Justin Gibbs

Tumblr and Lady Gaga the next threat to Facebook?

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 08:39:46 -0700

Everyone is debating if Google+ can compete with Facebook, even going as far as to outline how Google can beat Facebook. But all the focus on Google+ has overshadowed a possibly more important event in the battle against Facebook - Lady Gaga joins Tumblr. Is this similar to when Telia Toquila was requited to MySpace?

DeWolfe and Anderson went out and strategically recruited up-and-coming bands such as the Billionaire Boys Club and pinup girls such as Tila Tequila to join the site. Initially, you had to be a Myspace member to see the resulting profile pages, listen to the music, or check out the bikini pics.

"Ah, but today’s Internet companies have real revenue! and profits! Sure, that makes them better..."

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 08:52:55 -0700

“Ah, but today’s Internet companies have real revenue! and profits! Sure, that makes them better companies than those of 12 years ago. But that doesn’t mean that people are paying rational prices as investors based on intrinsic value.”

- On Bubbles … And Why it Will All be Fine

Old Media Is Being Unbundled, Just Like Telecom Was

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 07:55:05 -0800

Old Media Is Being Unbundled, Just Like Telecom Was:

According to Om Malik, Disney looks to be heading in exactly the right direction with its purchase of Playdom, Tapulous and Rocket Pack.

Disney Buys HTML5 Gamers Rocketpack, Enhances Web Future for Casual Games

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 07:30:14 -0800

Disney Buys HTML5 Gamers Rocketpack, Enhances Web Future for Casual Games:

Bring on the HTML5 games!

Are game books the future of interactive drama?

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 08:36:42 -0800

I’m sure hoping “Nancy Drew Mobile Mysteries: Shadow Ranch” is a sign of the future. It certainly is hitting the sweetspot with the iPad and mobile devices.

If this combination of gaming and storytelling takes off, you can expect to see the genre of game books open up in a big way on smartphones and tablets.

I just installed the app. More to come.

Social ads not the silver bullet

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 14:01:11 -0800

Social ads not the silver bullet:

Levchin quickly stressed that Facebook’s business shouldn’t be confused with demand generation or demand discovery — a.k.a. search, Google’s specialty. The PayPal co-founder says that he’s read that social graph signals have not been particularly effective in optimizing search-related advertising. Benchmark Capital’s Gurley agreed, arguing that social signals might deliver untargeted ads at inappropriate times.

The visuals are key to interactive drama

Fri, 07 Jan 2011 14:48:00 -0800

Playing “Catch a Killer” I quickly saw how important visuals, namely character visuals will be to interactive drama. The game devotes most of the interface to searching for clues and other mini games rather than to the characters. I’m introduced to one character with little more than a 150 x 150 head shot. I kept thinking, if they’re going to be that small why not just strip them out of the game entirely.

"Simplicity, communication, and hard decisions get get projects done. Improving your project..."

Fri, 07 Jan 2011 13:24:00 -0800

“Simplicity, communication, and hard decisions get get projects done. Improving your project management often just adds confusion.”

- Justin Gibbs aka Me

Empty apartment towers in China. Now what were you saying about...

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 17:02:55 -0800

Empty apartment towers in China. Now what were you saying about a bubble in China?

"I think the assumption that tech platforms can stop growing but remain great businesses is flawed in..."

Sun, 12 Dec 2010 08:32:00 -0800

“I think the assumption that tech platforms can stop growing but remain great businesses is flawed in most cases.”

- Fred Wilson

"About about 30 million players per day play the most popular social game, FarmVille. The most..."

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 09:31:00 -0800

“About about 30 million players per day play the most popular social game, FarmVille. The most popular prime time television show last week, Dancing With the Stars, had about 24 million viewers.”

- 6 Reasons Why Social Games Are the Next Advertising Frontier

"Yes, social networks of 2010 have much better usability, have better developed 3rd-party platforms..."

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 11:46:58 -0800

“Yes, social networks of 2010 have much better usability, have better developed 3rd-party platforms and many more people are connected. But let’s be honest – they’re mostly the same old shit, reinvented, with more people online and trained.”

- Social Networking: The Past

WebGL powers 3D virtual world on the Web

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 09:09:08 -0800

WebGL powers 3D virtual world on the Web:

I’m a big fan of WebGL and even bigger fan of virtual worlds.

Cracking the Mainstream: Why Social Gaming Is More Than Just a Fad

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 14:29:25 -0800

Cracking the Mainstream: Why Social Gaming Is More Than Just a Fad:

Social gaming is here to stay, and it’s here to stay for two fundamental reasons: 1.) The format of social games is a perfect match to the daily pattern and rhythm of how people use the social web, and 2.) Social games are the only form of interactive entertainment that are natively woven into and distributed via social networks — the Internet’s new gateway.

"I could see what the Polaroid camera should be. It was just as real to me as if it was sitting in..."

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 16:08:53 -0800

“I could see what the Polaroid camera should be. It was just as real to me as if it was sitting in front of me before I had ever built one.”

- Edwin Land

"If you want to design the game, you should get in the studio. You shouldn’t be in the..."

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 08:59:01 -0800

“If you want to design the game, you should get in the studio. You shouldn’t be in the corporate headquarters, and you shouldn’t be an executive.”

- Danny Bilson, EVP of core games for publisher THQ

"China’s on an economic treadmill to hell."

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 09:23:32 -0800

“China’s on an economic treadmill to hell.”

- James Chanos, CEO of Manhattan-based Kynikos Associates

It's rough in a hits driven business

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 13:47:39 -0800

It’s great working in the entertainment business, but Activision Blizzard’s recent shuttling of Bizarre Creations studio reminds you it’s also a hits driven business.

The largest game publisher in the world is setting a pretty clear precedent by letting go the studio’s 200-man team — there is still no room for error in the video game industry, even if a development studio has an excellent track record.

I'm a big fan of software with limitations

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 08:44:27 -0800

For the last year I’ve been telling friends that if anyone wanted to compete against Facebook they should start by limiting the number of friends you could have. It’s an artificial limitation but it clearly communicate that the service is for your close connections and not to become a rolodex. Reading the Robert Scoble’s post on Path put an interesting label on this type of restriction - software limitations.

I find software with limitations interesting. Twitter was interesting because it was a blog tool, but one that forced you to keep to 140 characters. I remember having lots of fun trying to see how much information I could pack into a Tweet.

Facebook killing off email?

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 11:48:08 -0800

Hearing that Facebook is going to kill off email with their new messaging platform makes me realize just how much hype has been piled on this company. Zuckerberg looks to have his finger on the pulse of the world.

He said that in talking to current high schoolers (who make him feel “really old”) they don’t use email. “It’s too formal,” Zuckerberg noted.

- Zuckerberg: Our System Is Not An Email Killer. But If It Dies As A Result…

Hold your horses. When was the last time high schoolers needed to send email? That’s like saying email killed snail mail for teens. After I got on email I never sent another letter through the post, then again I wasn’t exactly sending a lot prior to that. Teens don’t really need email, just as teens didn’t need the postal service much in the 50’s. As they grow older their needs change, I’m betting the same will happen with teenagers today.