Google Plus Looks Like Everything Else (GOOG)

After more than a year of leaks and denials Google finally took the wraps off its big social network today.

It's big, it's ambitious, and it looks a lot like a lot of other things. If you can't make it through the lengthy blog post, here's an easy way to understand it:

• Circles = Facebook. Share content with your friends, only you don't have to share everything with everybody at once. You can pick and choose specific groups.

• Sparks = Google Reader. Subscribe to news and information sources and get a constantly updated feed.

• Hangouts = Tinychat. Live video conversations with multiple friends at once.

• Instant Uploads = Microsoft Kin (and iCloud, and...). Snap photos with your phone and they're automatically uploaded to an online storage spot on Google Plus.

• Huddle = GroupMe. Group chat.

None of these are bad ideas. But they're not groundbreaking either.

See also: Google's Launch Of Google + Is Deeply Embarrassing -- Once Again, Facebook Must Be Rolling Its Eyes.

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See Also:

• RUMOR: Google's Chinese Search Rival, Baidu, Using Android To Build Its Own Mobile Operating System
• THE GOOGLE INVESTOR: Google's Mobile Ad Sales To Reach $14 Billion By 2015
• Google Android Activations Hit Spectacular 500,000 A Day, Leaving Apple In Dust

Google Plus Looks Like Everything Else (GOOG)

Backlink: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/typepad/alleyinsider/silicon_alley_insider/~3/4OC24sH-d6g/google-plus-explained-in-terms-you-can-understand-2011-6

Hulu Plus finally launches on Android.

Hulu Plus finally launches on Android.

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Hulu Plus finally launches on Android.

Backlink: http://www.businessinsider.com/hulu-plus-finally-launches-on-android-2011-6

Ending Soon! 50% Off Google AdWords, Plus A Google Expert!

Today's Deal:  $75 for $150 worth of Google AdWords

Whether it's for your day job, your hobby business, your pet charity project, or your start-up idea that someday will rule the world,  everyone could use some search engine marketing mojo. But where to start and how to begin? Google has come through with a great deal for Pipeline members. First, they are offering a starter package of AdWords at 50% off. Even cooler, you'll get the support of Google’s specially-trained experts and bidding geniuses via a dedicated Google phone team. 

Why We Chose This Deal:

• Spend as little per month as you like, and adjust your budget as you track results.
• AdWords Call Metrics, a new feature, automatically includes a unique phone number in your ads to measure calls you receive from AdWords.
• Link AdWords to Google Analytics to deepen your understanding of the results, such as how people navigated to your site.
• Give your webmaster a break! We’ve arranged for a Google expert to be on hand to set you up, answer all of your questions, and take care of the trouble-shooting.
  
  

What is Pipeline? Find out more >>
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Ending Soon! 50% Off Google AdWords, Plus A Google Expert!

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Groupon May IPO At $15 Billion Plus

Groupon is being pitched by bankers to do a $15 billion to $20 billion IPO, the New York Times reports. That's more than 10 times the valuation rumored earlier today, and two to three times the amount Google offered for the company a month ago.

The company just raised close to a billion dollars from a bunch of investors including Kleiner Perkins, Andreessen Horowitz, and Greylock, and rumors emerged earlier this week that the company was talking to bankers about a possible IPO as early as this spring. 

Given the insane valuations of other pre-IPO Internet companies lately -- Facebook at $50 billion, Twitter at $3.7 billion, and Travelzoo at $400 million only four months after launching a Groupon-like daily deals service -- it's reasonable to talk of a bubble. That said, Groupon has grown incredibly fast, and is estimated to be pulling $2 billion a year in revenue after only three years in business.

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See Also:

• Travelzoo’s Groupon Clone Valued At $400 Million After Just Four Months
• Groupon Buys Up Competitors In Israel, South Africa, And India
• "Groupon Raises, Like, A Billion Dollars" From Andreessen Horowitz, Kleiner Perkins, Greylock, And Others

Groupon May IPO At $15 Billion Plus

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Here's Google's Real Offer For Groupon: $6 Billion ($5.3 Billion Plus $700 Million Earnout)

Google hasn't bought Groupon yet, especially for the $2.5 billion chump-change reported yesterday, but it has put a whopping-huge offer on the table, says Kara Swisher.

Google has offered $6 billion for the Chicago-based company: $5.3 billion now, with a $700 million earnout.

That is an enormous pile of money, and Groupon should take it.

This price seems high, but Google is smart to be aggressive here. Its core business, search, is maturing, and as yet it has been unable to develop a second major growth engine. Also, because one of Groupon's biggest costs is buying Google AdWords, there should be significant synergy between the companies.  And Google has $33 billion of cash sitting around burning a hole in its balance sheet.

That said, the integration will be very challenging. It's hard to think of two big companies that have more different cultures.

Google's DNA is engineering, Groupon's is sales and marketing. If the integration is handled well, the companies could complement each other by sharing these core competencies. If it is handled badly, however, the combination could be a disaster.

Read Kara's full post at All Things D >

See Also: Take The Groupon Office Tour -- It's The Wackiest Huge Company We've Ever Been To

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Here's Google's Real Offer For Groupon: $6 Billion ($5.3 Billion Plus $700 Million Earnout)

Backlink: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/typepad/alleyinsider/silicon_alley_insider/~3/JA-GHRE7K7M/google-groupon-offer-2010-11