European Startup News Round Up
April 19, 2008
With the Euro being that much stronger than the US dollar in addition to lots of cool tech thing happening across the pond, I figured we’d better start paying more attention to interesting and innovative European startups and European tech news. So I came across these three European startups. Read more
e-Videos.com.jm- 4 reasons why it’s dead in the water
March 3, 2008
This Jamaican startup has erected billboards, created a sweet website and book online ads on high traffic Jamaican sites, yet this business I believe is dead even as it has just begun. Here’s why.
1.The domain name. Why they chose e-videos.com.jm and not just evideos.com.jm especially since it’s a .jm extension and more than likely quite available. Why make it harder for your customers to remember your domain name.
2. The Borrowed Business Model. There’s nothing wrong in borrowing a successful business model, but always beware that they don’t always have cross pollinate well. You see e-videos.com.jm borrowed the almost now abandoned business model of NetFlix.com, the US based company that pioneered this DVD rental by mail service.Here’s how it works – You go to e-videos.com.jm and create and account. You then select the DVDs you want to rent from their “extensive collection” and put them in your rental queue. They go on to say that within 1-2 business days you selections will be delivered to you free of cost. And of course what’s delivered to you is based on priority placement and availability. In others words instead of waiting in a line in a video store you are in a waiting line online. When you are done watching the movie, you can drop it off at one of their drop boxes-all for the delicious cost of US$19.95 a month. In short you are paying to rent 1 DVD per month, if you want to rent two then it’s US$29.99.Netflix the US-based startup that pioneered this same kind of service, except they mail it to their subscribers by first class mail, something that really couldn’t be done in Jamaica. Jesus would arrive sooner. BUT, because of people’s changing habits, Netflix is fast abandoning that model and the company now offers movies immediately for direct download to your PC, simply because people want their movies NOW, not later, maybe of they have it, they want it NOW, it’s a staple habit for anyone living in this digital age. For this reason also I believe evideos.com…oops e-videos.com.jm will flop in less than a year.
3.Target market: Netflix.com has a much larger market in fact- it’s a mass market, e-videos.com.jm has a niche market and a niche market that does not need this kind of service. Most Jamaicans like most Americans want their movies now, they want the latest and they want it when the rest of the world has it, not two weeks or 30 days later. It’s a powerful business lesson Palace Amusement had to learn, it’s what the guys selling the pirated DVDs on the streets understand and it’s what people who use peer to peer sites like Limewire.com, Bitorrent.com crave. And of course it’s what Apple understands hence Apple TV, never heard of it? Google it and gloat!
4. Piracy is still big here. Whether you buy it on the roadside in Half Way Tree, get it from a well connected friend with DVD burners and the right software, downloaded it using LimeWire, Bittorrent- Piracy, as illegal as it is, is what almost killed Palace Amusement Ltd and what actually made Viewer’s Choice 2000 fold. It’s a practice,almost a culture that won’t be stopped here anytime soon, simply because the laws are not being enforced.Evideos.com…ooops …e-videos.com.jm is a business that’s already dead in the water, they sought not to map the trend and place themselves ahead of it, instead they sought to borrow a business model that’s dwindling in its appeal, that won’t cross over well here- still thinking that hey Jamaica is a few years behind. Yeah we are with a few things but in a lot of ways we’re on par or ahead. I am prepared to be wrong, but I am calling this now. If evideos.com…oops there I go again…if e-videos.com.jm is around in a year, I’ll stop drinking Café Mochas for 6 months.
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Which Caribbean social network will be number one?
February 27, 2008
The race to become the dominant Caribbean social network has become hot and heavy with players. From the pioneers, the newbie’s to the niche players which ones are the real contenders in becoming the facebook.com or classmates.com of the Caribbean? We’ve been tracking the development of Caribbean social networks for the past five years years and there have been some exciting developments over that time. Chief among them are that first there is now easier access to social network software in a box and add to that, tech entrepreneurs have recognizing more the gaps in the Caribbean market and are gunning to fill them. Subsequently- social media in the Caribbean is mushrooming.
The Pioneers: There are the ones who got in the game before social networks were popular generally but particularly this side of the world. These sites competed with the mindshare dominance of the American based sites such as hi5.com and blackplanet.com. First there is vibesconnect.com, which was started by a Jamaican tech entrepreneur Delroy Frazer.
Vibesconnect.com started out focused on snagging the Jamaican market, but evolved and is now more focused on challenging blackplanet.com for the general Caribbean and US-based African American online market.Then there is caribbeanmassive.com started by a Kittian tech entrepreneur Rodney Browne. This site made a direct bid for the Caribbean regional and Diaspora market from the start. We also have ackee.com, which started in 1997 and pitched the classmates alma mater angle, where Jamaicans at home and overseas could reconnect with their friends from high school. They have since extended the reach to the Caribbean. These pioneers have been a minimum of five years.
