In Slide #4 you mentioned “This is not social”. Can you explain a bit as to what exactly constitutes “social” and what all does a site/brands need to do for becoming “social”.
“86% of Yahoo users are Pinterest users.” -> Why should Yahoo buy pinterest when they already have the attention of 86% of the same users. They do not get new users to sell their service to.
Slide 7 : “Y! can promote brands” -> This is where you hit the nail !
This is a Y! specific factor that is a strong attribute for justification of the acquisition. But this again is a parody.
If Y! is so good at branding, why has a Pinterest not been born out of Yahoo as yet ?
Great observation though. This particular slide was worth the time spent on the article.
Moreover, forget flickr. You just cannot compare the professional and passionate photographers on the service with the ‘normal’ people on pinterest. A design change some time back had irated flickr users to a great extent ! Forget about integration !
The title or the theme of the topic should be “Why Y! should re-design Flickr to function like pinterest (and why this is a bad idea) “
Its okay for Samwer brothers to make a Pinterest like clone but if Yahoo ‘re-designs Flickr to function like Pinterest’, boy they’re asking for *big* trouble! (one bigger than this)
Aim of Article: to help Yahoo with ‘social’ by acquiring an innovative player (Pinterest), which offers an ‘almost’ competing/similar service (Flickr)
Your Comment: Yahoo and Pinterest have same users –> why buy, just build a Pinterest like service with Flickr!
My reply: It will get them in deep trouble to follow your advise.
Why? –> ‘Copying’ is totally uncool for Silicon Valley companies – Pinterest’s strength is UI, there is (IMHO) no way to replicate it without exacting the UI – Yahoo has enough trouble with using underhand methods recently (see link in above reply), ‘Copying’ a neighbor will get them serious bad PR/other issues! This, rather, blatant copying is best left to people like Samwer brothers (google search them), not to Yahoo!
Not too sure how replicating a real world “noticeboard” constitutes an unique UI. A good IP lawyer can easily argue a strong enough case for Yahoo! IMO…
Completely agree . . a lawyer will definitely argue that it is not a unique UI, but it will not refute the case (in the judgement of users – which matters most) that it is still a copy!
Last time I checked a lot of those “social” features already existed in Flickr. In think its because the community that Flickr serves – i.e. the amateur and professional photographer, its social features are not like what a FB or Twitter user would expect. Its definitely in tune with what the community needs (or rather needed 2 yrs ago). Where Flickr has lost out on is that the users who used it for sharing albums (Stuff like “Vacation in Amerika” etc) have moved on to FB where sharing such stuff is far easier. On the other hand, lack of innovation has forced its core audience – the photographers to move on to other platforms like 500px. What Flickr needs to do instead is to re-invent itself for its core audience instead of getting “social” and do that in a compelling way. After all there is a lot more money to be made from the hobby photographer who can afford to splurge on $1000-$2000 worth of just lenses than the average vacation picture sharing FAN…
Well yes the court of the public does matter – but both Apple and Microsoft got away with copying from Xerox and look where it got them today (See this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Computer,_Inc._v._Microsoft_Corporation). Heck even FB is supposedly stolen…so you see silicon valley types aren’t averse to being “inspired” Annu Malik style…
There are already 7 pinterest clones (atleast) – the point is not only about copying, but also the user-base accumulated! Which surprisingly Yahoo! already has, I see your point, but still believe it will do them better to make Flickr social intrinsically (slide 4-5)
Mohul Ghosh
awesome slides and data! but I guess Yahoo wont be able to shell out $1.2 billion.. but, very realistic suggestion..
Anirudh B Balotiaa
Interesting.
In Slide #4 you mentioned “This is not social”. Can you explain a bit as to what exactly constitutes “social” and what all does a site/brands need to do for becoming “social”.
Thanks!
UdayKal (Uday Kalbhor)
“86% of Yahoo users are Pinterest users.”
-> Why should Yahoo buy pinterest when they already have the attention of 86% of the same users. They do not get new users to sell their service to.
