Small Worlds and Hi5 combine virtual world and social networking
In a marriage of games and social networks, SmallWorlds has teamed up with social network Hi5 to open up SmallWorlds’ cartoon-like virtual world to Hi5’s 60 million monthly visitors.
Hi5’s users can use Hi5’s games channel to access the browser-based virtual environment of SmallWorlds, which has hundreds of casual games available to play. Hi5’s games channel has become a major focus for revenue generation for the San Francisco-based social network.
With the alliance in place, users can pay for… Continue Reading
Hi5’s latest virtual moves: Another games deal, flirting and ad-blocking services
Hi5 is in the middle of a big transition. It’s trying to be more of a “social entertainment site” and less of a social network. Part of that means more games for its gaming section — yesterday, it announced a deal with Playdom, a company that builds gaming applications for social networks, following another recent announcement with RockYou. These games are using Hi5’s virtual currency, and could make money for the company eventually, but they… Continue Reading
Hi5 begins giving developers access to its virtual currency
Facebook is planning some form of virtual currency that third-party developers can use, and so is MySpace — but smaller rival Hi5 has already beat them to it. It has just launched its first integration of its site-wide currency, “Coins,” in a game built by app developer RockYou, called “RockYou Pets.”
In the game, you can earn points by doing things like visiting your virtual pet every day, then you can use these points to do… Continue Reading
IM brings Hi5 one step closer to “social entertainment”
Hi5 decided to bet big on games and “social entertainment” starting last year — by the end of 2009 it hopes to have 3-D avatars for its users, that they can use within games. Today, it has come a little bit closer to its vision, introducing a web-based instant messaging feature. It’s a sort of static bar that you see at the bottom of every page on the site, and use to chat with friends… Continue Reading
Bill Gossman is social network Hi5’s new chief executive
MySpace isn’t the only social network with a new chief executive — Hi5 has one, too. It’s Bill Gossman, a serial entrepreneur who most recently was the chief executive of behavioral ad-targeting company Revenue Science (since renamed to Audience Science).
Hi5 has had a turbulent couple of months, laying off nearly 40 percent of the staff in March after having failed — from what we’ve previously heard — to raise a new round of funding. Gossman’s… Continue Reading
PlaySpan helping social network Hi5 to cash in on virtual goods
Updated with information from Hi5 on its gaming effort.
Social network Hi5 is continuing its foray into the business of virtual gaming today by introducing two new ways for users to pay it real money for its “Coins” virtual currency. The services, offered by gaming payment company PlaySpan, include PayByCash, which lets you buy Coins using cash or check, as well as the Ultimate Gaming Card, a prepaid card so parents can buy a set amount… Continue Reading
Public market buys ChangYou’s virtual goods model, stock up after IPO
In a public market vote of confidence on the business of virtual goods, Chinese game-maker ChangYou (CYOU) has gone public on NASDAQ today and its stock is currently up around 25 percent on heavy trading. Why? The company is seeing $202 million in annual revenue, more than half of which is profit, according to The Economist. Initial shares were priced between $14 and $16 but now it’s leveling out around $20.
ChangYou makes money from selling… Continue Reading
After brutal layoffs, game partnership could help revive hi5
Hi5 took a hard hit today: It laid off around half of its 100-person staff after potential funding fell through. But its plan for a comeback — making money through virtual goods — is moving forward. The social network is announcing a partnership with game distributor and ad network Mochi Media. More than 200 Flash games offered through Mochi will be introduced to Hi5 initially, with thousands more to come.
Hi5 launched Coins along with virtual… Continue Reading
After a funding failure, hi5 “kind of died” today
When work began today, social network hi5 had over 100 employees. Right now, that’s closer to 50, a source tells me, confirming TechCrunch’s earlier story. But why did a site with 62 million unique monthly visitors have to lay off 50 percent of its employees today? Because a round of funding it was seeking recently collapsed, I’m told.
The blow is especially painful because the funding was nearing completion, with the investors doing due diligence, says… Continue Reading
Social network hi5 aims its 60 million users at casual games
Social network hi5 is introducing a casual games section to its site today, complete with its recently-launched virtual currency (called “Coins”) and a range of more than 40 arcade, casino, card, sports and strategy games. It’s the latest move in the company’s effort to focus on “social entertainment” — later this year, it plans to introduce instant messaging (wrapped into games, as well), avatars and eventually a full-blown virtual world.
