Archive of thenextweb.com
Written on 29th January 2009
0 COMMENTS 
Ernst-Jan Pfauth, editor in chief
Flirtomatic is a ridiculously popular mobile social network from the UK. That makes sense, as it’s all about sex. Seduce your desired guy or gal via the mobile phone. Currently, 1.3 million folks are concerned with this act of love.
The growth of Flirtomatic is rather spectacular. It had 225,000 registered users in February 2007. What’s even more interesting, is Flirtomatic’s impressive revenue growth. According to a press release in September, it has “skyrocketed” by 475%.
Taking that in account, it’s actually interesting to hear that the service will launch a mobile beta in the U.S. of A. CEO Mark Curtis commented in a press release: “It’s a difficult time in the market, but we’re optimistic that we can enter the US successfully. It will not be easy but if we can replicate some of the success we’ve had in the UK and Germany, generating revenues within six months, we will have taken a major step towards achieving our goals.”
I think the success of Flirtomatic tells us a lot about the future of mobile: it’s gonna be exciting. Sex always leads the way, so Facebook and national networks will follow. I for one, do most of my social networking via iPhone apps.
Written on 26th January 2009
3 COMMENTS
Ernst-Jan Pfauth, editor in chief
Did you, just like Hunter S. Thompson, end up in bat country somehow? Refer to Twitter for some life-saving help, just like Stephen Fry.
The English actor was one of the first British celebrities who started Twittering, which turned him into some sort of ambassador. My London-based co-editor Zee loves his efforts and often refers to him.
In an interview with the BBC, Fry tells more about his new-found love. He praises the collective wisdom of his 63,634 followers. For example, when he once found a bat in his house, Fry’s followers told him how to get rid of it.
It isn’t all love between the celeb actor and the celeb service. The relationship between Fry and Twitter also seemed to be based on fear, as he didn’t want an impostor stealing his name. Neither doesn’t he want to tweet when he had too much wine. Fry will also stop revealing his location, since he doesn’t like to help out paparazzi.
The video isn’t embeddable, so click on the corny image above to view it.
Written on 21st December 2008
6 COMMENTS
Ernst-Jan Pfauth, editor in chief
The British tech scene is one of the most vibrant around. Although some companies, like Last.fm, have been facing difficulties – I keep seeing positive news coming from the United Kingdom. Here’s how I stay in touch with the geeky ladies and gents across the Canal.
1. Zee’s news flashes and updates
My co-editor Zee M. Kane reports from London daily about the ups and downs of his fellow Internet entrepreneurs. The concept of day and night seems irrelevant to him. Whenever something interesting happens – like a revolutionary new Twitter feature – he’s there to immortalize it on The Next Web.
// Read Zee’s articles
2. Mike Butcher’s in depth-analysis.
Ain’t no party like a party with Mike Butcher. Other than that, this former New Media Age magazine and The Industry Standard Europe editor never hesitates to provide some deep insights on the start-up activity of the Brits. If he must, Butcher even goes on Sky News. Whatever it takes to spread the tech word, Butcher will do it.
// Browse to TechCrunch UK
3. Watch Techfluff
It buzzed around in the Le Web venue. Supposedly, there was this cool British girl asking A-listers cheeky questions (She even dared to refer to Arrington’s buttocks – how brave is that?). Even my co-editor Boris was fascinated by this whirlwind blazing through one of Europe’s “hottest” conferences. Host Hermoine Way’s fame will probably go beyond Le Web, as her show is just plain fun to watch. Here’s episode three:
// Watch Techfluff
Written on 17th December 2008
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Ernst-Jan Pfauth, editor in chief
Betting is big business in the United Kingdom, so it’s probably not too surprising for you to hear that they’ve rebuilt a 2000-year-old computer which was used for predicting the movements of the heavenly bodies as well as the dates and locations of upcoming Olympic games. Comes in handy when determining the odds.
A rather genius British museum curator has built a working replica of the dictionary-size Antikythera mechanism of 37 interlocking dials crafted with the precision and complexity of a 19th-century Swiss clock. In 1901, a group of sponge divers found parts of the ancient computer in the Antikythera wreck off the Greek island of Antikythera, between Kythera and Crete.
Interested? Check out this video by NewScientist for the full story.
By the way, the machine.. is green. It’s constructed of recycled metal plates – just like the original version.
Written on 12th December 2008
2 COMMENTS
Ernst-Jan Pfauth, editor in chief
“Everybody wants communication, why the hell do we need to pay for that?” That’s Antti Ohrling, founder of BLYK, talking at Youthwatching ‘09 – a marketing conference in Ghent, Belgium. He started a free mobile network for young people, funded by advertising. Mind you, it’s quite a success – BLYK is the fastest growing interactive media outlet for young people in the UK.