The Newbies: This group of social networking sites threw their hats into the ring less than two years ago some as little as 6 months ago. We have caribfriends.com the newest entrant, started less than 3 months ago by seasoned Jamaican tech entrepreneur. Caribfriends.com focuses on being a general social network but have also added the classmates angle.Also in this group we have caribgonewild.com, which focused immediately on the Spanish, English and French speaking Caribbean with their own distinct sections, partially in their own languages all under a single site. Caribgonewild.com was started less than a year ago by a Haitian American entrepreneur living in New York.
Then we have caribplanet.com and then easily the most visible Caribbean social networking site idletribes.com, started under a year ago by another seasoned Jamaican tech entrepreneur Jamie Ranston. Of all the entrepreneurs who’ve started a Caribbean social network, Ranston is the only one with previous online community/social networking experience-having worked with what was the very first online community/social networking site that catered to a Caribbean audience at home and abroad via country named and focused sites – HomeView Jamaica.com, Homeviewtnt.com etc. All this leads us to think about which sites are real contenders.
THE REAL CONTENDERS
Based on business models, marketing muscle and membership base, we believe we can cherry pick the top3 real contenders that will become dominant in the market, enjoy profitability and longevity.
Business Model
Vibesconnect.com – Google adsense and affiliate marketing.
Caribbeanmassive.com- Google adsense, joined an online advertising networking, local direct ad placements
Ackee.com – Google adsense
Caribfriends.com- Google adsense
Caribgonewild.com-direct ad placements, cut from member music sales
Idletribes.com – Google adsense ads, direct ad placements
Marketing
Vibesconnect.com – They’ve had membership drive type of contests with hip gadgets as winning gifts.
Caribbeanmassive.com-they do a lot of local radio advertising in St Kitts. They have also had short google pay per click ad campaigns
Ackee.com – undeterminded.
Caribfriends.com – cross linking with high traffic sites such as Caribsingles.com and Jamdeal.com
Caribgonewild.com-undetermined
Idletribes.com-cross linking with high traffic sites, a healthy daily spend of Google adwords pay per click campaign.
Memberships
Vibesconnect.com - unknown
Caribbeanmassive.com - Has just over 7,000 registered users
Ackee.com – Has just over 15,000 registered users
Caribfriends.com – Has just over 1,000 registered users
Caribgonewild.com - Has over 8,000 registered users
Idletribes.com – Just this week passed 7,000 users
NUMBER ONE?
Who do you think are the top 3 most dominant Caribbean Social networking brands and why? We believe vibesconnect.com,Caribbeanmassive.com and idletribes.com are the real contenders.
PERFECT FOR A MULTIMILLION DOLLAR BUYOUT ?
This is toss up between vibesconnect.com and idletribes.com but factors can change that around very quickly in a matter of weeks or months.What do you think?
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PLay Cricket and All Fours Games Online
January 8, 2008
by Dre. Allyuh.com
After having covered Brian Lara and his international video game, Pressure PLay you’d think that would be it. Well now if you want to play Cricket on your PC or All Fours Online you can easily do so.
All Fours Online
An online version of a popular local card game, it attempts to bring the authenticity and familiarity of all fours to the computer screen by allowing the different online modes of all fours and all twos, utilizing the familiar rules and scoring with the ultimate animation of hangjack included.
Features being worked on for future version include the ability to form teams and instant messaging support for “signs” to be sent between players. Read more
STARTUP Interview: Introducing the 876internet brand
November 19, 2007
Introduction.
Who will be the Caribbean’s DIGG, as mainstream Caribbean Media’s relevance dwindles?
September 21, 2007
Barbados- Without question the time is now for the Caribbean and Latin American region to experience the dot come boom already experienced by the
Read the Interview
SPRAWL TEES: MY FACEBOOK SUCCESS STORY:SALES UP 80%
September 17, 2007
Kingston, Jamaica-My cousin who is 25, hip and in the know had been harassing me for months to go on facebook, I was already on myspace and hi5, and had my own blog, so it seemed a bit useless to be on yet another networking site.
One day I decided to try it and have been hooked ever since. It has allowed me to reach a market that I would not normally reach. I am in my late 20s and don’t party as much as I used to, especially now that I have my own business.
With facebook, I have gotten to people in the target demographic ages 15-25, people who are in school, and most who don’t yet drive. I have a delivery service so I take the goods to them rather than they come to me.
WHAT I DID:
Watchmi.com -Upload, SHare, Watch
September 6, 2007
