2007: the end of NETscape - 2008: the rise of NETvibes

Best wishes to all !!

Netvibes has Premium Widgets category

Hi,

browsing the Netvibes Ecosystem I stumbled on some Widgets that were stamped premium Widgets. With a little search here is the explanation:


"With Premium Widgets, save additional space for your screen by merging feeds from one website in one handy widget. Forget about RSS, every time a new RSS feed is available, it will automatically appear on the widget."




At first it looks interesting if you are interested in all the tabs that the widget is offering you.

But,

• if you want to reed fast the What's News AND the Business tabs of the WSJ, then 2 separates feeds will work faster.
• the LOGO : you can not modify, reduce or delete... and it takes a few pixel .
• the Widget Title: you can not modify, reduce or delete.

In fact those PREMIUM WIDGETS are "produced and mantained" by Netvibes with the aim to get a revenues from this. If the program works, it should bring in the future that no WSJ feeds could be available on Netvibes except for the branded one ...

Netvibes is finally looking for more local content

Hi,

I already wrote a few posts on the need for Netvibes to get more Content, and especially Local Content, the one related to the place you live and work.

And it seems that Netvibes has just decided to go alos that direction.

In a recent post in the Netvibes Developers' Blog, they wrote:

"... that local content is as important to us as is global content - and it’s even the primary reason behind UWA and Ecosystem: to let developers build widget for local services, to let users submit local feeds and data, and have all these local items be available to all Netvibes users."

"So build local widgets and submit them to Ecosystem: local items are just as important as global ones, and everyone wants local informations coming directly to their desktop! That’s what UWA is for, and we hope to some cool widgets land on future updates of Netvibes’ local start-pages. Let’s build the long tail of widgets!"

The big problem is the search of the Ecosystem Directory that is not as efficient as a similar search with Google.

If I want to find my own tab: LONDON (UK) in the Netvibes Ecosystem

1) I can search the Ecosystem with its own search : http://eco.netvibes.com/search?q=LONDON+UK , and I will found it in the second page because of the small number of downloads (but in results with a better download rate there is BEEF BAGEL ??!!). If I prefer I can choose the "most recent" but then again as it is not a new widget, mine will not show up. So, it will be difficult for a new widget to show up in the first page if only downloads is requested.

2) I can search the Ecosystem with a selective search by GOOGLE:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=site%3Aeco.netvibes.com+LONDON+UK&btnG=Search
and bang! It is the first result! Impressive.

That is for searching a specific item but the problem remains with a generic search.

If I wanted to earn revenues with Netvibes...

Hi,

I was thinking about which ways I could use if I wanted to get revenues with Netvibes.

Here is a first list:

1. creating an "exclusive content Univers" using Netvibes as a "media platform" to aggregate content with several different widgets and selling the audience to Advertisers. These Content Universes (say the "New York Restaurants Univers by Peter: lists, reviews, suggestions ") should have some kind of exclusivity and promotion from Netvibes or they could just be "rented" to Netvibes .
   
2. creating "single widgets" to be placed on Netvibes and other platforms and selling that audience to Advertisers
3. getting an exclusive deal with Netvibes as their only Advertising Sales agency selling cumulative or targetted audiences to Advetisers

For all of those, I would need some agreement from Netvibes and more data on the actual users.

And you will correctly guess which is my preferred solution at the moment...

If there are many others with ideas like this, netvibes could have found its business model.

Last Video preview of Ginger from Netvibes

Hi,

last post before Christmas.

And last Video preview of Ginger from Netvibes English Blog:

3 videos to show:

• how easy adding new widgets is, with the integration of Ecosystem (it looks realy easy and Widgets have now a new directory presented with a capture)
• that you can save links for yourself and your friends
• what your friends are doing with "Activities"
• how to browse your friends Universes

For now is all!

BEST WISHES!!

Want to see the Universe of Netvibes' CEO?

Hi,

would you like to see the personal Universe (for testing) of Tariq Krim , Netvibes' founder and CEO ?

