Ben Parr
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Homepage: http://mashable.com
Posts by Ben Parr
White House Throws Its Support Behind Google in China Standoff
January 14, 2010 - 23:58
Tags: barack obama, business, Censorship, Channels, China, google, News, obama, Political, politics, Social, social networking, Top Stories, White House
Posted in Social | No comments
The White House has just made it clear that it supports Google’s decision to not censor search results in China, even if it means no longer doing business in the world’s largest country.
White House spokesperson Robert Gibbs said today that President Obama is supportive of Google’s recent actions. Here’s some of what Gibbs stated to reporters earlier this Thursday:
“We support [Google's] action … in a decision to no longer censor searches that happen using the [Google] platform.” … “Our concern is with actions that threaten the universal rights of a free Internet.”
Today’s statements are an extension of the “serious concerns and questions” that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton alluded to in a statement on January 12. However, the statements goes further to outline the President’s position on the matter. It does not mean the White House will take any specific action, although we may hear more of that during a speech Secretary Clinton will give next week on Internet freedom.
As we specifically outlined and predicted not long after the news broke, the world is beginning to react and the global censorship debate has been reignited. China is showing no signs of backing off on its censorship of the web, either.
This thing is far from over.
[via MarketWatch]
Reviews: Google
Tags: barack obama, censorship, china, Google, obama, Political, White House
Nexus One Sales: Will They Be More Like Avatar or Gigli?
January 14, 2010 - 04:50
Tags: android, avatar, Gigli, google, Mobile 2.0, News, Nexus One, Social, social networking, Top Stories
Posted in Social | No comments
The launch of the Google Nexus One is one of the most hyped phone releases in recent memory. Only the iPhone, Palm Pre and Droid really compare to the hype.
Yet now we’ve learned that only around 20,000 Nexus Ones have been sold in the first week, a dismal number compared to the 250,000 Droids and 1.6 million iPhone 3GSes sold in their first seven days on the market. What the hell happened?
It’s definitely not time for Google to panic, especially as Google attempts to pioneer a new business model for selling phones and many have yet to be shipped out. Still, the fabled Google Phone seems insignificant compared to its bigger Apple rival.
From this point on, I suggest that Nexus One sales will mimic the sales of one of two movies: the James Cameron blockbuster Avatar or the Ben Affleck/Jennifer Lopez box office bomb Gigli.
The Gigli Scenario
Gigli had a budget of $54 million, much of which was used to pay for the salaries of Affleck, Lopez and Al Pacino. During its first weekend, though, the movie grossed less than $4 million, an utter bomb. It’s now considered by many as one of the biggest box office bombs of all time (as well as being a terrible, terrible movie).
In the Gigli scenario, the Nexus One would continue to sell badly, never really breaking 20,000 units sold per week. Sure, eventually there might be a few hundred thousand on the market, but Google’s phone wouldn’t come anywhere near the sales of the iPhone or the Droid. More importantly, Google wouldn’t recuperate its cost and its reputation would be tarnished.
At least Google would get a Razzie.
The Avatar Effect
Avatar started out with a bang on its opening weekend, although nothing like Spiderman or Pirates of the Carribean. But then, like Titanic, the movie didn’t slow down. It’s now the second highest grossing movie of all time because people are still buying tickets long after its opening weekend.
In the Avatar scenario, the Nexus One benefits from positive buzz, happy customers and word-of-mouth marketing. Its sales either stay consistent or rise as more and more people experience their friends’ Google phones. Another bump occurs when the device hits the Nexus One. The end result would eventually be a launch that beat the Droid and comes close to sales of the iPhone.
Which Scenario Is More Likely?
I’ve presented two potential outcomes for Nexus One sales, but as with most things in life, the answer lies in the middle. The Nexus One won’t bomb; it’s too good of a phone for that to happen. What’s more likely is that people will slowly become more comfortable with the online sales model Google is pioneering with its self-branded phone and will eventually purchase it after playing around with a friend’s phone or hearing enough about it.
