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xblinkx to index video content from Kiplinger.com

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kiplinger.pngblinkx announced its partnership with Kiplinger.com. Under the terms of the agreement, blinkx will host, transcribe and index video content from Kiplinger.com’s library of reports by financial experts. blinkx will also place contextually relevant advertising against the footage, and will share resulting ad revenue with Kiplinger.

“We’re pleased to be adding Kiplinger.com’s library of high caliber personal finance reporting to our video index,” said Suranga Chandratillake, founder and CEO of blinkx. “Kiplinger’s is one of the most trusted and well-respected sources for consumers seeking financial advice, and we’re delighted that this content will now be easily searchable on blinkx.com.”

Originally posted on November 21, 2007 @ 12:15 pm

Moola.com unveils world’s first Massively Multiplayer Rewards Game

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moola.pngMoola.com unveiled the world’s first Massively Multiplayer Rewards Game (MMRG), combining a multiplayer game environment with an ad-supported cash rewards program. Mooola enables anyone to win up to $10 million in cash by playing and winning head-to-head matches, interacting with video advertising, searching the web, referring their friends– and now by shopping online with the new BoosterBar browser companion. With over 175,000 registered members and millions of dollars up for grabs, Moola is leading the next evolution in the multi-billion dollar casual gaming industry.

The BoosterBar (which is available exclusively to Moola players) gives players the opportunity to collect and win Moola cash when they shop online and search the web. The BoosterBar makes shopping recommendations, displays available coupons and discounts at participating retailers, and ensures that players never miss an opportunity to collect rewards when shopping online.

Originally posted on November 19, 2007 @ 2:41 pm

Circuit City gets social for the holiday season with Pluck

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circuitcity.pngCircuit City Stores, Inc. is using technology from Pluck to power its new CityCenter Community, a social-shopping destination on CircuitCity.com filled with people sharing their questions, photos, ideas and preferences on the best in home entertainment, computers and electronics.

Using collaborative technologies from Pluck, CityCenter enables customers to interact directly with each other and Circuit City associates when considering complex purchases, such as flat panel televisions and computers. It has already attracted thousands of customers interested in everything from home theater and music to computers and photography. Circuit City uses the site to monitor customer demand, uncover common product support issues, and engage with customers through photo contests and special promotions.

Originally posted on November 20, 2007 @ 1:50 pm

Online consumer electronics spending grows to $22.5 billion

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cea.pngOver 14 percent of the nearly $160 billion spent on consumer electronics (CE) over the previous 12 months was spent online, up from 5 percent in 2005, according to a study released by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). According to The State of CE Retail, CE products follow only books and clothing as the items most frequently purchased online. Desktop PCs, wireless phones and digital cameras emerged as the most popular CE products for online shoppers. The study also reveals that consumers are pleased with their online and in-store experiences.

A vast majority of consumers gave both the online (89 percent) and in-store (80 percent) experiences ratings of good or excellent, marking an increase for the web and consistent ratings for store-fronts. In particular, the brick-and-mortars demonstrated strong improvements in product information, wait times while in line and salesperson knowledge. Survey results show that selection and convenience are seen as primary benefits of purchasing consumer electronics online.

The growth of online purchasing also creates opportunities for traditional CE retailers. The study reveals that brick and mortar retailers are the most commonly visited sites by online CE shoppers. In addition, more consumers go online to research and compare prices and then buy in the store (47 percent) than vice versa (17 percent). A growing number of consumers (11 percent) are even going online and then picking the item up in the store, creating additional selling opportunities in the process.

Originally posted on November 19, 2007 @ 1:17 pm

Piczo expands to Russia

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piczo.pngPiczo announced its global expansion into Russia, one of the fastest growing social networking regions globally, with the launch of Piczo Russia.

The launch into the Russian market is part of Piczo’s international growth strategy which has already seen exponential growth in Germany to over 2 million unique users today, up six-fold since September 2006. Recent launches into new markets have enabled Piczo to build on its position as the top destination for 13-18 year-olds with over 28 million registered users globally.

Piczo is already well established across Eastern Europe, where it now has over 850,000 unique users accessing the site with more than 65 million page views a month.

Piczo’s focus on privacy and control has been an important product differentiator since the site’s creation. As Piczo users cannot search for others through the network, groups are formed more like a private party, with growth happening virally and through word of mouth.

Originally posted on November 16, 2007 @ 11:43 am