Google finally buys Waze

The anticipation was so high regarding the acquisition of Waze. Facebook & Google both were on the race of buying Waze. 

Please also read: Google & Facebook are on a bid to acquire Waze, another high valued acquisition in the industry.

Finally its Google who becomes the winner in the tempted race. 

Google has purchased Waze, the company that makes the popular social traffic app, but did not disclose terms of the deal.

Google confirmed the purchase in a blog post on Tuesday: "The Waze product development team will remain in Israel and operate separately for now. We’re excited about the prospect of enhancing Google Maps with some of the traffic update features provided by Waze and enhancing Waze with Google’s search capabilities."

As the industry follower, to me its the Google Map that has pushed away Facebook from the competition. Though the deal is not yet revealed by any of the parties, but our assumption says it not less than $ 1 billion .With the help of the traffic update features of Waze, Google Map will definitely bring something very out  of the box for the social map users. 

Courtesy: Mashable.com

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Google+ grows to become 2nd largest social platform globally

Google+ has taken some exemplary moves over last few months which have helped transforming the stage for it by becoming the number two in recently published ranking by globalwebindex.

Once criticized as the ghost town by large portion of media. More than 300 million users must nullify that statement by now. So Google+ despite being branded a failure or ghost town, grew in terms of active usage by 27% to 343m users to become the number 2 social platform.  

And Youtube , another mega service by Google is at number 3. Youtube is now showing the immense opportunity of linking Google’s services through the Google+ social layer. This is how, Google+ integrated with so many Google products which can define the future of search and the internet.

Business persons & general users used to think of Twitter & Facebook are the two best social network to promote business.  Probably it were true till Q4 2012 when Google+ was in number 3 and Twitter & Facebook toping the list with number 1 & number 2 positions respectively. So bottom line is business person, digital marketer or be it general user, Google + is a must considerable one for the time being.

One may not get 100 comments on Google+ but the quality of them will be superior and more in depth that some of the inconsequential stuff one will get on Facebook, for example.

So to me it’s time we give importance to Google+ in order to help our business and drive traffic and quality interactions.

Here is how to get started with Google+

Courtesy: Socialmeidatoday, globalwebindex, Youtube.

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David Karp: Why I Sold Tumblr

In an interview Thursday with Charlie Rose, Tumblr founder David Karp opened up about the $ 1.1 billion acquisition everyone’s talking about. 

Inc. users have been getting to know David Karp since Tumblr burst on the scene a few years ago: His prodigious worth ethic; his favorite Tumblr; and even his modeling career. Now that he has sold Tumblr to Yahoo, his is in demand everywhere. On Thursday, he sat down with Bloomberg TV's Charlie Rose Thursday night to discuss Yahoo's $1.1 billion acquisition, why he dropped out of high school, and how he plans to preserve Tumblr's authenticity.

Here are some of the highlights.

On how Tumblr got involved with Yahoo in the first place: 

"We started conversations about working with Yahoo in November of last year. After a few months, we knew there was a lot we were going to be doing together, regardless. We knew we were going to be working together. That's when Marissa [Mayer] showed up in New York and started to walk me through a story of how we could do even more together."

Why Yahoo is a good fit for Tumblr:

"[Yahoo] was a company with a legacy doing exactly the same kind of stuff we're hinging our business on--creative brand advertising. They were the original digital media company. They took a different approach to media. They approached media as an editorial team that created content and built creative brand advertising on top of that content. That's a big part of the future of Tumblr's business. That's something they've built out technology for and something they have advertiser relationships around and something they have a whole big honking salesforce for. What Marissa showed me and what their team showed us was an opportunity for Yahoo to help us fuel in a huge way the development of that network and the development of our ad business."

Tumblr's introduction of ads:

"It's very native advertising. The advertisements fit into spots where we already promote content. We already promote the best of Tumblr and use that as a place for people to discover things they wouldn't have seen otherwise. We'll roll in advertisements into those spots where we promote organic content."

Why it was the right time to sell:

"I was not expecting to sell the company this year, certainly wasn't looking to sell the company. This was a really, really remarkable opportunity that presented itself. This was an unbelievable opportunity to shortcut a lot of the very hard things that we're about to be going through."

Why he dropped out of high school:

"[Computer programming] wasn't in academia, and that was really the reason for me to drop out of school. It wasn't, 'Screw this.' It wasn't that I was bored. It wasn't that my friends were so lame. I was really enjoying school, but back in 1997 and 2000, when I was in high school, there wasn't computer science education in high schools in New York."

