Pierre Omidyar left eBay long ago to become a billionaire philanthropist and angel investor, but he is taking on an operational role in a new startup called Peer News. It operates a Twitter app called Ginx currently in “private pre-alpha.” That means nobody but Pierre and a few pals are supposed to know about it. But Dan Primack at PEHub found an SEC filing indicating that Peer News has raised about $2 million, and it lists Omidyar himself as part of the executive team. He is also an investor.
I have been able to confirm separately that Omidyar is indeed a co-founder of the company along with Randy Ching. Peer News is based in Honolulu, where Omidyar lives, and is geared at making it easier for people to share news links through Twitter.
Ginx is a news sharing service built on top of Twitter. Ginx uses your Twitter username and password for login credentials. I haven’t seen a demo, but you can piece together what it is by seeing how Omidyar is using it on Twitter. Ginx operates as a Twitter client (some of Omidyar’s Tweets are labeled “from Ginx”), but more importantly it is also a URL shortener. My guess is that it is a browser add-on that lets you easily share articles you come across the Web with your Twitter followers without leaving the page.
But it goes beyond that. Most shortened URLs take you back the the original page that was referenced. If you click on one of the shortened Gink links in Omidyar’s Twitter feed, however, it will take you to a page on Ginx.com that is essentially another Webapge re-framed with a Ginx toolbar on top. For instance, the Ginx link in the Tweet below takes you to this Ginx page. But the original page is still getting credit. If you click on the “X” on the toolbar, it goes away and the URL reverts to the original one.
Right at the top of the Ginx page is a toolbar with the original Tweet and a reply button. This appears designed to allow a conversation to occur directly around the article or information being shared without having to go back to Twitter or fire up a Twitter client. That seems mildly useful. It’s what else Ginx will do with all of this data that will determine whether how valuable it will be. Marshall Kirkpatrick at ReadWriteWeb thinks the service will track popular news on Twitter and match people with similar interests.
Keep an eye on this one.
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why wasted his times with such trivial things he is already a billionaire.
You would think these guys stop after making it big. But their nature is to be active and innovate. I like the idea though Twitter needs to get its act together.
You really think peoples should stop after the big exit’s? no way, I think after those kinda of actions need to grow, think bigger and to think about all kind of business models.
my uncle made large sums of money about 10 years ago, retired and gored bored stiff of playing golf and spider solitaire.
so he’s not involved in a few start ups, not for the cash, but really to both keep him busy and also for meeting and working with like-minded people.
twitter really needs to get an api sorted properly before people start basing startups on it. There seems to be more and more phishing with having to give up credentials.
This seems sounds like a service I’m using now called brightkit.com with the exception of the replying back. It will be interesting to see what this brings hopefully it will be more than the obvious.
If you’ve used Brightkit’s new Hootlet bookmarking browser tool, it also has Brightkit’s toolbar at the top of the page.
BTW, the Hootlet tool makes posting links very very easy.
So this is the future of the world… all companies to be based on Twitter or Facebook?
Oh god…
@lazysupper: Twitter and Facebook offer a great opportunity to folks to come up with startups from nowhere. I have seen some very interesting ideas implemented.
Pierre should use his time and energy to re-initiate eBay rather than wasting time and cash on these trivial time wasters. He obviously had too much time in his hands. Look at what Jobs and Bezos are doing to contribute to a meaningful economy… sad to see no action from his part when the company he created needs him.
trivial things he is already a billionaire.
http://kisalt.net/d2
Lazersupper, Twitter and Facebook are gaining on the Internet. Someday, both will be bigger than the Internet. The Internet better start doing some marketing, or it’s going to fall behind in user-base.
“Oh they have the Internet on Computers now!”
Homer J. Simpson, the man spoke volumes.
But I agree… the Internet better start doing something soon or it’s toast. Maybe it could tell me when to water my plants.
Which internet do you use? I got a new one at best buy (it’s blue–or sort of dark black actually–and fits under my desk where my cats sleep (it keeps them warm)) and he said it is going to last for at least three years. You guys must have lost your minds.
“Keep an eye on this one.” Twitter apps and URL shortening…. revolutionary stuff.
Is there any force of nature to counteract things like spending $2M on something this trivial? I mean really, won’t this farce end up killing a bald eagle or at least injuring a baby koala something? Seriously: two million dollars! How many entrepreneurs out there are shivering reading that while they’ve slaved away for years, some guy with a browser plugin is fully funded from day 0 for something that has no hope of ever paying for itself.
URL shorteners are everywhere why is this such a big deal. i use http://tiny4.us and I bet if i ask then they can probably add those features without spending 2 million dollars.
pierre never managed anything at ebay, he got lucky
so he can waste money on ginx and play big shot
Pierre did an interview with John Donahoe, explaining how getting sellers to sell on eBay would be a horrible idea, while attempting to explain why eBay’s new changes would be a good thing. (Because eBayers like Pierre, and loathe Meg (the greedy witch of the west, and John Donahoe, the Tin Man).
Now, I have said this before, John seems like a nice guy. Naive, but nice. The type of person who blindly goes where the company leads. And in doing so, he may very well wind up a miserable wreck, as he is going to take the fall for a failed business plan that has all but destroyed eBay.
Pierre, WHERE are you? You’re still on the board. Are you now the cowardly lion? Take back YOUR company, and get it back on track.
I’m appalled at the direction ebay has spiraled down this past year. It’s a no wonder eBay stock is down 50% while Amazon enjoyed it’s best Christmas ever!
In the meantime, eBay is GIVING away millions in listing and Final Value Fees to the likes of Buy.com JUST to pretend they are doing well, all the while the paying sellers have moved on to other places, leaving eBay’s bottom line to suffer!
And, while the hopefuls stick around, they are getting pounded by bad buyers who would abuse the feedback system and steal items from good sellers, complain to PayPal, get a refund on the items they purchased, and then turn around and resell it on eBay! getting the item free AND money for selling the stolen items!
eBay’s claims that this activity is not tolerated is a lie! One member I reported two weeks ago to Lorrie was allowed to terrorize sellers for THIRTEEN MONTHS before eBay booted her! THIRTEEN MONTHS and left negatives at a rate of MORE than 28% since the feedback policy changed! The four years prior? The (ab)user left ZERO negative feedback! In one year, MORE than TWENTY EIGHT percent, in less than 200 transactions! THATS a LOT of negatives!
What happened? Ebay policy changed, allowing criminal behavior to destroy good honest hard working sellers.
And where were you Pierre? Off making Ginx?
Imagine your mother selling on ebay and being ripped off! Of course, you have YOUR billions. Who cares about the people who GOT you your money?
Please, join the eBay boycott.
Right a wrong eBay has done to thousands of innocent sellers and buyers,
Tim
http://forums.delphiforums.com/boycottebay/start
http://myspace.com/boycottebay