Negotiating with the mob: LivingSocial harnesses Facebook-organized buying
If the online masses can be harnessed to the millions for YouTube videos and protests, it’s only a mental hop, skip and jump to organizing the same for shopping deals.
That’s what LivingSocial is trying to tap into with its “Deals” service launching in New York City today.
The premise is simple: Get a local business to offer a deal only if a certain number of people sign up. Send it out on Facebook and if the… Continue Reading
Sylantro and BroadSoft merge to form VoIP powerhouse
The voice-over-internet-protocol space just got less crowded. Big name BroadSoft has just acquired long-time competitor Sylantro Systems for an undisclosed sum. The merger may portend many to come for VoIP companies in 2009 as the recession encourages further consolidation, industry insiders predict.
BroadSoft and Sylantro are unique in that both enjoyed generous venture backing going into the deal — raising $72 million and $113 million respectively to date. Even though it brought in less, Broadsoft was… Continue Reading
LivingSocial launches social review site, raises funding
LivingSocial started life as a set of applications on Facebook and other social networks that let users review movies, books, music, games, restaurants and varieties of beer (pictured). Now, the company has formed a set of free-standing web sites based on these users and reviews.
When a user posts a review on any of its social networking applications, or on one of its sites, that review is shared across all related social networking applications. So if… Continue Reading