Social networking

PunchTab gets $4.4M to pile on gifts

PunchTab, a startup creating loyalty programs for bloggers and businesses, today announced it raised $4.4 million from Mohr Davidow Ventures. PunchTab essentially helps people with loyal readers or frequent shoppers reward those folks for sharing their love.

"It's like an airline loyalty program, without the airline," laughs PunchTab co-founder Ranjith Kumaran. He is also the founder of YouSendIt, a company that helps you collaborate on and share large files online.

"We start by asking our clients 'What are the top five actions you want your users to take and what types of rewards would make … Read more

Zuckerberg on 'Charlie Rose': Why Facebook rules

Mark Zuckerberg's appearance on Charlie Rose's talk show, together with Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, went on for a long time.

So I have confined the first part here to the short version of what was said. It continues later on with a little more, well, philosophical detail. And the full transcript is right at the bottom.

The Short Version

They talked about how no one company would dominate the Valley -- and presumably, the world. They talked about how Google, Yahoo and Microsoft were far more heinous when it came to taking liberties with your privacy than was … Read more

Zynga said to plan IPO after Thanksgiving, report says

Social gaming giant Zynga is planning to proceed with its initial public offering after Thanksgiving, Bloomberg is reporting.

The company was expected to raise up to $1 billion by going public as early as September. But the stock market's recent roller-coaster ride reportedly prompted the game maker to back off on its IPO plans.

Zynga, which could see more than $1 billion in sales this year, has been one of the most anticipated public offerings this year, according to the post. The company's SEC filing pegged its valuation at $11 billion in March.

In addition to stock market … Read more

Groupon model still faces obstacles to success

Now that we have gotten the Groupon IPO out of the way, the debate over the health of the daily-deals sector rages on.

In fact, the novelty of being one of the fastest growing Web juggernauts ever began fading before last week's IPO. One early warning sign: the Chicago-based company's core business, which it pioneered just three years ago--prepaid local daily deals--dipped 3 percent during the third quarter, Yipit, a deals aggregator and industry tracking firm, reported prior to Groupon's IPO.

What's more, according to Yipit's research, Groupon's gross billings per subscriber are … Read more

New Droid Razr ad slices destructively

Yesterday, I was watching some football match when, during a commercial break, I heard a strange slicing motion.

It was the sort of thing you hear in the movies before a severed head rolls along the sidewalk, with bulging, stunned eyes.

Oddly, when I looked up, the Droid Razr was responsible for the mayhem.… Read more

Twitter strikes two media partnerships, expanding TV presence

Twitter today announced partnerships with Mass Relevance and Crimson Hexagon, two companies that help TV outlets sift through the more than 250 million tweets made each day as they try to find comments relevant to their programing. With more 100 million people using Twitter, networks and brands are eager to get their "follow."

"Expect to see additional partnerships of this kind as we look for new ways to help everyone get the best out of Twitter," explains the official Twitter blog, revealing few details.

Twitter says these partnerships aren't a revenue source, but instead are … Read more

Zuckerberg: Google building its 'little version of Facebook'

Everyone loves everyone else in Silicon Valley.

Well, except Apple and Google. And then there's Facebook and Google.

In a preview to tonight's PBS interview in which Charlie Rose looks ruggedly dapper and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg look eager to please, Zuckerberg can't help but show a slightly venomous hem when it comes to the searchers turned socializers.

He says that, while he eschews the idea of war in the Valley, Google is "trying to build its own little Facebook."

Many will be amused at the poignant truth that Google has, … Read more

Here come Google+ Pages for business, at last

Google is finally starting to let businesses set up shop on its Google+ social network.

The Web giant has created Google+ Pages, a place where businesses can add their own content so customers and fans can connect with them.

"So far Google+ has focused on connecting people with other people," Google Senior Vice President of Engineering Vic Gundotra wrote in a blog post today. "But we want to make sure you can build relationships with all the things you care about--from local businesses to global brands--so today we're rolling out Google+ Pages worldwide."

As Google+ … Read more

Now Anonymous threatens Iowa caucuses?

Is it possible that hacking has become slightly old hat?

Is it possible that the amorphous group called Anonymous has decided more direct action is necessary?

This might be the case, given a new YouTube video which has emerged from the very loose organization. This one attempts to rouse a disruption of the 2012 Iowa caucuses, traditionally the first in the election process.

In the video, which includes some quite hum-worthy music, the disguised narrator declares that both political parties have failed us.

He continues: "Both parties are desecrating the American democracy and committing crimes against humanity on behalf … Read more