Netvibes joins Dataportability group:

Hi,

Tariq KRIM, founder and CEO of Netvibes, has just announced that after: Google, Facebook, Plaxo, LinkedIn, Flickr, also Netvibes was joining the Dataportability working group.

We all use Google, Facebook, Flickr, or a similar kind of service and almost every day we have problems transfering or just using data from one service to the other. I can upload my contacts to Facebook but I can not download them ...

The Objectives of this working group is:
" To put all existing technologies and initiatives in context to create a reference design for end-to-end Data Portability. To promote that design to the developer, vendor and end-user community."

In other words, The group is working on a variety of projects where users could take their data from the websites they use to reuse elsewhere. On the other side, vendors could leverage safe cross-site data exchange for a whole new level of innovation.

That move is another step towards an increase integration of Social life that could lead to my "dreamed single social interface".

But remember that a working group is by no means sure to achieve its goals...

If youn are that interested you can join or just read the Google's Public Group on Data Portability.

Poorest Netvibes Universe Award 2007

Hi,

since the big success (I tripled my audience) of my NETVIBER EXPERIENCE's Best Public Netvibes Universes Awards 2007 and with the increasing participation to the Online Netvibes POLL, I have decided to present also the:

NETVIBER EXPERIENCE's POOREST Public Netvibes Universes Awards 2007 .

At the moment there is only a winner (if we can call him like that) of that sad category.

This Universe was chosen for many reasons:

1) complete useless Universe as everithing shown there (4 widgets), is just personal...

2) awful headerBackground with some kind of green grass...

3) only one original widget: but it is just the ... Raving Rabbids saying : bwaaaaaaaaah

(anyway, if you want to add it to your Netvibes, here the link)

4) but the main reason to choose it, is because of its author: this Universe was made by Tariq KRIM , himself !

Yes, Netvibes CEO and founder shows us this poor Universe !

So, the NETVIBER EXPERIENCE's Poorest Netvibes Universes Awards 2007 goes to:

TARIQ's UNIVERSE !

But I am sure, as Tariq is the best asset of Netvibes, that Tariq did his Universe as this on purpose!

Yes, he wanted that all of us could feel proud to be able, one day to build a better, nicer, more usefull Public Universe!

Thanks Tariq!

Now I think too, that I will be able to do something better!

Anyway, if you want to see it, here is a Print screen of the Winner and tell if I am wrong!

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 can not stop clones then only Content is left.

Hi,

To continue my series on Netvibes Clones, here is another Netvibes look-alike: MEVOU.
It looks like Netvibes in the version previous the last Coriander Update. But everything is there and seems to work: widgets, weather, clock . Of course the Netvibes Ecosystem is missing but the rest is there with a small feed directory and the principal applications.

As, ReadWriteWeb wrote: " The barrier for entry in getting into this hot area has never been lower than now"
So, If Netvibes can not stop clones to come to the surface the only solution for them to survive is Content.

But what surprises me is the lack of reaction from Netvibes Managers.

Let's take FRANCK MAHON , Lead Product Manager or Hubert MICHAUX, Marketing Manager we never ear from them. Only Tariq KRIM , the founder and CE0 speaks for Netvibes.
But the Content subject seems more and more confused not to speak about an Exclusive content.

Krim (Netvibes CEO): Widgets will generate revenues

Hi,

here my transcript of an interesting video in French of the closing keynote speech on the subject of Advertising and Web 2.0 by Tariq Krim, founder and CEO of Netvibes.



The event was the AD:TECH PARIS 6th - 7th March 2007, Palais des Congrès, Paris and Netvibes did not yet published the Coriander Version with more custimization possibilities and the Universes were not available.



The Video is interesting in that you can feel the hesitation and the doubts of Tariq Krim about the revenue side of Netvibes compared with the easy speech he can show when he speaks about services and usability of Netvibes. He says many times that Netvibes is what he needs himself.

You really can feel that the business model is very very vague and that must have been the cause of the departure of WEB 1.0 entrepreneur Pierre Chappaz from Netvibes.



CLOSING KEYNOTE: Advertsing in 2.0 era



[the following are theText of the slides presented by Tariq Krim]



Time is a strategic choice

Attention is a personal choice

-

Our digital life is growing... out of control

-

Netvibes is about where you focus

your interests

your attention

-

Netvibes is about you -

No advertising.

No logos.

