Dec 16
reached its 'sunset' - i.e. being closed down. Yahoo have not said
this in so many words, but what has started out as rumour seems to
have been backed up by the reactions and statements from Yahoo. Delicious seems like one of those things that should be easier than
other sites to make a profit * unlike youtube or flickr or doesn't need huge bandwidth or storage
* nor does it need amazing computing power, complex programming, or
jaw dropping cutting edge web functionality a la picnic or Google
Street View.
* people have put effort in to their bookmarks, so are likely to stay
loyal. Yet, unlike Facebook, will not be visting the site every awake
moment, so not create a high load on the server.
could use client apps and never need twitter.com. Most people would
use the website to browse their bookmarks.
* Which is obviously good for putting adverts on the site.
* Bookmarks don't take the entire web browser window, there's room on
the page for adverts (less so for photos / videos or complex apps,
where there is little room for adding adverts)
* Bookmarks, tags and descriptions provide context, especially to the
user's tastes and interests. Google adsense (or perhaps more to the
point the Yahoo! equivalent, perhaps it is telling I don't even know
its name) would have a field day, this is the sort of stuff that
creates targeted adverts. Good well targeted adverts = higher ad
revenue
* while no one will pay a fortune for a bookmarking site, I'm sure
people would pay a small amount, especially for extra features.
Perhaps being able to save more bookmarks per month (the free version
could have a limit), sync with browsers, etc. With a large user base,
a small payment from each user is all that is needed.
* while not desirable, if need be, the potential is there to really
limit a free account to encourage sign up to the paid up version (and
at the same time ensure the companies costs are not being spent
supporting those who are not bringing in any money).
* corporate accounts (with branding, no adverts, etc) with a higher annual fee.
* create nice integration into other Yahoo services to encourage
delicious users to use those Yahoo products that bring in money. In summary, I guess what I am trying to say is that of all the Web2.0
services out there, Delicious had the potential to be (from an
untrained distant eye) a profitable service, with low-ish costs and
options for brining in money. If reports are to be believed today instead they are calling time on
the service (though what this actually means remains to be seen). This
seems odd, it will upset a lot of people, and while it may not have
fitted in to a new strategy, or brand, it could have been sold or
changed to bring in some revenue or run for very little cost. I've never been that excited by Delicious and today I signed up for
http://pinboard.in/ It's fast and simple replacement to Delicious, with some nice features
(such as adding tweets you favorite) while keeping a simple interface.
Did I mention it is fast (they keep auto-complete for tags turned off
by default on the Save Bookmark popup window, to avoid having to load
javascript). It has an unusual approach to signup, a one off fee that increases as
the number of people sign up. I paid $6.96.
Delicious
Quick Rant.
Earlier today the news came out that delicious looks like it hasreached its 'sunset' - i.e. being closed down. Yahoo have not said
this in so many words, but what has started out as rumour seems to
have been backed up by the reactions and statements from Yahoo. Delicious seems like one of those things that should be easier than
other sites to make a profit * unlike youtube or flickr or doesn't need huge bandwidth or storage
* nor does it need amazing computing power, complex programming, or
jaw dropping cutting edge web functionality a la picnic or Google
Street View.
* people have put effort in to their bookmarks, so are likely to stay
loyal. Yet, unlike Facebook, will not be visting the site every awake
moment, so not create a high load on the server.
Ok, so their costs were not as demanding as others, but what about
making money..
could use client apps and never need twitter.com. Most people would
use the website to browse their bookmarks.
* Which is obviously good for putting adverts on the site.
* Bookmarks don't take the entire web browser window, there's room on
the page for adverts (less so for photos / videos or complex apps,
where there is little room for adding adverts)
* Bookmarks, tags and descriptions provide context, especially to the
user's tastes and interests. Google adsense (or perhaps more to the
point the Yahoo! equivalent, perhaps it is telling I don't even know
its name) would have a field day, this is the sort of stuff that
creates targeted adverts. Good well targeted adverts = higher ad
revenue
* while no one will pay a fortune for a bookmarking site, I'm sure
people would pay a small amount, especially for extra features.
Perhaps being able to save more bookmarks per month (the free version
could have a limit), sync with browsers, etc. With a large user base,
a small payment from each user is all that is needed.
* while not desirable, if need be, the potential is there to really
limit a free account to encourage sign up to the paid up version (and
at the same time ensure the companies costs are not being spent
supporting those who are not bringing in any money).
* corporate accounts (with branding, no adverts, etc) with a higher annual fee.
* create nice integration into other Yahoo services to encourage
delicious users to use those Yahoo products that bring in money. In summary, I guess what I am trying to say is that of all the Web2.0
services out there, Delicious had the potential to be (from an
untrained distant eye) a profitable service, with low-ish costs and
options for brining in money. If reports are to be believed today instead they are calling time on
the service (though what this actually means remains to be seen). This
seems odd, it will upset a lot of people, and while it may not have
fitted in to a new strategy, or brand, it could have been sold or
changed to bring in some revenue or run for very little cost. I've never been that excited by Delicious and today I signed up for
http://pinboard.in/ It's fast and simple replacement to Delicious, with some nice features
(such as adding tweets you favorite) while keeping a simple interface.
Did I mention it is fast (they keep auto-complete for tags turned off
by default on the Save Bookmark popup window, to avoid having to load
javascript). It has an unusual approach to signup, a one off fee that increases as
the number of people sign up. I paid $6.96.
Unlike some, I don't object to this, it avoids spam and restricts it to those who are
genuinely interested rather than thousands of accounts that go unused
from those signing up to take a look. It seems odd when we are used to
free everything on the web, but it is a low price (about £4). All
sites/apps/services have costs to pay, and this is one way of covering
them.