Yes, there are actually some British teens lucky enough to make their calls for free. You know how much money that would’ve saved me?
“Most advertising in media shares benefit with the audience. Take the skin creme sample in a magazine for example.”, Ohrling explains. “What’s different for mobile? Exactly, nothing. What would happen if somebody would offer free calls and text for advertising? An operator would become a media company.”
There’s no contract, no phone bill
BLYK focused on youngsters, as they’re a hard to reach but a profitable target group. Ohrling: “If you talk with them and use language they understand, then you have to change to get involved.”
One of the brands British kids most distrusted were operators, so BLYK had to develop a different way to talk to them. Here’s what Ohrling came up with it: there’s no contract, no phone bill. But you do have to get invited. (so that BLYK can get a balanced target audience).
When invited, people had to complete personal profile online so that BLYK can target the advertising better. 95% of the 200,000 people did so.
Does it work?
“If there’s a balance between value for advertisers and customers, BLYK is a success”. Well, it seems like that’s the case. The 2000 campaigns had a 25% average response rate. Normally this rate for mobile advertising is four percent. BLYK has 200 brands on board, of which 66 percent did repeated business.
The obviously proud BLYK founder mentions some success stories. Like a Will Ferrel trailer, 44 percent of the users requested to see it. A Penguin book, Slam by Nick Horby, was also a blast on BLYK. 67 percent wanted to hear a Skins star reading the first chapter out loud. Lucozade supplied users with free drink vouchers. 35 percent was redeemed.
Closing in on YouTube and Facebook
BLYK has the highest net advocacy score among mobile networks in the UK and is closing in on YouTube and Facebook. Why? Ohrling: “In mobile marketing, interaction is key. The power of the question is much higher than the power of the answer. Make people think, and they engage with you. If they engage, you’re in the game. We’re in the game”.
British youngsters become slaves to advertising to avoid paying phone bills. Why wouldn’t they? What are the negative consequences for them? Other than clicking ads away.., none.
Written on 2nd December 2008
0 COMMENTS
Ernst-Jan Pfauth, editor in chief
While strolling around in Nepal, I was suddenly confronted with a problem of years ago. My sister is shooting a documentary here and stays for a few months. Thus she bought a Nepalese phone. A ultra-light plastic device with a SMS memory of around fifteen messages. The latter forces her to only save her most precious text messages – just like eight years ago.
I remember carefully selecting the messages from my flirts or the funniest texts from friends. Unlike now – I save them all – I really looked at my text collection as some sort of lifeline. Sometimes I had to throw a message away – with pain in my heart. If I had only known a service like Mobyko in those days.
Text messages archive in the cloud
This London-based start-up offers mobile phone users a backup service with which you can manage and share your mobile life from a secure online account. This also includes text messages. You can easily forward them to “the cloud” and read them back whenever you want. Such an archive would have been a mobile dream come true.
Don’t lose anything
The Mobyko back-up services of course go further than just SMS messages. That makes the service also relevant for these days. You can sync your contacts and calendar, plus there’s the option of saving, streaming and sharing all your photos and videos (i.e. via a Facebook app). Julian Saunders founded Mobyko in 2006, after losing his mobile phone so that he would never lose his important business contacts and valuable family snaps again.
Compatibility as an USP
Google, Apple, Plaxo, Soocial, and many more offer similar services – yet Mobyko has one major advantage over them. The British service already supports cloud syncing for over 500 mobile phone models. They’re striving to add new models every day, ’cause, their fact sheet says:
10,0000 mobile phones are left in London cabs every month – Credent Technologies
Mobyko is a freemium service while its premium service costs £25 (€29,50) per annum.
Written on 11th November 2008
3 COMMENTS
Paul Vereijken, Next Web Journalism & Media editor
Ever had the feeling that you really wanted to crash the party you weren’t allowed at? When I wrote a blogpost about social network MeettheBoss.com I couldn’t let go of that feeling. MeettheBoss.com wants to be an exclusive social network. To become a member of the network you have to be a senior or top executive at a financial firm. So for a freelance journalist like me there is only one option to get in: lying.
"Your registration has been accepted."
Surprisingly lying worked out very well. All I did was fill in the registration pages. I filled in my name, e-mail address and told the site that I was working as a CCO at ABN AMRO. A few minutes later I could check out some parts of the network but still not everything.
