…The problem is that most ads have a 1-stage engagement process: you’re either not engaged (ignore ad) of fully engaged (leave current page via click-through), and that conversion rate is minuscule.
Ads generally show 1-3 messages and expect users to decide whether to fully engage based that limited quantity of information.

With Flash-based ads, especially in square-ish dimensions, we should be showing users interactive, and even useful widgets instead of conventional ads.

Music discovery is a revenue driver for content owners before it is a convenience to consumers. So why are music discovery services more like destinations than features? Look at Last.fm, Pandora, Imeem, TheSixtyOne — they all require users to break out of the normal habit of listening on iTunes/WMP and proactively visit a separate site.

Facebook chat is sexy and well implemented—we didn’t expect any less from them. Adding more communication features is a great way to increase the “stickiness” of the Facebook experience and drive up engagement (and therefor page views). But being a late entrant into IM with an ulterior motive makes f-Chat a tough sell [...]

This article on GigaOM got me thinking about how little we hear about software piracy these days. SaaS essentially expires all issues of piracy: vendors are no longer selling pieces of IP on a shiny disc, but sell the proper execution of their software. On top of that, users don’t even have physical [...]

M&A seems to be the only way out for startups these days. Most would point to a stale stock market and Sarbanes-Oxley as the reason for the rise in M&A exits vs. IPOs. Yet, I get the sense that it’s because many web startups simply have little hope of ever generating sustainable cash [...]