On the future of Tumblr:

"Hopefully we get this right, and Tumblr will be home to the most aspiring and talented creators all over the world. That's something we've already started to do. Regular people in the world, right now, they spend a huge amount of time in front of their televisions consuming premium content, some would call it, stuff produced by publishers, networks, studios. If we're not already there today, certainly five years from now, I expect the vast majority of the content we enjoy not to be produced only by a handful of creators who are selected and supported by those big studios."

Courtesy: www.inc.com

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Google & Facebook are on a bid to acquire Waze, another high valued acquisition in the industry.

The buzz of the hot high valued acquisition of Tumblr is not yet over fully and another buzz has started spreading like viral move. 

Read also: 7 top most reasons behind Tumblr acquisition by Yahoo!

There is much high anticipation in the social media industry that Google & Facebook are in a race of acquiring Waze, a popular mobile mapping application based in Israel.

According to Mashable, Waze has been in talk for a possible

acquisition with Google & Facebook for as much as $ 1 billion. Besides, it is confirmed by the relevant stakeholders that Waze may look for an acquisition price of more than $1 billion. Google and Facebook are both reportedly interested in the social navigation app. Earlier this year, Apple was said to be interested in owning Waze  for a similar price. 

Google & Facebook are yet to decide and close the deal. On the other hand , Waze is trying to ignite a biding war to drive up the price. Sources think, if Waze does not get desired price, it may back off the deal talks and use media to leverage more venture funding.

Its not hard to comment why these two giants – Facebook & Google are getting crazy to have this deal in their favor. Both these network are competing each other over their dominance on mapping service.  

Few facts about Waze:

• Founded - in 2007
• Founder -  Ehud Shabtai, Amir Shinar, Uri Levine,
• CEO - Noam Bardin
• 40 million registered users
• Headquartered in Israel

Brief on Waze:

Waze is like Apple Maps or Google Maps in that it lays out directions for drivers on a street grid. It also has voice navigation. In addition to providing users with directions, it lets users scan real-time traffic information provided by other Waze users who are driving on the same roads.

A Waze driver a few miles ahead of you, for example, could report an accident and that cars aren't moving. Another might tell you where a cop is hiding around the bend. 

Though there have some weaker points of Waze, still as the big players are in a battle of acquiring it, there must have some positive things that override the negative parts whatsoever. 

Photo Credi: Allthingsd.com, Google.com, Waze.com

Courtesy: Mashable, Business Insiders

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Ashton Kutcher: 'I Don't Think Anyone Has Mastered Mobile'

“it’s going to be hard for Facebook to master mobile because Facebook is a bit closed, and Facebook has to focus on a lot of things,”

Says actor and prominent startup investor Aston Kutcher who took the stage at CTIA Thursday (23rd May'13) to talk about mobile, and specifically mobile apps.

Photo Credit: Mashable.com

Courtesy: Mashable.com

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7 top most reasons behind Tumblr acquisition by Yahoo!

In last couple of days, there is so much noise in the virtual world regarding Yahoo’s $ 1.1 billion acquisition of Tumblr.

Find previous post : Yahoo! opts for buying the growing blogging platform Tumblr

So many anticipations are there in order to dig down the inner

reasons of this much valued acquisition. Here are 7 reasons that played the role in favor Marissa, CEO of Yahoo for taking this bold & big step: 

1. Crack ever growing prospect of mobile internet: Its evident that the use of the internet is growing versus desktop and laptop computer use. According to the experts - mobile use of the internet will take over land use of the internet by early 2014. Yahoo is yet to create any sustainable foot print in this medium. On the other hand, Tumblr having 15 billion page views a month, is expected to have most of the traffic from mobile in coming year. So acquiring this high potential micro blogging site would definitely give break through to Yahoo to crack the mobile internet effectively.

2. A wake up call for Yahoo to be social with billion users: Google , Facebook , Twitter etc are ruling the world wide web with upgraded social networking components which is highly the requirement of the time. And Yahoo has not been able to react in this segment positively for so long. As a result, when other search engines like Google is spreading its net with updated social network initiatives, Yahoo is loosing the race. Good thing is Marissa has got it right and to come along in the race, this kind of bang on acquisition is highly required to come back to the track. 