Just go here . By clicking on the little icon on the right, you will have a first glimpse of Ginger, new version of Netvibes, as it will show you the Activities of that Tariq wants to share to the public.

You will find also the number of friends and followers he has (56 and 42)

Netvibes wins Mashable best start page award

Hi,

Netvibes has won the Best Start page of the first ever OPEN WEB AWARD from Mashable !

(With in excess of 5 million monthly pageviews, Mashable is the world's largest blog on social networking).

Other winners for 2007 are : Flickr, Youtube, Last.fm, Facebook ...

And the Ginger version in already online for everyone ....

In June, Netvibes was already awarded "The top 100 Webware sites for 2007" in the Browsers application.

NEW USER TAB: to help you start your Netvibes page if you are a new user

Hi,

If you are a "New User" and you would like to start using Netvibes, the first screen offerd at the moment by Netvibes is, as I already posted, so poor ...

So I prepared and published a tab, the NEW USER TAB that could be used as a starting point to build a "good" starting page for Netvibes new users.

The idea is that Netvibes should ask the new user something like :
"Please set your location to receive local news, blog feeds, weather and more "

As it is not exisitng at the moment, in my tab, I have done it by hand.
For starting the discussion I choose : DUBLIN and IRELAND but it would work for any other location.

The Tab presents what could be a new "new user tab" for Netvibes with:

a Weather widget (already existing)
some local news blogs (already existing) that I choosed from Netvibes Local content : Ireland
the email wizard widget (already existing)
the Ebay widget (already existing)
a map search (already existing)
the Ecosystem search widget (already existing)
and many searches widgets set on DUBLIN and the same set on IRELAND

The searches on the Location with the instruction on how to get the FEEDS directly on his new page should "inspire" the new user offering a choice of sources. The best selection is made, according to me, by Google.

That way, with the addition of a short Webnote to explain the first moves and with the links to FAQ and ECOSYSTEM it should help the user to catch the real value of the use of Netvibes.

PS:
the ECOSYSTEM Latest modules search widget is not working properly.
If I search in the widget for IRELAND it gives no results when if I search directly in the Ecosystem I can find 57 results of which some are pertinent.

Netvibes starts the private beta testing of new Ginger release

Hi,

The Netvibes blog has announced the launch the private beta testing of the new Ginger release.

As many other netvibes users, I am waiting for an invitation to test the new features:

• In addition to the podcast, the Netvibes player can now stream your favorite web radios
• 2GB of free storage space for every registred user
• ...

For the others, jsut wait until January...

The BBC has launched a Netvibes style homepage

Hi,

the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has just launched a new homepage very much in the style of Netvibes, reports the Read/WriteWeb blog.

At the moment, you can only choose in the BBC content of news and services but who knows in the future ?

"Please set your location to receive local news, weather and TV/radio schedules"...
a text I would be pleased to see in the new users page of Netvibes.

When I was saying that content is the center of the war...

Netvibes Start page is so poor for new users

Hi,

since Netvibes has decided to look for the Mainstream users, it should think more to the average new user.

Let's think about the Netvibes first page when you are not already registred with Netvibes and you are a beginner in the Web2.0 world.

What you get with no effort if you live in a European Capital (like me) and you arrive on http://www.netvibes.com/ because you read about it or a friend sent you an email about it ?
You get that (see the screen shot)

1. The weather widget already set to your Internet Supplier hometown (this city can be some KM away from your actual place)


2. a Feed from the Natioanl news papers (also given by your IP address)


3. a Feed from the national Tv/radio (also given by your IP address)
4. an Unknown Blog feed


5. an Email Widget assistant


6. a Video search widget set on :" music"


7. a Web search widget


8. the netvibes blog feeds


9. a Webnote with a short welcome message by Netvibes


10. a todo widget


11. a facebook widget


12. an Image search widget set on "lighthouse"

In conclusion: very little Local content that could give to the new user the sense of what a great service Netvibes could give him/her.

Even if the new user select s, in the settings the Local content all what he can get is a list in the left side bar of a selection of News feeds (not a complete one and with no description).

Netvibes should remeber that "new users" do not know what to use Netvibes for when they saw Netivibes for the first time !