No corporate control on the page - 100% user control and creation -

Community (Netvibes Ecosystem) provide the content

-

NETVIBES TODAY (march 2007)

15 month old - translated into 80+ languages, done entirely by users

More than 12.000 Feeds, Modules, Podcasts, Calendars and Shared tabs made by users

More than 1 million unique RSS feeds managed by Netvibes

-

And your Brand ?

-

In all this, RSS is a smart distribution channel but it is still ... boring!

-

Netvibes makes RSS sexier for: photos, videos, music, flash

-

Working on an unfinished business

(web 1.0) -free the data

(Web 2.0) -free the Application

(Netvibes ) -free the User

-

How it will happen: -

the end of the web page -

the end of the browser (as we know it) -

the deportalisation: break the web in small independent pieces of living information: WIDGETS

-

Introducing Universal Widget API: build your netvibes widget and make (it) available on every widget platform, blog,... Write once, run everywhere! Netvibes, Dashboard, Google,...

-

Universal Widget API (UWA) - Opensource Javascript runtime - Netvibes UI library for your own widgets - building with our community a wall of APIs

-

Coming today on our developers network

http://developers.netvibes.com/



[After the slides, there was some kind of questions and answers. Here is my summary]



Q: How brands (not from the Web world) can integrate the Web ?

A: with the widget. Brands will create and offer their own widget. ex: CocaCola could offer a Music Channel widget ...



The concept is to give to every individual users an individual information but you need to be trusted (best is the friends community)



Widget is stronger than Ad because you choose it, you installed it, you like it and you trusted who sent it you!



Q: What are the New trends in Advertising with WEB 2.0 ?

A : The future will see less interest in just the Audience rate but more interest in the Attention rate of the user! Because of the stronger relation with the users that chooses his own piece of information where and when he wants it.



Q ( from CEO yahoo france): what is Netvibes' business model ?

A: the Widgets will generate revenues: by affiliation.

Let's say Ebay does not need new users (because it has already a very big audience) but Ebay needs to create a stronger relation with each user (that will translate in longer time with the service and then bigger revenues) . Ebay is less interested in Audience rate than in the Attention rate of its users.



Q: What are your revenues now (March 2007)

A: At the moment Netvibes has not significative revenues as we concentrate on increasing our user base (almost 10 millions) . You can not create revenues and, at the same time, increase your audience. We choose audience. We want a better product (ex coriander) , a new mobile version, better usability , new services, a Chinese version;



With an Higher Quality World Audience, we could think of pre-roll widgets, as with the ads before the videos. Widgets could be sponsorised. RSS has potential



Q: DO you have technological patents ?

A: Netvibes has just started first and is a good service.

Netvibes creates an ATTENTION NETWORK: created by the user.



Q: who is afraid of Netvibes?

A: Nobody. There is space for everybody...



Q: Who will buy you?

A: ... (with a large smile) . Many WEB 2.0 actors just thought about being bought by the Big Fishes and forgot to ask for enough starting money... We obtained ... 12 millions Euros...

Pierre CHAPPAZ, co-CEO, quits Netvibes

Hi,

Pierre CHAPPAZ, co-CEO of Netvibes since June 2006, has just announced on his Blog that he was quitting Netvibes on a desagreement with founder Tariq Krim over the Business Model of Netvibes.

Chappaz, also founder and CEO of Wikio, has pointed out that since the beginning there was a different point of vue over the future of Netvibes and that the actual development of the Universes of Netvibes was not in line with his own ideas.

The main objective of Pierre Chappaz , who in in 2004 already sold Kelkoo to Yahoo for €475 million, was to find ways to create a solid distribution and a way to make money... That seems not already the case.

Pierre Chappaz writes that he remains shareholder of Netvibes, but for how long?

The actual Business Model of Netvibes is not clear... and Tariq Krim, founder and co-CEO of Netvibes is reported to have said: "Once users are happy, I am sure the revenue model will make itself clear."

Pierre Chappaz was not patient enough...

In the mean time Tariq Krim is enjoing the new i-phone , he just bought in San Francisco...

Future Business Revenues for Netvibes

Hi,

The Branded Universes step by Netvibes, is in line with what Tariq Krim announced back in 2006 and that I have reported here concerning the Business Model of Netvibes.

"... Netvibes was going to try to get distribution deals with big media companies to have branded personalized homepages. That sounds like a promising business, but skepticism prevails. "

Well done Tariq ! You did what you said !

