News Of The Day 11/28/2011

Black Friday News, dark news about the bank bailout, and a cloud over Zynga.  Not your most pleasant day . . . but things may look up for Hulu!

News Of The Day: Economics/Geekonomics:
Sure Black Friday had some good numbers – but look what it took to get them. Something to consider as this Black Friday did see a lot of odd hours, extended deals, and more – and those cost money/profits. So take any numbers you see with a few grains of salt – and keep following this to see what the results are.

The details on the bank bailouts are coming to light. It's not pleasant – and wasn't always public or even explained to elected officials. This is a huge list so take your time reading it. There's a lot of nasty bits here which may affect a lot of public opinion/political actions if the public pays attention.

Technology:
A self-taught computer geek asks how to get a job at Slashdot. Plenty to chew over here for you geeks and computer types who have taken a similar route.

Video:
Hulu Plus May Expand to Germany. This of course helps them take on Netflix in a way – and Germany provides them a relatively unique ground to work in. If Hulu makes it it may breathe life into the ambitious, but erratic, venture, and change competition on streaming video.

Video Games:
There's worry ove Zynga's future and it's not exactly surprising. Internal culture problem, acquisition failures, and a flat release. Of course this is even more important with an IPO coming up – and with the luster off of some current IPOs (Hint: Groupon), it may not help them at IPO time.

QUESTION OF THE DAY:Is the bloom off of Zynga's rose?

- Steven Savage

  • http://profile.typepad.com/genjipress Serdar (Genji Press)

    I keep thinking the very nature of Internet startups makes it difficult for them to be sustainable business cultures. Things spring up, evolve very quickly, and then are just as quickly eclipsed by something else. If you get into something like that, I don’t think you can expect to spend more than a couple of years doing the same thing.

  • http://www.stevensavage.com/ Steven Savage

    You make an interesting point.
    Here’s a thought too – why should we treat startups as like regular businesses?
    Look how many get bought out, or evolve into something else, fall apart and are sold off piece by piece, etc. Maybe they are TRULY different and need to be treated as such.
    In short, a startup really should NOT be treated as a regular business because it is NOT.

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  • Scott D

    Here’s an odd thought on startups – they’re a great way for enterprising people to get both experience (in both the area the startup is competing in and in running a business) and cash while making themselves attractive for longer term employment, either through buyouts, contract work, or being poached by a larger company. Even a failed startup will still get experience that’s valuable.