SOLUTIONS:

Netvibes, could have easily supplied the new user with a widget search in the Ecosystem for the city and Country name if they had asked him at some point !

Or better, some one could have prepared a "best of" for each country with a selection of major cities to be promped at any new user.

Problems with Steekr.com (online storage)

Hi,

has I just posted that Netvibes and Agematis, a French provider of online storage, have announced that Agemantis will provide Netvibes with personal online storage technology for its millions of users, I wanted to test already the service offered by Agematis under the label Steekr.com.

1. it was very, very slow
2. it was not at all intuitive
3. it asked to me to install a plug-in
4. since then, by just calling steekr.com from my favourites, my Internet Explorer 6 shuts down !! (UPDATE: the same happens with FireFox 2 !)
5. I was not able to upload or download anything...

Conclusions: I hope that this service will improve, or ... well I will miss that online storage.

Hope also that netvibes will check this out.

A Netvibes Tab about Food

Hi,

in a recent post I wrote about a Food page in Pageflakes.

Now, browsing on Flickr images with the Netvibes tag I saw this neat and complete page made by dennisandluba:

If DennisandLuba reads this I would be pleased to be able to charge his/her FOOD STUFF tab!

Netvibes Drive: 2GB storage space for every user !

Hi,

duringthe Paris during LEWEB3.0 conference Netvibes and Agematis, French provider of online storage, have announced that Agemantis will provide Netvibes with personal online storage technology for its millions of users.

For once, the press release is sufficiently clear to just transcripted:

"Agematis, provider of online data storage and sharing solutions under the Steekr name, and Netvibes, pioneer of the personalized banner page, have combined their expertise to offer the users of Netvibes an online file storage and sharing service. Fully integrated in the new version of the Netvibes site, the service will be available on the personalized pages of Netvibes users as well as in Netvibes universes".

"The upgrade of the 30 million personalized pages created with Netvibes across more than 150 countries will happen over the next coming weeks. Thanks to this service, completely based on the Agematis Steekr technology, each user of the Netvibes community will have access to a 2GB storage space that will be extendable upon request."

"Within the Netvibes environment, the service will make it possible for everyone to play his/her music, to look at his/her movies or to create a slideshow of his/her photographs without having to download anything on his/her computer."

Agematis is headquartered in Bordeaux (France). The main sales office is located in Paris and the Company also operates sales offices in London, San Francisco and Sao Paulo.

Why Netvibes is not organizing any Prize Contest ?

Hi,

here are some of my Marketing considerations on Netvibes

Now that Netvibes is more and more focused on mainstream users, I am surprise to notice that Netvibes is very keen to organize Parties for nerds (at Web conferebes as Le Web 3 in Paris or WEB2.0 in Berlin or ...) but nothing has been thought for developers and users at least since last year!

A Contest would create more emulation and more exposure. Prize would not be difficult to find for a company based in PARIS... (from Champagne bottles to Luxury weekends).

I have some ideas for contest:

• most innovative use of Netvibes page
• most complete on a certain subject
• most creative layout
• most easy to use
• Netviber user of the Month
• Netviber developer of the Month
• Widget of the Month

and some categories could be created:

• Travel
• Food/cooking
• Health
• Music
• Sport
• Brands ...

Each contest would last a few weeks and would be open to anyone. A short list should be selected by a "selected" pannel of independent Specialists on the matter. The short list would be then proposed to all the "netvibes community" that could vote for their best choice. (1 user = 1 vote).

The better the prizes, the bigger the buzz...

The overall result would be a bigger awareness of alternative uses and subjects already available in the Netvibes community.

Ginger Video demo by NETVIBES CEO himself, Tariq Krim

Hi,

If you were not in Paris to LEWEB3.0, here is a video by French Blogger Grégoire Gagnon with Tariq KRIM , Netvibes' CEO, showing himself the new Ginger release in English.
(11' mind: The sound is awful! )

The Social move by Netvibes is now clear: "Netvibes is a page where you can express yourself!"
and the new target is : MAIN STREAM USERS!