Netvibes is Charging the new NETVIBES UNIVERSES

Hi,

Since April 17, 2007 at 01:29 AM, Netvibes is charging their new: NETVIBES UNIVERSES and thet is what I see on my Netvibes page:
"We are currently upgrading our server infrastructure to serve you better, please come back later.
Check the blog for more details"

In their Blog, Tariq Krim, the CEO, is announcing many new improvements even after the Coriander version: the NETVIBES UNIVERSE concept.

"Soon, every single Netvibes user will be able to create a personal Netvibes Universe, that is, a Netvibes page that you can build using the content and widgets that you want -- and make it available to the world at large."

That will give you:

1) The possibility to Share a Netvibes page with others (as I was asking in my 10 things I want from my home page)
Netvibes users will soon have two pages for every account: a private page, where you subscribe to all the content for your personal, everyday use, and a public page, where you can allow others to access your favorite content -- everything that you love on the web.

2) Access a selection new Branded Universes
More than a hundred special Netvibes Universe pages will be available trough partnership with leading content publishers to create official Universes for some of your favorite musicians and media outlets.
Other Universes are on the way, and Netvibes asks for your advice.

Well let's wait and see...

Some Netvibes improvements

Hi,

Tariq Krim has just announced some new improvements to Netvibes waiting for the new Coriander version as I had announced previously.

The improvements according to Krim:

1) Improving the RSS and introducing the Media RSS support with introduction of small images in the feeds.

2) More choice in the search modules with more sites: metacafe.com, sevenload.com (videosearch), pixsy.com (pictures) and blogsearch.google.com (blogs).

3) a new Craigslist module

4)Introduced possibility of making a Backup copy of all your feed subscriptions

Now let's wait for the Coriander version improuvements.

Who is behind Netvibes ? part 1

Hi,

never wondered to know who is behind Netvibes ?

Here is what I found ... not on their web site but looking on Google.

Updated
1) Tariq KRIM, Founder and first CEO of Netvibes (2005-2008): French, born October 25, 1972
BIO
Studied engineering at ENST in Paris, one of France's grandes écoles, and went back to America for an internship at Sun Microsystems.
On his blog, we are informed this Pionner of French Internet, back in 1993 had founded the first Web radio in Paris and was then fully involved in the new digital sound arena.
In 1996 he in the Sylicon Valley but hen he comes back to Paris to work as a joiurnalist for La Tribune. In 1997 he is back in the States where the Digital Music Industry is growing.
Back again in France in 1999 and, end 1999, he launches mptrois.com provinding download links to MP3 files with the agreement of the right holders.
The web site becomes then GenerationMP3.com a still successful French blog/Forum on MP3 players.
On the side, Tariq gets also involved with P2P networks and acts as a consultant for many different players of the internet business.

The 15th of September 2005, he launches NETVIBES.
In May 2008, Krim resigns as CEO but will remain on the Board.
New CEO is now Freddy Mini, former COO.


Video interview of October 2006 of Tariq on YouTube , another one of October 2006 on MobuzzTv, here another one of May 2006, a French interview of March 2006


2) Florent FREMONT, founder and developer of Netvibes: French, born 1978

Florent is a web developer specialized on interface design. He’s been developing rich internet applications in Flash since 1999, he is now devoted on building web2.0 services using Ajax and having fun with the DOM.
From his online CV we know that this young developer is involved with Netvibes development since July 2005. He is a founder with Tariq KRIM.
The first message in the Netvibes blog, the 15th September 2005 announcing the first release of netvibes was signed Florent Fremont.

Here an interview with Florent in French and here an early one of October 2005.
Old Blog of Florent FREMONT


3) Pierre CHAPPAZ, co-CEO Netvibes (June 2006-July 2007): French, born 1959 .

BIO
This former IBM and TOSHIBA manager with consulting experience decides in 1999 to launch Kelkoo.com with Remy Amouroux, Christophe Odin, Jerome Mercier et Mauricio Lopez.
Kelkoo has since then become the first European shopping search engine almost in every European country with more then 50 millions European users.
In 2004, the company is sold Yahoo for €475 million. Pierre spent a year with Yahoo! in various roles and ultimately as President of Yahoo! Europe.
Now in 2006, he is co-CEO of Netvibes and founder and CEO of Wikio a new user managed news search engine.
He is also director on the board of Photoways the European leader for online photo printing and advisor to the Index Ventures an European venture capital fund that is also founding Netvibes (and one of the first investors in SKYPE).

In July 2007, Pierre CHAPPAZ announces that is quitting all his fonctions in Netvibes but that he remains shareholder

Pierre CHAPPAZ blog in French

to be continued (PART 2) ...