Disqus - Latest Comments for Eric Eldon

Re: Another Googler goes to Facebook: Sheryl Sandberg becomes new COO

Eric Eldon — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:34:59 -0000

Right you are, Greg. Thanks.

Re: VentureBeat in LA: Digital media happy hour at The Belmont, tomorrow

Eric Eldon — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 14:36:31 -0000

Thanks, everyone. See you this evening!

Re: Slideshow company Animoto makes clever use of Facebook's platform

Eric Eldon — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 22:10:38 -0000

kev, i wrote the article specifically because i thought the company did an unusually nice job making use of facebook's platform.

yes, i did actually create a video -- did you see the screenshot of it?

Re: Fake presidential candidate spam comes to Twitter

Eric Eldon — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 18:47:38 -0000

True, Bobbie, but I put unsolicited, pointless email from bots in the spam category, too.

Re: Big media in little places: CBS, DoubleClick, expand widget ad options

Eric Eldon — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:51:55 -0000

Yakov, search result ads are clearly valuable, but that hardly precludes other valuable forms of advertising from emerging as the web evolves. We shall see!

Re: Meebo raising round, valued up to $250 million. Bear Stearns sold for $236 million

Eric Eldon — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 02:43:00 -0000

Yeah, Matthew Maroon, it was a typo. We've fixed. Our copy editor has kids, so she's asleep at this hour.

Re: Ad network Federated Media close to raising $30M round, valued at $200M

Eric Eldon — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 16:38:48 -0000

@what. the concept behind news writing (whether an article or ablog) is that the news starts at the top of the story, then the context comes further down.

you're saying i shouldn't add context? that seems like a disservice to (most of) our readers

Re: From a Stanford doctorate to Jessica Simpson hair-do tryouts

Eric Eldon — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:32:29 -0000

dean, you made me spew my morning coffee with that photo of you/jessica

Re: Ad network Federated Media close to raising $30M round, valued at $200M

Eric Eldon — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:03:09 -0000

@mike. hold on. re-read the lede, which states openly that this blog runs ads from FM. then re-read the last line of the article, which suggests that some blogs are looking at other options where they can make more money.

you know what's sad here? your reading comprehension skills.

Re: Roundup: Quattrone is back and banking, LiveJournal rebellion and more

Eric Eldon — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 23:38:39 -0000

@yuri. you haven't convinced me i got anything wrong

1) SUP's connection to the kremlin is more than gossip:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2007/dec/02/...

2) i said "SUP has tried to charge for new accounts that aren’t otherwise ad-supported." i never said what you interpreted me to have said.

frankly, it looks like SUP is just trying to run a real business, and meanwhile LiveJournal users are a vocal and rather crazy bunch.

Re: Roundup: Quattrone is back and banking, LiveJournal rebellion and more

Eric Eldon — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:48:49 -0000

Yuri: There are most certainly different ways to interpret articles like The Guardian's. I'll concede that SUP -- in contrast to what many have feared -- seems to not be censoring its users. I've added a note about that in my post, above.

However, the reality is that ownership structures in Russia are not transparent, including Mamut's relationship with the government. There have been too many press-related issues in Russia to not mention them in the context of LiveJournal.

I'm not sure we disagree on anything else in the article.

Re: Facebook ad network Lookery hits its billion-impression target; Social networking doomed?

Eric Eldon — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 20:23:01 -0000

Scott, thanks for the note.

I understand that you're expanding beyond Facebook in your data gathering efforts. I'd said that, but I've added a couple lines to make that more clear.

Re: Whoop-dee-doo: Now you can import friends to social networks from Windows chat

Eric Eldon — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:46:02 -0000

thanks, adam.

sadly, i find too many of those lunches to be a waste of time ;)

seriously, i think the relevancy of the story stands for itself. i'm not going to argue about it with you unless you get more specific

Re: Whoop-dee-doo: Now you can import friends to social networks from Windows chat

Eric Eldon — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 19:47:54 -0000

christoph, i completely understand your point, and it's not what microsoft announced. instead, microsoft used the terminology that people wanted to hear about "data portability" in order to promote a catch-up play against other IM services. i'm not willing to construe that action to mean a far more serious commitment to, in some form, share user data

Re: Vivaty offers 3D virtual world for any web site

Eric Eldon — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 03:17:23 -0000

@Albert, how do you see the corporate world making use of Vivaty for conferences and meetings?

Re: Trouble in conference land: TechCrunch50, DEMO happening at the same time

Eric Eldon — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 19:19:02 -0000

Thanks, Jason, we've fixed.

Re: How William Morris and other Hollywood agencies are getting into tech startups and investing

Eric Eldon — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 14:32:15 -0000

@berry zito Huh? It said DFJ

@Kasey Kahne Huh? It said "personal connections"

Re: Facebook to settle with ConnectU

Eric Eldon — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:25:13 -0000

@joe thomas i've never really gotten this argument. facebook in its early days was bare-bones php code. php is open-source and building simple features like user profiles is not meaningful IP.

even if zuck's code was somewhat similar to connectU's, can't that be said of any very basic social network built in php?

it's hard for me to imagine a run-of-the-mill IP agreement covering connectU's bases here, but maybe you know more.