Will the Nexus One beat the Droid? Probably not. The Droid just has a lot more marketing muscle behind it. Yet it’s not the Nexus One that will likely be Google’s star device, but the Nexus Two and whatever phones it releases in the product line.
Google is making a long-term investment in Android and in changing the business model of choosing a carrier first and a business model second. As it hones in on the perfect phone and more people get comfortable with Google.com/Phone, sales will pick up.
Eventually, the Nexus line will reach Avatar levels, only second to the iPhone. We’re not worried about the long-term prospects of the Google Phone.
Tags: android, avatar, Gigli, Google, nexus one
Where the Heck Did Retweet.com Go? [Updated]
January 14, 2010 - 01:21
Tags: News, retweet, Social, social networking, twitter
Posted in Social | No comments
Update: We got an e-mail from Mesiab Labs. The statement is included below.
-
Do you remember Retweet.com? Several months ago, in very public fashion, the Tweetmeme competitor launched, targeting “early adopters of tweetmeme.com” with a $10,000 contest and strong words for its rival.
Today, we’ve found out that the website, along with the website of parent company Mesiab Labs, have simply vanished. Mesiab Labs is now host to a WordPress installation screen, while Retweet.com just says “Database Error” in the title.
Three potential scenarios immediately come to mind. First, Mesiab Labs could have called it quits in the face of a growing rival. Yet to our surprise, Retweet.com is growing rapidly as well.
The second scenario is that Retweet.com and Mesiab Labs were hacked. Finally, both sites could have been taken down due to a malfunction or database error. To be clear, though, we don’t know what exactly happened. We’ve e-mailed Mesiah Labs to find out.
Update: Here’s Retweet’s response:
“As you mentioned, Retweet.com has been enjoying a healthy growth rate. As a result the site has attracted the interest of many potential buyers. Unfortunately the same popularity has attracted several DDOS attacks in the past as well.
Our current downtime, however, may be due to internal upgrades to our underlying server infrastructure.
We will have a conclusion very soon and are working to restore services as soon as possible! ”
Above: The homepage of Mesiab Labs.
Thousands of Archived Tweets Mysteriously Disappear
January 14, 2010 - 00:47
Tags: bug, mashable, Social, social media, social networking, tweet, twitter
Posted in Social | No comments
Where did all the tweets go? Tens of thousands (if not more) of older tweets have simply disappeared on highly active and highly followed Twitter accounts, including the @Mashable account.
I’ll use @Mashable as an example: The Pete Cashmore account has tweeted more than 20,000 times in its history. Yet the tweet count has dropped from that number to 518 at the time of this story. When we tried to look back, we couldn’t find or access tweets older than December 23.
We’ve noticed the problem on a lot of other accounts as well. Popular Twitter users @Adventuregirl is also missing many of her tweets, and nothing can be found from before December 12. @CNNbrk, @aplusk, and many others have also been affected.
Most likely, this is a temporary bug. We’ve e-mailed the Twitter team about the problem and will update when we receive a response.
Tags: bug, social media, tweet, twitter
Internet Recovery? Zillow to IPO in 2011
January 14, 2010 - 00:11
Tags: business, Channels, ipo, market, News, Social, social networking, stock market, Zillow
Posted in Social | No comments
Zillow, one of the world’s largest real estate websites, could opt for an IPO as early as next year. It’s a dramatic change from a year ago, when the recession pushed venture capital and technology IPOs to their lowest levels in years.
In an interview with BusinessWeek, Zillow COO Spencer Rascoff stated that Zillow is looking not only to go public in 2011, but is seeking ways to improve its valuation by courting new investors and solidifying itself as the world’s “fastest-growing real estate site.”
Zillow still faces a major challenge though: It’s still not profitable. Still, we expect Zillow to do well in IPO. It has a recognized and fast-growing brand that keeps innovating. Zillow’s IPO performance could be a strong indicator for how other Internet companies will fare in the recovering market, most notably Facebook.