Ginger netvibes presentation by tariq krim
envoyé par gregoiregagnon


At the moment, Ginger is in beta private testing and has been unofficially announced for mis-January for everyone!

If Netvibes reads this blog: I would like a Beta for Ginger

Hi,

As I discovered that someone at least in Netvibes reads this blog (the only dedicated to netvibes) I would be pleased to receive an invitation for the beta private version of the Ginger release...

NETVIBES: your Custumers service rocks!

Hi,

Just to tell you that a few hours ago I had a problem charging Netvibes as I was posting here on my Blog.

Just an hour passed and someone from Netvibes, François, has taken his time to give me the advice to reset the netvibes cache by clicking on the following URL:
httt://www.netvibes.com/?reset_cache=1

and it worked !

Thanks François, thanks Netvibes!

If you can not access Netvibes.com try m.netvibes.com

Hi,

I am not able to access my Netvibes page on netvibes.com but by chance the m.netvibes.com was working!

http://m.netvibes.com is the netvibes version for your Mobile phone (even if you do not have one...).

To access it , type the same ID and Password.
The look is different, no colours but at least it was working!

UPDATE: after 5min it just out of order as the rest!

Problems charging Netvibes

Hi,

While (or because ?) the new Ginger release is showed at the WEB 3 conference in Paris, I am not able to charge my Netvibes page either in IE or FF.

I see the tabs but content is missing except the Widgets created with Any Url.

Hope it will work soon and that there will be some explanation...

Netvibes unveils first official preview of Ginger release

Hi,

The Netvibes blog is unveiling the first official preview of the new Ginger release that will officially presented at the LE WEB 3 Conference in Paris next Tuesday.

As I already announced as a scoop, the main change will be the Social twist made by Netvibes.

With Netvibes Ginger, you will be able to:

• Import your friends from your favorite social networks or make new friends directly in your Netvibes page
• use Activity, a new feature that will let you know what your friends are doing
• you can archive and tag as favorite any content or any widgets for yourself or with your friends
• you can create your own Universe and build your public Netvibes page
• add your myspace or facebook friends, and distribute widgets

Perhaps all this could help NETVIBES to become my Single Social Interface ?

Netvibes Universes: just a Directory of data sources

Hi,
I was looking for some interesting Universes in Netvibes, and I found them quite boring in fact. All of them.

Let's see the most popular (by the way, there is no sign of any downloads numbers contrary to the Widgets): Marianne, a French news magazine.
You have loads of RSS Feeds , the Forums, the Podcasts, the Videos and the Podcasts and the blogs all from one source : the Marianne magazine.
It is ok, if you want to choose only from it, let's say it is a Directory of Data sources from one supplier.
But there is no life, no added content, no way to create something.
It is just a Free News Stand from 1 source!

And almost all Universe are like thet, they add the weather (why?) , if they are Commercial Brand Universes (like Glenfiddich) there is a little game but, so what ?

Who is going to add those games to its own page ? If you know , tell me.

Is that all for the WEB 2.0 Personalized Homepage innovator ? I hope not!

Netvibes needs some Human Content Aggregation

Hi,

In my previous posts on Netvibes and Content I was pointing to the fact that for "Non-nerds" Netvibes does not offer a lot of digested Data ready to use.
That's why I prepared my self the London (UK) and Paris (France) Tabs.

Pageflakes, one of Netvibes competitor, is going in my way. They have just published a FOOD page with feeds, blogs, recipes, pictures. It is a starting point for an "non-tech" English speaking audience and I am sure that Netvibes should go also that way but better.

I am surprised to see that there is no major INTERNET MUSIC page from Netvibes, knowing that Netvibes CEO, Tariq Krim and many of his team are coming from the Internet Music World.

When I speak about Human Content Aggregation is a way to signify that Automatic Aggreagtion is possible only with "experts" because they already know the subject and the sources.
But the average Internet User is not. Most of my friends and family have not already heard about RSS or Netvibes and there is the future.

Netvibes is waiting for the GINGER release to become social but, I insists, it is Content, Human Content, that will make the difference!