Re: Facebook to settle with ConnectU

Eric Eldon — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 18:27:12 -0000

@John. i see your points. and i respectfully still disagree:

1) WHAT original code? I mean, Facebook didn't even have basic features like poking, the wall and photo albums when it first launched

2) I disagree with your reasoning here, because Facebook may want to just get this monkey off ots back instead of having the case drag on for longer. Innocent defendants settle out of course for this sort of reason all the time.

3) So maybe ConnectU has been jealous since early on.

4) Yeah, I know, it doesn't look that good, but you do realize that Zuckerberg had also been busy with his own projects, like FaceMash. If ConnectU's case was so amazingly strong -- like if it had paperwork saying that it had rights to Zuckerberg's work -- then it would have won the case long ago. But the case is just sitting there mired in questionable delays... I really doubt that ConnectU has any strong claim here.

Re: The $10 billion state bond for high-speed trains -- good for Silicon Valley, good for California?

Eric Eldon — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 12:53:12 -0000

@Mark Wendman. Thanks for your intelligent criticism. I'm personally very familiar with all of the mass transit options in the Bay Area. Bus services are currently pretty adequate, and what's more, expanding them won't solve the problem of road congestion for longer-range commuters and for long-distance travelers.... Busses will just be stuck on the highways along with everyone else. And solving that problem in turn means expanding highways to include bus lanes, which will also cost a lot, and won't deliver the same punch as trains. However, I'm all for expanding and integrating regional transit systems, too. In fact, I think that needs to happen in tandem with CHSR.

@morris brown. If you want to seriously question CHSR's stats, you're going to have to put some actual effort into disproving them. Right now, you have a lot of unsupported assertions that you still need to back up. Sorry.

@Martin Engel. I think your skepticism is healthy, and I'd like to CHSR become so transparent about how they plan to use the money that they placate critics like you. That said, I think you're ranging into hyperbole when you make the assumption that the train will actually cost $100B and that CA will pay for all of that. As I said in my article, 3/4 of the projected $42 billion is already going to be paid for by the feds and by private sources. I actually do think that with a state population of 50 million by 2020, with a continual stream of tourists and biz travelers, this train could see meaningful ridership. Also, the demographic trends are completely in the train's favor -- younger people want to live in urban areas, and don't want to drive their cars everywhere. And they also want efficient means to travel long distances.

Re: Breaking: Protest against Chinese Olympic torch relay in SF, live on Twitter

Eric Eldon — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 16:43:04 -0000

@john moseley. i wouldn't say that. i think any government that does bad things needs to be held accountable by the world. this goes for the chinese government, the us government, and many others.

Re: Online video services company Move Networks raises $46 million

Eric Eldon — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 23:42:31 -0000

I've updated, Dan. Thanks for letting us know.

Re: Facebook is kinda competing with FriendFeed, like it kinda competes with Twitter

Eric Eldon — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:48:53 -0000

um, yeah, keith, that was an editorial typo and i've clarified

Re: Live Current Media bowls for Indian cricket fans on the web

Eric Eldon — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 11:31:09 -0000

thanks, guys. by "national sport" i'd meant "by far the most popular sport," not the official national sport. but i've clarified in the article.

Re: ILike (and its apps) show results: It really is helping musicians reach fans across the web

Eric Eldon — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:23:26 -0000

@mdg, the rest of your comment negates the first line of your comment. ;)

seriously, i agree with you. my headline says "helping musicians" not "breaking musicians" and in my article, i explain how ilike is part of something bigger. but it's pretty strong anecdotal evidence that ticketmaster is seeing an effect, and that a lot of people watch videos of musicians through it.

still, there is most definitely a need for cleaner data here, but like most data, the information i currently have available isn't clean. the best i can do, for now, anyways, is telling what i know.

Re: Meebo raises $25 million; Matt to eat his hat [Updated]

Eric Eldon — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:55:47 -0000

Thanks, yeah, had to take some extra time finding a better one.

Re: Q&A with Max Levchin of Slide, on e-commerce, APIs, feeds, and a Russian rock band

Eric Eldon — Sat, 03 May 2008 00:14:13 -0000

Correct this, socialmediaguru

1) Friendster's implementation of its news feed was patently different than Facebook's. It didn't include the mini-feed for example.

2) Max said hi5 was POSSIBLY the fastest-growing network, and the comScore numbers you reference show hi5 and Friendster pretty evenly matched in terms of unique monthly visitors (pageviews aren't a great measure, because Friendster's interface may force users to click through more pages than other sites).

3) I'm not sure exactly where Max got Xiaonei's 22 million number from, but it may have been from here: http://www.pacificepoch.com/newsstories?id=1218...

Re: Roundup: Yahoo braces for a return to normal life, GTA IV, and more

Eric Eldon — Mon, 05 May 2008 04:28:13 -0000

Haha, you're right, James. I'd written that line yesterday, and now I've updated with a reference to Iron Man's great showing.

