Marketing Pilgrim Published: “Would You Shop At A Google Digital Newsstand?” plus 1 more

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Would You Shop At A Google Digital Newsstand? Posted: 03 Jan 2011 05:25 AM PST When I worked in Manhattan about 3 or 4 lifetimes ago I used to love stopping at looking at what was offered at a newsstand. Magazines about just about everything and every daily newspaper that great city had to offer. Just scanning the contents could give you an overview of what was going on in the entire world through headlines. In a way, it was the content portal of its time (this was pre commercial Internet remember, back when we used smoke signals to get by). Well, I haven't had that experience in a long time and honestly, the online news experience has virtually no visceral quality so it’s just not the same at all. I'm not here to wax nostalgic though. In an attempt to possibly recreate my NYC newsstand experience (without the weather, the people and the smells) Google is looking to put together something for publishers on its Android platform. This is probably more about beating Apple than re-creating the Big Apple newsstand but I'll take it. The Wall Street Journal reports Google is trying to drum up publishers’ support for a new Google-operated digital newsstand for users of devices that run its Android software. With the effort, it is chasing Apple, which already sells digital versions of many major magazines and newspapers through its iTunes store. The e-newsstand would include apps from media companies offering versions of their publications for smartphones or tablets running Android, say people familiar with the matter. Google hopes to launch it in part to provide a more consistent experience for consumers who want to read periodicals on Android devices, and to help publishers collect payment for their apps, these people say. While the idea of it sounds very interesting there is a real chance that the project may not ever see the light of day. In this day and age it looks like the prospect of trying to put something together on the DL is no longer possible so we'll talk about this maybe, kinda, sorta prospect. The Journal continues Inside Google, the e-newsstand initiative is being spearheaded by Stephanie Tilenius, its vice president of e-commerce, according to two people familiar with the matter. “We’ve consistently said we’re talking with publishers about ways we can work together, including whether we can help them with technology for subscription services. We have nothing specific to announce at this time,” Google said in a statement. The WSJ article does a deep dive into the current state of affairs in this area including a mention of the recent shelving of News Corp.'s version (remember the big talk from Rupert Murdoch about paywalls etc., etc). As for me, I will sit back and wait to see if this idea ever really sees the light of day. The tablet space is going to break wide open in the upcoming year and what will be offered as a result is anybody's guess. Let's just hope it makes sense, is a reasonable cost and can be understood by the common man. So what about you? Would you like to step up to an online newsstand to see what is available? Would that kind of presentation help you to pay for online content or is the newsstand another one of those things that are going the way of the horse and buggy as we continue to digitize our lives further?

Goldman Sachs Invests $450 Million in Facebook Posted: 03 Jan 2011 04:44 AM PST Facebook is reportedly receiving a combined total of $500 million in new investment money with $450 million coming from Goldman Sachs and another $50 million from Russia's Digital Sky Technologies. This is all happening based on a jaw dropping $50 billion valuation of Facebook. Speculation as to what is going to be done with this money runs a wide range. From Mashable The first thing Facebook's likely to do with its $2 billion in new funding is to cash out some of its existing investors and employees. The social network previously did this when DST bought $200 million in Facebook stock from its employees. Some of its early investors may also reach into the $2 billion pot and cash out. Once that's done, it's all about growth. The $2 billion number in the last quote? That comes from another funding effort that will be headed up by Goldman Sachs. In true Wall Street fashion there are special code words. Goldman Sachs will help Facebook raise an additional $1.5 billion through a "special purpose vehicle" designed to allow outside investors to indirectly invest in the company. Since there is speculation about just how much more room Facebook has in allowing further investment without requiring it go public this is an interesting aspect of the story but one that we will probably never really know. Another more practical angle on what might be on the horizon From Search Engine Land Imagine that Facebook were to become convinced that having its own search engine was a key to delivering a better user experience overall, as well as generating new ad revenue. One obvious and immediate possibility would be to buy Blekko, which has pushed social integration with Facebook Likes further than Microsoft itself. So while the rest of the economy is still in chaos and stuck in neutral on its best day, Facebook is looking good. Interestingly enough, it is looking good with help from a company that took $10 billion in TARP funds back in 2008 when its chief executive said it wasn't in real trouble (it paid back those funds in about 6 months just before executive bonus season) and it recently paid $550 million in fines for misleading investors. With a culture like that and the way Facebook views its users privacy these bedfellows are not strange at all. In fact, they appear to be 'two peas in a pod' and one can only imagine what lies ahead for the Wall Street robber barons and the Internet's privacy barons. Sounds like fun! So remember, that when you are using Facebook it may make sense to think of that great phrase "Your tax dollars hard at work!". What's your take on what's next for Facebook? Is a search engine in the making? Will that IPO finally happen? Will a select few get very rich? Let us know your thoughts.

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