Slide 7 : “Y! can promote brands”
-> This is where you hit the nail !
This is a Y! specific factor that is a strong attribute for justification of the acquisition. But this again is a parody.
If Y! is so good at branding, why has a Pinterest not been born out of Yahoo as yet ?
Great observation though. This particular slide was worth the time spent on the article.
Moreover, forget flickr. You just cannot compare the professional and passionate photographers on the service with the ‘normal’ people on pinterest. A design change some time back had irated flickr users to a great extent ! Forget about integration !
The title or the theme of the topic should be “Why Y! should re-design Flickr to function like pinterest (and why this is a bad idea) “
UdayKal (Uday Kalbhor)
What is meant is that a site does not become social just by adding social sharing buttons.
You need a lot more features …. mainly a news feed and internal sharing before you are ‘social’
Anshoo Grover
Its okay for Samwer brothers to make a Pinterest like clone but if Yahoo ‘re-designs Flickr to function like Pinterest’, boy they’re asking for *big* trouble! (one bigger than this)
UdayKal (Uday Kalbhor)
Anshoo, I’m really not sure about the context you speak in or the aim of your reply.
Please could you explain both a bit ?
Anshoo Grover
Aim of Article: to help Yahoo with ‘social’ by acquiring an innovative player (Pinterest), which offers an ‘almost’ competing/similar service (Flickr)
Your Comment: Yahoo and Pinterest have same users –> why buy, just build a Pinterest like service with Flickr!
My reply: It will get them in deep trouble to follow your advise.
Why? –> ‘Copying’ is totally uncool for Silicon Valley companies – Pinterest’s strength is UI, there is (IMHO) no way to replicate it without exacting the UI – Yahoo has enough trouble with using underhand methods recently (see link in above reply), ‘Copying’ a neighbor will get them serious bad PR/other issues! This, rather, blatant copying is best left to people like Samwer brothers (google search them), not to Yahoo!
Elroy Serrao
Not too sure how replicating a real world “noticeboard” constitutes an unique UI. A good IP lawyer can easily argue a strong enough case for Yahoo! IMO…
Anshoo Grover
Completely agree . . a lawyer will definitely argue that it is not a unique UI, but it will not refute the case (in the judgement of users – which matters most) that it is still a copy!
Elroy Serrao
Last time I checked a lot of those “social” features already existed in Flickr. In think its because the community that Flickr serves – i.e. the amateur and professional photographer, its social features are not like what a FB or Twitter user would expect. Its definitely in tune with what the community needs (or rather needed 2 yrs ago). Where Flickr has lost out on is that the users who used it for sharing albums (Stuff like “Vacation in Amerika” etc) have moved on to FB where sharing such stuff is far easier. On the other hand, lack of innovation has forced its core audience – the photographers to move on to other platforms like 500px. What Flickr needs to do instead is to re-invent itself for its core audience instead of getting “social” and do that in a compelling way. After all there is a lot more money to be made from the hobby photographer who can afford to splurge on $1000-$2000 worth of just lenses than the average vacation picture sharing FAN…
Elroy Serrao
Well yes the court of the public does matter – but both Apple and Microsoft got away with copying from Xerox and look where it got them today (See this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Computer,_Inc._v._Microsoft_Corporation). Heck even FB is supposedly stolen…so you see silicon valley types aren’t averse to being “inspired” Annu Malik style…
Anshoo Grover
There are already 7 pinterest clones (atleast) – the point is not only about copying, but also the user-base accumulated! Which surprisingly Yahoo! already has, I see your point, but still believe it will do them better to make Flickr social intrinsically (slide 4-5)
Alok Rodinhood Kejriwal
Uday – on the 86%, my point was that this is a product sire that Yahoo can buy without having to educate its users
Yahoo with 400+ million uniques doesn’t need audiences.
it needs new ways to KEEP its users.
Also, what’s made is made. It can rarely be replicated in the consumer internet space. That’w why you hav one google, facebook, twitter etc