The company is focusing on virtual… Continue Reading
Facebook’s traffic growth leaving rivals in the dust
Facebook has grown to 150 million users this month, more than half of whom use the site every day, according to company chief executive Mark Zuckerberg. Other social networks, like MySpace, Friendster, hi5, Bebo and Orkut, have also become popular around the world over the last decade, and they all boast tens of millions of users. But none are as large or growing as fast as Facebook
Take a look at the comScore chart, above, and… Continue Reading
Hi5 adds virtual gifts in time for holidays around the world
Social network hi5 has launched a gift store. Like Facebook and MySpace, the company will let its users buy virtual gifts for each other. Virtual goods brings in hundreds of millions of dollars for web companies in Asia, but the revenue stream is still picking up in the U.S. and other parts of the world. Hi5 has users worldwide, but especially in Latin America, so it remains to be seen how significant this new revenue… Continue Reading
More job cuts hit Silicon Valley: Zivity and hi5
Even as the startup world watched bubbles popping in other industries over the past year, we hoped it wouldn’t hit us quite as hard. But it looks like we were hoping in vain. During the past week, a number of startups have announced job cuts as they prepare for what will likely be a long recession.
Here are latest two that we’ve heard about. Zivity, an adult-focused social network featuring tasteful photography of female nudes, has… Continue Reading
Hey güey, here’s how to translate an OpenSocial application into 26 languages
Hi5 is releasing a way for its users to translate third party applications on its site into other languages. This means developers can reach new users — and use the translated application on any other social network that also uses the OpenSocial code specification. See the always-funny Chuck Norris quote application as it goes through the various stages of translation into Japanese, below.
Given fast-growing hi5’s presence in Latin America, Eastern Europe and various countries around… Continue Reading
Roundup: Intel launching six-core chip, Miasole raising big round, the making of Google’s Chrome and more
Here’s the latest action:
Intel to launch six-core microprocessor – A chip code-named Dunnington is expected to debut on Sept. 15. Intel will put six cores, or computing brains, on a single chip. But this is really no big deal. I’ve got a 666-core chip of my own in the works. I used a cookie-cutter to make it.
Linkedin gets linked to CNBC – The popular business social network will integrate its community and networking functionality into… Continue Reading
Hi5 introduces its mobile site in 26 languages, to bolster international growth
Hi5, one of the larger social networks in the world after Facebook and MySpace, is launching a mobile version of its site in 26 languages. Point your mobile browser to m.hi5.com to check it out, or take a look at the screenshot.
The mobile version, as you can see from the screenshot, offers some but not all of the features found on the web site. The mobile features include the ability to send and receive messages… Continue Reading
Fast-growing social network hi5 makes key hires, especially on the business side
Hi5 has had a growth spurt over the first half of this year, growing from 31 million to 56 million monthly active users over the first six months of the year. Like its still-larger rivals Facebook and MySpace, it has been hiring lots of senior leaders, especially on on the business side.
Before the list of hires, a little background: San Francisco, Calif.-based hi5’s largest group of users is in Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America,… Continue Reading
Facebook has f8, but hi5 has the fastest growing social network
Facebook and MySpace get most of the press, but another social network out there is growing much faster than either: hi5. The social network is the world’s fastest growing among the top-10 networks in that category, according to June data from analytics firm comScore.
Hi5 grew 79 percent in the first half of 2008 — twice as fast as any of the other top social networks. The site’s unique visitors grew from 31.4 million in December… Continue Reading
Roundup: Canadian iPhone revolt, mobile Olympics and more
Here’s the latest action:
More than 22,000 Canadians revolt against monopolistic iPhone rates — Rogers, the telecommunications company that holds a near-monopoly in the Canadian mobile market, is facing a revolt from users who were looking forward to getting 3G iPhones. Its terms include a mandatory 3-year contract, as well as limited calling time, text messages, and a limit on the new phone’s data transfer, with accompanying fees if you go over on anything. In other words,… Continue Reading
Social network hi5 buys app creator PixVerse to build out its own chat service
Social network hi5 has bought a social network application developer company called PixVerse for an undisclosed amount. While PixVerse’s applications, like Pix Chat and Pix Wall, run on multiple platforms on rival social networks, the reason for the purchase is that hi5 wants its technology.
PixVerse applications are based on what it considers a “breakthrough” implementation of Adobe’s Flash technology that it has built its various applications on. It also uses Google App Engine, which lets… Continue Reading