Wired Magazine Top 10 Web 2.0 M&A Candidates
As the pundits usually do, Wired Magazine (one of my favorite magazines with ads I actually review) issued this Top 10 list of Web 2.0 acquisition candidates. Let’s check back in 12 months and see if they were right!
1. FACEBOOK. This social networking site is gaining on MySpace as the hipster destination. Reportedly, it spurned a $750 million offer in hopes of netting $2 billion.
Definitely a good choice. This should be interesting to many buyers based on the demographic alone. I call this the “Lost TV generation” because these guys are spending less and less time watching TV.
2. DIGG. Claiming 20 million users a month, Digg is the Mack Daddy of news filters. News Corp. is rumored to have flirted with a purchase, but Rupert rejected the reported $150 million asking price.
Very cool site where you can get the most obscure (but interesting) news. I wonder if this won’t be copied or embedded in other sites shortly…if not already?
3. TECHMEME. Think Google News for tech blogs. The well-trafficked aggregator also has drill-downs for gossip, politics, and baseball. A deep-pocketed owner could easily extend it to dozens of other niches.
Advertisers love these kinds of sites. But I wonder how strong their traffic will be at year end?
4. WIKIPEDIA. You know it. Heck, you prob-ably contribute to it. The crush of traffic would be a financial windfall for any buyer, but the site is famously independent. Founder Jimmy Wales won’t even accept banner ads.
Great site…but last time I checked it was non-for profit. I guess you could by the URL?
5. ZILLOW. Thanks to this real estate data hound, everyone can know what you paid for your house, give or take a few grand. Accuracy is questionable, but every savvy home buyer has the site bookmarked.
Real estate sites have had a tough time with the market slowdown. If these guys can buck the trend, then I give it a thumbs up!
6. TECHNORATI. How else do you find out what the blogosphere is saying? The site tracks 59.7 million blogs, a few of which might even be talking smack about you.
This may be the future of search and content but for now I say its a little early. Of course if I ever got it right I’d be paying someone to write this blog right now…
7. WORDPRESS. The new de rigueur blog-management software, WordPress is favored by the majority of high-traffic posters. One caveat: It’s open source and unlikely to accept a corporate come-on.
Great pick and I’m a fan and user (this is written using WordPress) but another one of those pesky open source sites with a non-profit mission.
8. FEEDBURNER. Probably the largest, most reliable provider of RSS services, FeedBurner cleans up and reformats RSS for blog sites. It then channels the feeds to nearly 30 million subscribers.
Another great service but could become a feature. Once it becomes the latter, I doubt M&A will be that enticing…
9. 37SIGNALS. With its vaunted collection of Web-based collaboration and shared productivity tools (to-do lists, calendars, and so forth), 37signals offers the most genuinely useful service here.
Better sell before Google copies everything on this site.
10. RIYA. This photo-search engine’s signature site, like.com, helps shoppers find celebrity-look-alike fashions. Still in alpha, it might change the way we sort through images.
Another cool site. As the traffic goes, so does the M&A interest in my humble opinion.
