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Quarterly Wrap-ups

NewNet Q1: Content Farms and Niche Networks on the Rise

Summary:

The first quarter of 2011 saw plenty of competition between various web companies — and some heated tension, too. Content farms generated the most debate, with Demand Media’s IPO attracting attention and controversy and Google making a major change to its ranking algorithm. Facebook, meanwhile, maintained its heavyweight status online, but this time the social network’s impact was centered on social search, unified communications and comment systems. And Facebook’s ongoing dominance raised the question, Is there room for more than one social network? If niche networks like Quora and Color are any indication, the answer is “yes.” Additional companies mentioned in this report include Twitter, Groupon, Microsoft, LinkedIn and MySpace. To see the full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial.

  1. Table of Contents
  2. About David Card
  3. About GigaOM Pro
  4. Executive Summary
  5. Content Farms Stir Controversy
  6. Search Responds to Farms and Social Media
  7. Room for Special-Purpose Social Networks?
    1. Professional Social Networks
    2. Question and Answer Networks
    3. Synchronous Messaging Presages Battle for Unified Communications
    4. Will Color Create an Implicit Photo Network?
  8. Facebook Comments Face Established Competitors
  9. Online Media Monetization Schemes Proliferate
  10. Near-Term Outlook
  11. Key Takeaways
  12. Further Reading