internet Governance - The ACM is broadly interested in issues affecting the growth and development of the Internet, including the creation and activities of organizations that develop technical standards, set policies, and otherwise influence the future of the Net.
Internet: book reviews - Reviews of books on Internet by Danny Yee from the Electronic Freedom Association of Australia.
Meta Description: [ Barrett, Benedikt, Borgmann, Cheswick, Cox, Crystal, Denning, Dreyfus, Greenspun, Jones, Kahin, Khare, Levine, Litman, Miller, Nielsen, Peek, Salus, Schneier, Schwartz, Smith, Wallace, Weinberger ]
Microsoft and Internet Development - What do computer programmers think about Microsoft's role in the development of the Internet, and the social implications of the underlying technical issues? CorpWatch interview with Harry Hochheiser, Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility.
Noncommercial Domain Name Holders Constituency - Its purpose is to support noncommercial speech and activity on the Internet - and to protect the domain names under which that speech is placed. Currently, we are the only constituency in the ICANN Domain Name Supporting Organisation (DNSO) representing noncommercial speech.
PFIR - People For Internet Responsibility - People For Internet Responsibility (PFIR) is a global, grassroots, ad hoc network of individuals who are concerned about the current and future operations, development, management, and regulation of the Internet in responsible manners. The goal of PFIR is to help provide a resource for individuals around the world to gain an ability to help impact these crucial Internet issues, which will affect virtually all aspects of our cultures, societies, and lives in the 21st century. PFIR is non-partisan, has no political agenda, and does not engage in lobbying.
Rating the Net - Referenced report on Internet filtering software, by Jonathon Weinberg, Associate Professor, Wayne State University Law School.
Self-Regulation of Internet Content - A project of the Bertelsmann Foundation dealing with the problem of illegal and harmful content on the Internet.
The COOK Report On Internet - The COOK Report on Internet is a monthly newsletter focusing on the technology and policy complexities of Internet infrastructure development. Features, Interviews, Reports with free 4000 word summaries of each edition. An excellent specialist resource.
Meta Description: [ The COOK Report
on Internet ]
The Cyber-Federalist Occasional Commentaries - A series of commentaries on the ICANN At Large elections and Internet governance. Edited by Hans K. Klein who is an Assistant Professor in the School of Public Policy at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
The Roving Reporter - A collective nym for commentry, usually biting and shocking well referenced. Great collection of news and opinion commentry by one of the most informed minds in ICANN watching.
The US Congressional Internet Caucus - This site contains information about the program and activities of the Advisory Committee and the Congressional Internet Caucus - a bi-partisan group of over 100 members of the House and Senate working to educate their colleagues about the promise and potential of the Internet.
W3C - The World Wide Web Consortium - The World Wide Web Consortium was created to lead the World Wide Web to its full potential by developing common protocols that promote its evolution and ensure its interoperability.
Meta Description: [ The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an international consortium where Member organizations, a full-time staff, and the public work together to develop Web standards. W3C primarily pursues its mission through the creation of Web standards and guidelines designed to ensure long-term growth for t... ]
