Comments on: PhotoShow Goes Social With New Version http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/02/18/photoshow-goes-social-with-new-version/ Startup and Technology News Fri, 09 Jan 2009 12:02:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: Jay Tannenbaum http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/02/18/photoshow-goes-social-with-new-version/#comment-1062952 Jay Tannenbaum Mon, 26 Feb 2007 22:25:50 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/02/18/photoshow-goes-social-with-new-version/#comment-1062952 Marshall: This is Jay Tannenbaum, VP of Marketing at Simple Star. Thanks for posting about the launch of the latest version of our integrated PhotoShow service. I’d like to take a moment to fill in a few details about PhotoShow that maybe you didn’t have room for in your post. At the core of our product is a very robust slideshow authoring and sharing platform. We are pioneers in this space since back in 2001 with the first release of PhotoShow. Our users have been sharing PhotoShows on the web since then and in a more social context since 2005 on PhotoShow.net. We brand PhotoShow.net for our partners, companies like Nero, Walgreens, Comcast, and Time Warner Cable as well as our own Simple Star version. In January the aggregate traffic of all these properties including PhotoShow.com as measured by Nielsen was almost 1.4 million unique users. As you pointed out, almost 20,000 people actually install our desktop software every day – 5 million a year. A lot of this is from viral growth and word of mouth as well as extensive partner, OEM and retail distribution. Our customers seem to like a fast, easy to use way to make and share multimedia. It is so easy to use that it is bundled by Fisher Price with a digital camera tailored for pre-schoolers. But it is solid enough for our partners to choose as their brands’ persistent desktop presence. They respect our broad distribution, appreciate solid engineering and that we sweat the details. Like that we have taken the time to license great music from artists like Miles Davis and Thievery Corporation so everyone can share their memories in a cool way – hassle free. Many of us at Simple Star are veteran Web 1.0 survivors. We started this company based on solid business principles. We wanted to create something more than a one trick mash up or a slideshow widget. Our goal was to make it easy for anyone to turn their memories into amazing movies they could share and enjoy anywhere – on the web, PC or TV. We’re doing it. But don’t take my word for it. Make a PhotoShow at PhotoShow.com or try our software for free at www.simplestar.com. Jay Marshall:
This is Jay Tannenbaum, VP of Marketing at Simple Star. Thanks for posting about the launch of the latest version of our integrated PhotoShow service. I’d like to take a moment to fill in a few details about PhotoShow that maybe you didn’t have room for in your post.

At the core of our product is a very robust slideshow authoring and sharing platform. We are pioneers in this space since back in 2001 with the first release of PhotoShow. Our users have been sharing PhotoShows on the web since then and in a more social context since 2005 on PhotoShow.net. We brand PhotoShow.net for our partners, companies like Nero, Walgreens, Comcast, and Time Warner Cable as well as our own Simple Star version. In January the aggregate traffic of all these properties including PhotoShow.com as measured by Nielsen was almost 1.4 million unique users.

As you pointed out, almost 20,000 people actually install our desktop software every day – 5 million a year. A lot of this is from viral growth and word of mouth as well as extensive partner, OEM and retail distribution. Our customers seem to like a fast, easy to use way to make and share multimedia. It is so easy to use that it is bundled by Fisher Price with a digital camera tailored for pre-schoolers. But it is solid enough for our partners to choose as their brands’ persistent desktop presence. They respect our broad distribution, appreciate solid engineering and that we sweat the details. Like that we have taken the time to license great music from artists like Miles Davis and Thievery Corporation so everyone can share their memories in a cool way – hassle free.

Many of us at Simple Star are veteran Web 1.0 survivors. We started this company based on solid business principles. We wanted to create something more than a one trick mash up or a slideshow widget. Our goal was to make it easy for anyone to turn their memories into amazing movies they could share and enjoy anywhere – on the web, PC or TV. We’re doing it. But don’t take my word for it. Make a PhotoShow at PhotoShow.com or try our software for free at http://www.simplestar.com.

Jay

]]> By: David Mackey http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/02/18/photoshow-goes-social-with-new-version/#comment-1044035 David Mackey Sun, 25 Feb 2007 05:50:47 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/02/18/photoshow-goes-social-with-new-version/#comment-1044035 Sounds like a nifty product. The 20,000 installs a day is pretty amazing. Though I wonder how many of those are automatically deployed by major cable companies etc.? Sounds like a nifty product. The 20,000 installs a day is pretty amazing. Though I wonder how many of those are automatically deployed by major cable companies etc.?