Tags: business, ipo, market, stock market, zillow
China Censors Google’s Threat to Pull Out of China
January 13, 2010 - 20:47
Tags: Censorship, China, google, Google China, Hillary Clinton, News, Social, social networking, Top Stories
Posted in Social | No comments
In the wake of Google’s threat to pull its business completely out of China, the entire world is responding, including Chinese Internet companies, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and the Chinese government — in the form of censorship.
A quick recap: Yesterday, in a lengthy blog post, Google revealed that it was the victim of sophisticated attacks against its infrastructure, originating from China (possibly from the Chinese government itself).
The targets were the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists. As a result of these attacks — along with Google’s discovery of already compromised Google accounts — the company has decided to not censor its search engine, even if it means being kicked out of China.
The Fallout Has Begun
As we wrote yesterday, the political, social and moral implications could be huge. And, in fact, the fallout has already begun. World leaders are beginning to chime in, none more prominently than Hillary Clinton, President Obama’s secretary of state.
Here’s what she had to say in a brief statement:
“We have been briefed by Google on these allegations, which raise very serious concerns and questions. We look to the Chinese government for an explanation. The ability to operate with confidence in cyberspace is critical in a modern society and economy. I will be giving an address next week on the centrality of internet freedom in the 21st century, and we will have further comment on this matter as the facts become clear.”
As with most statements, it doesn’t reveal all that much. However, we now know for sure that the government has been aware of the situation and will be specifically addressing the issue next week, allowing for the government to gather more information and likely talk to the Chinese in private.
In China, the Google News Is Being Censored
How the news is being interpreted within China is a tricky subject, because it’s getting suppressed in the communist nation. According to a New York Times report, the news was heavily censored or quickly fell from the headlines.
One quote from the article really caught my attention. It’s from an 18-year-old Chinese law student:
“The government should give people the right to see what they want online,” said the woman, Bing, who withheld her full name for fear that it might cause her problems at school. “The government can’t always tell lies to the people.”
At the same time, China’s Internet industry has been shaken to its core, according to The Wall Street Journal. Concern has swept across the industry, as Google’s technological presence has been a boon to the nation’s rapidly growing Internet sector.
It’s probably safe to say that no Chinese Internet company can match Google’s technology or innovations, and losing access to that is an issue. It also has a lot of investments and partnerships that could be affected by a pullout.
This news will continue to leak to the Chinese people, despite the censors. How much information they got, or what explanation the government would give if Google.cn were to simply disappear, is still unknown.
The pressure has begun to build on China, and it’s not going to go away anytime soon.
Tags: censorship, china, Google, Google China, Hillary Clinton
Haiti Earthquake: Twitter Pictures Sweep Across the Web [PHOTOS]
January 13, 2010 - 06:57
Tags: haiti, mashable, News, Social, social media, social networking, Top Stories, trending, twitPic, twitter
Posted in Social | No comments
An outpouring of well wishes and support for the Haitian people has swept the web in the wake of a devastating 7.0 earthquake in Haiti. And just like during the Eureka earthquake, tweets have quickly spread moving and gut-wrenching TwitPics of the disaster.
Photos taken by journalist @CarelPedre on his mobile phone are providing a glimpse into the devastation that has slammed the Caribbean nation. Another Twitter user, @MarvinAdy, shared those pictures through TwitPic, resulting in tens of thousands of views and countless retweets.
There are also thousands of Facebook and Twitter updates on the disaster appearing every minute. The web has been moved by the plight of the Haitian people. Social media has quickly become the first place where millions react to large-scale catastrophes.
Our best wishes go out to the victims of this devastating natural disaster, as well as their families. Below is a collection of the most retweeted pictures coming out of Haiti, courtesy of TwitPic.
Haiti Earthquake in Pictures
Reviews: Facebook, Twitpic, Twitter
Tags: haiti, trending, twitpic, twitter
