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By Tai, February 6, 2010 7:01 pm

1. It received least resistance among users among recent changes. Partly because this design leaves the feed unchanged.
2. Control items were changed. The left menu gives me the immediate impression of a Microsoft Task Bar.
3. The search bar is moved in between, centralizing social search and reminding me of Google. Of course, search is powered by Microsoft Bing.
4. Strategic move: high-light(er) applications and games without interfering with news feed. War with Apple apps?
5. Personally I like the idea of utilizing Facebook as a news reader. Apparently it can’t replace Google Reader and Twitter, but many people I care about are on Facebook, not Twitter.

Conclusion: this is what I believe a web platform should be like.

Addendum

Point (4):

Become stronger a platform for web apps. This looks like Facebook follows the path of Apple to lock-in developers.

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By Tai, September 23, 2009 7:08 pm

1. They regain focus by releasing the new search with local search.
2. They put on the negotiate the crucial contract with Microsoft to prolong the search war saga.
3. They trim off “bad Yahoo!”.
4. They save costs on R&D by cloning Tumblr for their new service Meme.
5. They regained email market share with new improvements to Yahoo! Mail.
6. And they impose higher alpha than expected.

Welcome back on track, Yahoo!

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By Tai, August 13, 2009 7:28 am

I bet YOU want (more) shares of Facebook in your portfolio

Yes, you, and you, and you too. I mean all of you. No matter if you’re a Happy Farmer, or a Mafia, or an investor, or an online marketer, or an application developer, or a geek.

Here are why

1. Facebook IPO will be big, both financially and technically

This year when Facebook’s COO announced the company’s 5th consecutive profitable quarter, I shouted out that Facebook was preparing for IPO. I was wrong.

Mark is a deadly brilliant and ambitious folk: he wants neither to start earning big sums at 300 million users, nor to go IPO at $10b valuation. He aims at much more than that, well beyond some of our wildest imagination.

Technically, Facebook was going through an interim period by absorbing more contents to attract more users. Right after that move, Facebook is rolling out real-time search and Facebook Lite.

Strategically, it is possible that Facebook received the investment to have the cash to buy off Friendfeed. What’s more, Facebook is going on a proven Microsoftish strategy: sucking its enemy’s blood until the enemy dies dried.

Financially, don’t let it takes you that advertising is Facebook’s only revenue stream. They have multiple.

2. Facebook is changing people’s business, effective immediately

Facebook is not simply for entertainment. It is, in fact, changing the way we do business.

See here for details. And here for a simple case.

3. Facebook holds the key to the future of life on web

Think about it, Facebook has been building a great wall surrounding its massive user base. Now they’re having even more into their core competencies.

So what?

If you’re a Friendfeed lover, start loving Facebook.

I know, Friendfeed gives you the in-depth conversations and highly relevant information and all sophisticated social graph.

But. Can Friendfeed’s innovation make a revolution? No.

Scientific and technological breakthroughs need a business mind to commercialize the themselves to humanity. No other than Facebook gives better environment for all the experiments Friendfeed is leading.

Trust me, you would want to have Facebook in your social portfolio.

If you’re a Facebook lover, love it more.

Real-time search and Facebook Lite are but two very initial options offerred to you from Friendfeed team. With Gmail founder and Google Map founder in Friendfeed team, nothing is impossible.

And it’s natural if you find out Facebook is sucking up the share of time you spend online.

If you’re an application developer

Massive user base who are willing to share information and put pressure on their peers to keep up with them plus advanced technology. What’s more, Facebook is one of the most robust platform for ecosystem to grow on. I would call it the holy grail for your development portfolio.

If you’re a blogger

Facebook is growing a distribution platform.

It also brings relevant readers to your blog.

And guess what, now they have real-time search to drive even more traffic.

If you’re an investor

Now, let me lay things on the table for you.

One, look at 3 reasons I just gave above.

Two, if I am to name the most profitable and long-term investment sector, I would say “technology”. Think Google 2003 to 2008. Think Facebook next.

Three, investing in Facebook gives you access to the whole ecosystem rotating the service. All the technology, contents management and marketing companies, all the freelance IT workforce, all its user base.

Four, Facebook is one key to Microsoft.

And finally, being a Facebook user is costless. You get to see both sides of Facebook’s business.

Have all these convinced you that Facebook deserves a portion of your investment portfolio?

How about the other giants?

I disagree that Google should buy Twitter for $1b. Indeed, Twitter should offer itself to Google for $1.5b

Yup, when you’re scared, you should act.

Comments (1)

By Tai, July 31, 2009 10:26 pm

Two immediate questions came to my mind when seeing the Microsoft - Yahoo! Search deal: “Now that Microsoft has got Bing, what else do they want from Yahoo! Search?” and “Is this a favorable deal for Microsoft at all when they still allow Yahoo! to sell ads on it?”

And so I come with a scenario: Microsoft is playing a different game, by looking more into the future.

1. To lower bargaining power of Facebook

Microsoft has 15% in Facebook, yes.

What next, Microsoft craves the data inside the great wall of Facebook. This won’t end well. Mark is definitely brilliant and ambitious, and Microsoft’s demand will face challenges.

By having data from Yahoo! Search under his arms, Steve Ballmer has more bargaining power against Facebook, and additionally Microsoft has a fall-back plan should the relationship with Mark go sour.

It’s a big deal, now that social media are devaluing search power greatly, directly hurting Google’s business.

2. When it comes to Microsoft technical expertise, ain’t no data the same

Bing’s data will be different from those of Google. While Google has vast amount of diversified data, Bing will have data about people’s consumption preference, the arguably most valuable set of all customer information on the internet. Why? Because Bing positions itself as a decision-engine for shoppers first and foremost.

Data from Yahoo! Search will also be different, thanks to some very nice verticals Yahoo! is currently having. With their superior technology, Microsoft surely knows what to do and how to mine the data.

So, I have put on an argument that answers the first question: apart from making Bing the second competitor overnight, Microsoft will have the data it wants and enhance its control on many battles.

3. To create a precedent

It’s simply as that: Microsoft has made a precedent in buying a Yahoo! asset and more importantly, tying Yahoo! with a ten-year contract. Now that Yahoo! is having some nice products and platforms such as BOSS. What’s bad for Yahoo! will be good and cheap for Microsoft.

4. To make it useful and clean at the end of the year and in a decade

Financially, not paying up-front will make Microsoft’s balance sheet very clean at the end of this year.

Strategically, luring Yahoo! into a long-term deal will only turn the tide to Microsoft’s side, who has the cash powerhouse to pursue a real war with any competitor.

So then I have answers the second question: this deal is sweet for the giant.

What do you think?