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Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Posted by kdownie @ 9:33am GMT

The ailing company has been on the block for half a year, but DoubleClick has finally agreed to be acquired by private equity firm Hellman & Friedman for approximately $1.1 billion. So DoubleClick is "going private", and current shareholders will get $8.50 per share. Quite disappointing for a company that used to command $130 per share. So what happened? Did the company grow too fast? Diversify too much? Lose crucial ground to more nimble competitors? The answer to all of these questions seems to be "yes."

Friday, April 15, 2005

Posted by kdownie @ 6:12am GMT

The on-demand delivery model for enterprise software -- managed hosting, software as service, whatever you want to call it -- is a big deal right now. Ever since Salesforce.com broke out with its wildly successful IPO last June, investors and industry watchers have been bullish on the promise of hosted applications.
Sure, application service providers (ASPs) have been around for years, but after the dot-com hype faded, it became clear that the "rented software" model only made sense for small businesses that didn't require true enterprise functionality. Not anymore. Flash forward to 2005, and ASPs are once again the darlings of Silicon Valley.

Outsourcing | read more

Wednesday, April 13, 2005

Posted by kdownie @ 11:11am GMT

It's tax time again, and those of you who are filling out paper forms and licking stamps are in the minority for the first time ever. When all returns are in, the IRS expects to have surpassed the 50 percent mark for electronic returns, reports CNET. Why the rush to the Net? Why the promise of quicker returns, of course. And here's something I didn't know: The IRS actually requires CPAs to file returns electronically these days. One possible roadblock to mass adoption, however, is that the IRS doesn't let people file taxes directly through its Web site, but instead offers its "Free File" program that lets taxpayers file electronically through tax preparation software and service providers with whom the IRS has partnerships.

Tuesday, April 12, 2005

Posted by kdownie @ 10:43am GMT

If you're a brick-and-mortar or catalog retailer trying to break into the online channel, chances are your online sales conversion rates are below those of your competitiors that are focused on e-commerce, according to a new study released by Nielsen/NetRatings. The study found that among the top 10 online retailers ranked by conversion rates in February, only Coldwater Creek has a significant brick-and-mortar presence. Kudos to Coldwater -- that must be why Sears decided to keep it. While the average sales conversion rate on e-commerce sites is 4.9%, QVC led the pack, converting over 16% of site shoppers into purchasers. Land's End was close behind, and Amazon, Yahoo Shopping and eBay also made the top 10.

Monday, April 11, 2005

Posted by kdownie @ 11:22am GMT

The Internet telephony market is only just beginning to heat up, and the market is largely up for grabs as cable companies, ISPs and telcos jockey for position. There's a lot of competition, but AOL may be in a good position to nudge consumers into VoIP, as the company is already experienced at holding the hands of its mostly non-technical customers. AOL Internet Phone Service is more expensive than plans offered by market leader Vonage, even at the "low" introductory rate, but hey -- overpriced service has never stopped AOL in the past.

Wednesday, April 06, 2005

Posted by kdownie @ 1:18pm GMT

Google has started to unveil the fruits of its recent acquisition of Keyhole Corp., a digital map maker that has added a lot of value to the already way-cool maps.google.com. For now, Google claims to be offering free satellite maps of many areas of the United States, with the capability of zooming in all the way down to individual houses and businesses. I say "claims to be" because I couldn't get any of the satellite maps to work for me. But even Google's non-satellite offerings are much higher quality (and, at first glance, more accurate and comprehensive) than any online map service you've ever seen. Eat your heart out, Mapquest -- you're so 1990s.

Monday, April 04, 2005

Posted by kdownie @ 1:48pm GMT

The broad scope of Google, Yahoo and MSN can be a liability when trying to appeal to users who want to find information about specific niches. Vertical search engines -- some independent and some funded by the big boys -- are gaining popularity with users who want to easily center their searches around specific topics and avoid sifting through hundreds of irrelevant pages. Specialty search engines targeted at specific topics or industries won't replace the larger search engines, reports Internet Week, but they will add a "new layer" to the game.

Tuesday, March 29, 2005

Posted by kdownie @ 12:33pm GMT

Just as we all suspected, the MGM vs. Grokster case has made it all the way to the Supreme Court, in a case that will determine whether file swapping services have a viable business model or are liable for copyright infringement. So far, two federal courts have sided with the file swapping companies, basically upholding the ruling of the 1984 Betamax case. While I agree with the Betamax ruling (basically a "don't ask, don't tell" policy), I don't see a direct parallel to file sharing. More importantly, Justice Anthony Kennedy doesn't seem to, either. Today Kennedy told attorneys for Grokster and Streamcast that "What you are suggesting is unlawful expropriation of property as a kind of start-up capital. From an economic standpoint and legal standpoint, that sounds wrong."

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