Re: What's happening at LinkedIn? Is it getting bought? [Update 3: Or getting funded?]

Eric Eldon — Mon, 05 May 2008 19:16:09 -0000

@LGgeek You're right. I was referencing another article where LinkedIn said it is projecting that it will make between $75M and $100M this year.

Re: Breaking: Protest against Chinese Olympic torch relay in SF, live on Twitter

Eric Eldon — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 18:24:36 -0000

Guys, I've noticed a couple racist comments come in on this post, that I've deleted. No hate speech allowed. Period.

Re: Pandora goes mobile

Eric Eldon — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 02:33:39 -0000

Indeed, Jake, we've covered the new Pandora iPhone/iTouch app ourselves.

http://venturebeat.com/2008/07/10/traditional-r...

And since I wrote this article last year, I've become a hardcore Pandora user.

Re: Illustrations Based on the Shape of States by Frank Chimero

Eric Eldon — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 20:30:57 -0000

Great find!

Re: The Man She Forgot to Google by T-Shirt Humor

Eric Eldon — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 12:41:50 -0000

Is the woman in the photo supposed to look like Marissa Mayer? ;)

Re: Facebook Used to Battle Colombian Revolutionaries

Eric Eldon — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 12:04:04 -0000

The Colombian government has been convicted in its own courts of having close ties to the country's right-wing paramilitary organizations (which are guilty of terrorist activities, growing cocaine, etc. just like their enemy, FARC).

I'm guessing FARC would respond to your post by saying its the Colombian elite that's terrorizing the poor of the country. You know, the elite that has decent access to the internet and knows about sites like Facebook.

I'm not trying to justify FARC's actions -- they're also wrong. I'm just saying that in a country like Colombia, torn by civil war, everybody's usually right to call their opponents terrorists.

Re: Ignore Your Friends on Facebook

Eric Eldon — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 11:18:32 -0000

Yeah, killer feature!

Re: Social network marketing: Getting from zero to critical mass

Eric Eldon — Wed, 14 May 2008 22:47:03 -0000

What do you think about the potential of white-label social networks, like Ning, in this context?

Also, I hate it when I'm biking and my tire gets stuck in the tracks.

Re: 2008/07/08/congress-censor-twitter-qik/

Eric Eldon — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 23:56:43 -0000

Mark, as far as I can tell, you're badly mistaken.

Show me the part where this one guy Capuano (not "Congressional Democrats") wants to censor what House members say? Here's a relevant line from the document above:

"Please note that nothing in these recommendations should be construed as a recommendation to change the current House rules and regulations governing the content of official communications."

It sounds like he wants an official site for House members to post press releases. Or maybe a House-branded video player. Maybe even an official site for posting Twitter and Qik updates. It's not at all clear, in fact, what this guy is even trying to say. My conclusion: Whoop. Tee. Do.

You should go re-read O'Reilly's post, Masnick's post and the second update on Aaron's post.

Last note: Your headline is ridiculous because it directly implies that "Congressional Democrats" want to censor *everybody* on Twitter and Qik.

Re: 2008/07/08/congress-censor-twitter-qik/

Eric Eldon — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:46:25 -0000

Alright, guys, its time for me to write my own post about this.

Re: Morsels from the Crunchies, or Whatever Happened to Business Software?

Eric Eldon — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 15:44:01 -0000

I think this is a pretty fair run-down. How would you organize the award categories?

Re: Morsels from the Crunchies, or Whatever Happened to Business Software?

Eric Eldon — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 15:44:01 -0000

I think this is a pretty fair run-down. How would you organize the award categories?

Re: Triple Points, Less 92

Eric Eldon — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 17:31:22 -0000

nice work!

Re: Patricof on "R.I.P Good Times": Don't Burrow Into a Dark Hole

Eric Eldon — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 03:19:10 -0000

Thanks for shooting the messenger, guys. But I'm standing by VentureBeat's coverage of the Sequoia presentation.

Sequoia thinks there's a long term slow down in the works; many economists also agree. The cost of capital has been dropping for decades, for example, but it's not going any lower from now on. This almost certainly means we'll all have to work more and save more for a long time to come. Patricoff apparently disagrees with Sequoia's long-term assessment but he doesn't directly rebut the presentation's points.

In fact, aside from some rhetoric, I'm not sure exactly where Patricoff and Sequoia disagree. Except where he misconstrues what Sequoia's message was (example: "cut off all investment in the future" -- Sequoia didn't actually say that).

As a journalist, I felt the presentation needed to be out there. I didn't choose to adopt Patricoff's particular line of spin because, well, the evidence for it is at least as murky the evidence for a long-term slowdown.

However, we also don't necessarily endorse Sequoia's opinion as fact. We are also publishing more positive interpretations of the present startup environment, such as this:

http://venturebeat.com/2008/10/10/remaining-obj...

Finally, I don't have evidence that the presentation was "strategically leaked" to me or others, as you suggest. Perhaps you have more information on that?