Phrenzie.com

This is an article in Venture Beat.  It discusses Adeo Ressi’s views on the current venture capital industry and that all signs are pointing to a need for change in the venture capital business model.   

Check out slide #10.  There are a LOT of me too businesses.  I can’t help but think about Mixx.com.  It was a straight bite off of DIGG.  I couldn’t (still can’t) tell what the better mousetrap is with Mixx, but they might have something up their sleeves in the mid to long term. 

Seth MacFarlane and Google

If you haven’t heard by now on NYTimes.com, Seth MacFarlane, creator of the Family Guy (I’m watching Blue Harvest on DVD as I type, btw) and American Dad is having his new creation, Seth MacFarlane’s Calvacade of Comedy, distributed over the internet, freeing up his creative juices and avoiding censorship from the FCC. 

MacFarlane has two key partners, Google and Media Rights Capital (MRC).  But instead of Google being used to distribute advertising, it’s being used distribute the actual show through its Google Content Network.  Using its algorithms, Google will identify the kinds of people who will be interested in the show.  It’s the same model as advertising, targeted with an enormous amount of metrics/data to refine the targeting.

Currently, TV can not provide this level of targeting. 

MRC, a niche production company that is also working with Raven-Symone through its Digital Rights arm, will take the lead on corralling advertisers or the show.  It can, thus, provide them with the same level of exacting ROI that the net offers and that TV can not.

I think this is an incredibly smart move on Seth and Google’s part.  Certainly Google, in using this as further proof of concept that its model can be applicable to ALL media, not just advertising.

 JibJab

This made me think of Jib Jab’s move to further develop its revenue model and how new media companies are continuing to figure out best ways to monetize the net.

So one product, Sendables, JibJab’s e-Card business, allows users to add themselves to videos.  Gregg Spiridellis, co-Founder/CEO of JibJab Media says the premise is that “Its all about personal expression.”  Users can put their face on someone else’s body for free, but then pay to share it with friends.  I did this Snoop Dogg video with my son’s baby picture to test it out (I would post it here, but I gotta admit, I was kinda sick seeing my son in a Snoop Dogg video – word to the wise…don’t do it).  I also didn’t want to pay the $3 to share the video.

Snoop’s got an interesting thing going…be everywhere his fans are and expand the JibJab brand.  Some fans use JibJab.