3.Yahoo can’t stay back this time as appeal of micro blogging is climbing high: According to the industry experts, people are becoming more inclined towards micro blogging concept which was initially started by Twitter. But this micro blogging concept has been redefined  by Tumblr with its most creative contents which ensure higher level of visibility. Yahoo can’t afford to allow free ride to the biggies. 

4. Leverage mobile advertise of Tumblr: The move allows Yahoo to take advantage of the rapidly growing mobile advertising. As Tumblr’s mobile advertising market is expected to increase by 65% to $2.1 billion in the U.S. alone this year. And its mobile viewership is growing even more quickly, quadrupling in the last six months, according to the company. According to Tumblr founder and CEO David Karp, mobile traffic will overtake desktop traffic by early 2014 at the latest. Thus Yahoo will rip the full benefit.

5. Glorify the image to the teenagers: Yahoo is ready to build its “cool” image to the teenagers giving big time comfort to the advertisers. Given its aging audience is Yahoo's biggest problem with advertisers right now, the hunt for cool companies is high on Mayer's agenda. Thus Tumblr becomes as an attractive acquisition as it has so much credibility among this audience that Yahoo is seeking -- this 18-to-24 sweet spot who fall under the hot target group for most of the advertisers.

6. Great showcase of learning from mistakes by Yahoo: Yahoo has showcased an exemplary move by learning from mistakes that eventually will build confidence of the shareholders. Monotonous facbooking experience requires change to the teenagers which micro blogging can do right away. For example, with its innovative inclusion of live image in Gif format, Tumblr has taken big step of removing the monotony. What else can be better example than this for Yahoo for reacting timely.

7. Capitalize the potential of enhanced visitors: Tumblr users spend an average of 14 minutes per visit, Tumblr founder and CEO David Karp revealed on stage at a paid Content conference in New York City in April’13. That's about a minute-and-a-half longer than the average Facebook visit, and a few minutes longer than the average Twitter visit. Yahoo may become cool again with a shower of enhanced pageview. Tumblr and its 107 million microblogs would add another 15 billion pageviews a month to Yahoo’s hoard.

According to Davir Karp, Tumblr is a really creative platform. It's not only a social platform or a chat platform, but its an experience that younger generation thrives for. The purely content based site can be a tramp card for Yahoo to join in the race of social media evolution.

Also see the previous article on Tumblr: Future Growth Potential of Tumblr

Photo Credit: 

nytimes.com, zapt2.staticworld.net, thesocialmediatrainingschool.com

2.bp.blogspot.com

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Yahoo! opts for buying the growing blogging platform Tumblr

In a deal that would vault Yahoo into the premiere league of social media, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is said to be closing in on a $1 billion acquisition deal with David Karp, the CEO of New York-based Tumblr.

Details of the talks leaked out earlier Thursday via AllThingsD, a site which prides itself on its Yahoo sources in particular. A later report in AdWeek, via its own sources, cited $1 billion as the figure currently under discussion. Coincidentally, that is said to be the valuation Tumblr was going to get at its next funding round.

Both sites were cautious to emphasize that the talks could come to naught. Mayer is clearly interested; she's known and admired Karp's New York-based site for years. Tumblr and its 107 million microblogs would add another 15 billion pageviews a month to Mayer's hoard. Most important of all, it could make Yahoo look cool again.

SEE ALSO: Future Growth Potential of Tumblr

Given its aging audience, Yahoo's biggest problem with advertisers right now, the hunt for cool companies is high on Mayer's agenda. That would be why she offered $30 million to a startup run by a charismatic 17-year-old.

The question remains whether Karp is ready to sell, and whether he believes Tumblr has a better path ahead of it as a media company without Yahoo's help. (Naturally, we've reached out to both companies.)

Tumblr hasn't put a step wrong in the last few months, as far as investors and marketers are concerned, and it's growing like a weed. It's also hitting all the hot button tech and social media targets. Mobile audience overtaking web audience? Check. Ads on mobile? Check. Great shareable memes such as White Men Wearing Google Glass? Check. A platform so cool the White House is forced to join it? Check.

A $1 billion price tag would make Tumblr the biggest purchase since Facebook bought Instagram last year — although that deal ended up costing closer to $715 million, thanks to slumping Facebook share prices.

While we update this story, let us know in the comments: would these companies make a good match? Or should Karp stay independent?

Photo: JOHANNES EISELE/AFP/Getty Images

Courtesy: Mashable

BY CHRIS TAYLOR       

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