Got kicked out eventually
I guessed they would reject me at one point. If they would have looked at my LinkedIn profile they would have known right away that I’m not a CCO. But they probably didn’t do that. One day after my registration I received an e-mail telling that the network was happy to let me know that my registration had been accepted.
How long would it take them to find out I ain’t a CCO? Not too long. My previous blogpost probably caught their eyes because since this morning I can’t login anymore. It looks like they kicked me out after all…
MeettheBoss: could not find your user
Written on 8th November 2008
4 COMMENTS
Ernst-Jan Pfauth, editor in chief
Retaggr is a London-based start-up which strives to become the standard virtual business cards service. Every blogger has a collection of “add me on [insert random network here]” spread on their personal blogs or profile pages. A standard is missing, everybody gives the befriend-me mission a different spin. Retaggr has enough of that and has been fighting this diversity for a while now.
Pursuit to virtual business cards
Introducing virtual business cards for every commenter was a good step, yet web publishers had to made the site Retaggr-compatible. A partnership with Swiss conversations tracker service CoComment lowered the barrier a bit. Retaggr’s next step, the Add Me button, must become the company’s big hit.
The RSS button
Retaggr’s ambition? Nik Smit describes it very well on the corporate blog. Like a RSS button has become a standard for subscribing to a site feed, the Add Me button must become the definite befriend option.
Clean profile page
Clicking on the button redirects you to a clean Retaggr profile page which sums up all the networks somebody’s active. Some services allow a direct “connect” option, others require you to visit first. Have a look at Nik’s page and you’ll get the idea.
You know what? I’m actually gonna use this service. It will take some time to add all the services but as soon as I’ve got that done, I’ll link to the page from every social network and blog I have.
Written on 7th November 2008
7 COMMENTS
Guest blogger, sharing views on The Next Web
Written by Paul Vereijken
It sure isn’t surprising that social networks like LinkedIn are adding new users by the second thanks to the credit crunch. But read this: social network MeettheBoss.com says it has attracted 25.000 active members within two months. And those users sure aren’t the average LinkedIn member. They are senior and top executives at large financial firms.
According to their website and an article in the International Herald Tribune, it looks like MeettheBoss.com wants to become the number one network and forum for executives at company’s like Barclays, Goldman Sachs and ING.
Not just connecting
Registered MeettheBoss.com users can participate in discussions about the crisis, but also about how web 2.0 technology could be implemented in products and services. These big boys can also use (peer-to-peer) video conferencing, IM, e-mail and sms to interact and – of course – connect with other members. At MeettheBoss.tv members can watch interviews with industry hotshots and thought-leaders.
Exclusive network
The Bristol, England, based network is founded by Spencer Green, chairman of publisher and event organiser GDS International that owns MeettheBoss.com. The network was launched in September ’08 when they invited their first 20.000 members. To keep the network exclusive it intends to close its doors at 50.000 members.
Closed doors
I wish I could check if everything MeettheBoss.com promises is true. But to become a member of the network you have to be a senior or top executive. So if you’re working as a developer, web 2.0 consultant or if you’re an entrepreneur that probably means this network keeps its doors closed for you. And for journalists like me too.
Have a peak
Or wouldn’t they? Of course I tried to get in and I filled in the forms to create an account. Surprisingly I got in.
I couldn’t check out everything the network has to offer. Still I got more than just a peek. I was able to login at MeettheBoss.tv and check out some interviews with experts in the financial market. After a few clicks I was scanning the discussions between members talking mostly about the crisis. But when I tried to connect with other members the network just returned error messages telling me my account wasn’t approved yet. Damn.
Written on 5th November 2008
0 COMMENTS
Ernst-Jan Pfauth, editor in chief
Here’s a mobile start-up that has been underestimating its target audience for a while. Flirtomatic, the UK’s leading mobile and online flirting service, has sent out a press release filled with words of surprise. It basically says: “hey, these customers actually are pretty smart”.
Flirtomatic has conducted a survey to gain some insight on the mobile usage of its users. 5,800 responded, 87% of them completed the ten questions. Here are some of the results that get CEO Mark Curtis excited, copy/pasted from the press release:
- 56% of respondents said that they use bookmarking in order to return to Flirtomatic, a figure much higher than initially expected.
- When asked ‘which best describes your internet connection at home?’ a whopping 84% of users stated they usually use their phone to connect to the Web.
- 38% of users have already invited their friends to join Flirtomatic and a further 57% are considering it
Flirtomatic passed the one million users mark in September. Now that we know a lot of those folks are pretty smart, the future for the London start-up looks brighter than ever.
flirtomatic, germany, Mark Curtis, mobile, mobile phone, social network, united kingdom, United States
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