]]> By: Bud Vieira http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/02/18/photoshow-goes-social-with-new-version/#comment-1020715 Bud Vieira Thu, 22 Feb 2007 19:45:43 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/02/18/photoshow-goes-social-with-new-version/#comment-1020715 I'm with Alex and Elise - I have to say I read and enjoy TechCrunch frequently, and I enjoyed this article as a distinctive change of pace! Sounds like this company has its marketing house in order: targeting the 2/3 post-early-adopter market, partnering with institutions that market knows and trusts, emphasizing the boxed software to show they are a *real* company and not one of a dozen startups in the space with uncertain future, providing the desktop tool to manage both online and offline ... while it may be unattractive to those of us on the bleeding edge, you gotta give them their marketing props. And it *is* hard to argue with 20,000 copies a day! I’m with Alex and Elise - I have to say I read and enjoy TechCrunch frequently, and I enjoyed this article as a distinctive change of pace! Sounds like this company has its marketing house in order: targeting the 2/3 post-early-adopter market, partnering with institutions that market knows and trusts, emphasizing the boxed software to show they are a *real* company and not one of a dozen startups in the space with uncertain future, providing the desktop tool to manage both online and offline … while it may be unattractive to those of us on the bleeding edge, you gotta give them their marketing props. And it *is* hard to argue with 20,000 copies a day!

]]> By: Elise Bauer http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/02/18/photoshow-goes-social-with-new-version/#comment-1011694 Elise Bauer Wed, 21 Feb 2007 23:04:56 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/02/18/photoshow-goes-social-with-new-version/#comment-1011694 Oh my, sounds like a lot of sour grapes coming from people who didn't get their pet company featured. Thanks Marshall for profiling SimpleStar and PhotoShow. I've been following this company for years. Back when they had a Mac product, around 5 years ago, I created several Photoshows that are still running on my site. One of the reasons for this company's success is that the engineers developing the product focused on the wants and needs of a market segment that wasn't them. The developers were young, hip 20-something software guys. Early on their market revealed itself to be mostly middle-aged women with kids. Yep it may be cheesy, and yes it isn't nearly so cool as some web 2.0 mash-up, but it has a lot of customers who clearly like the product. There is something to be said for following the money, eh? Oh my, sounds like a lot of sour grapes coming from people who didn’t get their pet company featured.

Thanks Marshall for profiling SimpleStar and PhotoShow. I’ve been following this company for years. Back when they had a Mac product, around 5 years ago, I created several Photoshows that are still running on my site. One of the reasons for this company’s success is that the engineers developing the product focused on the wants and needs of a market segment that wasn’t them. The developers were young, hip 20-something software guys. Early on their market revealed itself to be mostly middle-aged women with kids. Yep it may be cheesy, and yes it isn’t nearly so cool as some web 2.0 mash-up, but it has a lot of customers who clearly like the product. There is something to be said for following the money, eh?

]]> By: Ray/MillionReurn.Com http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/02/18/photoshow-goes-social-with-new-version/#comment-983288 Ray/MillionReurn.Com Mon, 19 Feb 2007 08:45:02 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/02/18/photoshow-goes-social-with-new-version/#comment-983288 ... and anything else it can think to charge users for??? Why should I buy this?? ---------------------------------- MillionReturn.Com -- See me how to return $1m from 1 single page! … and anything else it can think to charge users for??? Why should I buy this??

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MillionReturn.Com — See me how to return $1m from 1 single page!

]]> By: Targeted Web Traffic http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/02/18/photoshow-goes-social-with-new-version/#comment-980988 Targeted Web Traffic Mon, 19 Feb 2007 02:54:51 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/02/18/photoshow-goes-social-with-new-version/#comment-980988 I don't get it ... why not just use emule or torrent clients?? Why would anyone go after this service?? ... I don’t get it … why not just use emule or torrent clients?? Why would anyone go after this service?? …

]]> By: Marshall Kirkpatrick http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/02/18/photoshow-goes-social-with-new-version/#comment-980323 Marshall Kirkpatrick Mon, 19 Feb 2007 01:27:33 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/02/18/photoshow-goes-social-with-new-version/#comment-980323 Bill, Michael Arrington didn't write this post and I'm not sure you read it very closely. Bill, Michael Arrington didn’t write this post and I’m not sure you read it very closely.

]]> By: Bill Gaetz http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/02/18/photoshow-goes-social-with-new-version/#comment-980070 Bill Gaetz Mon, 19 Feb 2007 00:54:07 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/02/18/photoshow-goes-social-with-new-version/#comment-980070 Alex: I think it's up to MA what he thinks deserves mentioning in TC, but the point is that he does not bless those entrepreneurs that submit sites to him even with a short reply. This certainly does not cultivate love. Or maybe there are so many websites created everyday, that his mailbox is full? I know one team that has a website of 800,000 registered users and rapidly growing, and another with 500,000 users: he did not bless them with a reply. Some very famous people did, but he did not. And then he writes about this obscure startups with 2000 registered users... There must be some other motivation involved here. Alex:

I think it’s up to MA what he thinks deserves mentioning in TC, but the point is that he does not bless those entrepreneurs that submit sites to him even with a short reply. This certainly does not cultivate love. Or maybe there are so many websites created everyday, that his mailbox is full?
I know one team that has a website of 800,000 registered users and rapidly growing, and another with 500,000 users: he did not bless them with a reply. Some very famous people did, but he did not.
And then he writes about this obscure startups with 2000 registered users… There must be some other motivation involved here.

]]> By: Alex http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/02/18/photoshow-goes-social-with-new-version/#comment-979491 Alex Sun, 18 Feb 2007 23:31:47 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/02/18/photoshow-goes-social-with-new-version/#comment-979491 Bill, I think the concept of the post was to act as a reminder to us all that desktop software still has numbers.... and that "web only" is not the sole way forwards. I still think people (by which I mean average computer user) like to have a tangible good in return for money spent... it may be a redundant product (I am not their target market I guess) - but obviously it is selling - which makes it a successful product. As for getting services / sites on Techcrunch.... having had one app that I am responsible for reviewed here a couple of months back.... I would say that those that contact MA for a mention probably won't be mentioned! (I didn't) Bill,

I think the concept of the post was to act as a reminder to us all that desktop software still has numbers…. and that “web only” is not the sole way forwards. I still think people (by which I mean average computer user) like to have a tangible good in return for money spent… it may be a redundant product (I am not their target market I guess) - but obviously it is selling - which makes it a successful product.

As for getting services / sites on Techcrunch…. having had one app that I am responsible for reviewed here a couple of months back…. I would say that those that contact MA for a mention probably won’t be mentioned! (I didn’t)

]]> By: Bill Gaetz http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/02/18/photoshow-goes-social-with-new-version/#comment-979190 Bill Gaetz Sun, 18 Feb 2007 22:50:03 +0000 http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/02/18/photoshow-goes-social-with-new-version/#comment-979190 I saw that this article had zero comments for a long time, and I decided to fix this. The reason that it had no comments, is because it's about a completely uninteresting and redunant product. I know a lot of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. Perhaps as many as Mike Arrington. Which brings me to the next question: why has this article been written? I heard of many interesting startups and their founders that have submitted their sites to Techcrunch. What did they get in return? Nothing. Not even "not at this time", or some other corporate-aspirational gibberish response. It looks like Techcrunch has switched gears: it started to write either about "proven" stuff, or about people/compaiunes linking to which may benefit Mike Arrington. I wonder if a direct "sponsorship" in some form is involved. Is this post going to be deleted? I saw that this article had zero comments for a long time, and I decided to fix this.
The reason that it had no comments, is because it’s about a completely uninteresting and redunant product. I know a lot of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. Perhaps as many as Mike Arrington. Which brings me to the next question: why has this article been written?
I heard of many interesting startups and their founders that have submitted their sites to Techcrunch. What did they get in return? Nothing. Not even “not at this time”, or some other corporate-aspirational gibberish response.

It looks like Techcrunch has switched gears: it started to write either about “proven” stuff, or about people/compaiunes linking to which may benefit Mike Arrington. I wonder if a direct “sponsorship” in some form is involved.

Is this post going to be deleted?

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