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anyway...this is actually kinda interesting...
so this dood...comes out and decides to jump into one a crowded competitive market with an imminent google full-push.
``We aim at taking a lead at the search engine business in Korea where the leaders have changed due to constant challenges with newcomers with fresh ideas just as Google did,¡¯¡¯
the site is called chutnoon (which means "first snow" in Korean) 1noon dot com.
We took a lesson from Google¡¯s ranking methods of putting priority in the number of links as the main reference in deciding the relevance of search results,¡¯¡¯ Chang said.``But we took one step forward for Korean users who prefer copying contents and pasting them in Web pages rather than making links to original Web pages. We will give a higher ranking for a site with materials copied by other pages,¡¯¡¯ Chang noted.
article [times.hankooki.com]
ok. Now here's the thing... at first I was just like...
"er... ooook....good luck dood." hahaha.
but then... when thinking about it. I was like...hmmm...
from all I've said over the years about korea, a couple things have only become more clear....
1. koreans love korean things and korean made things.
2. timing is everything.
given that... maybe just maybe...this guy has something here.
ok. first of all... I've been vocal here and to many compatriots that one way google may do well is REALLY push (not "naturally") their position as a simple alternative to the busy portal search engine. Just search as it were (the "uncola of search" so to speak). Can't tell you how many times I've been saying this to people here only to be snubbed (grrr!). Big G could do well to stake that ground ACTIVELY (active marketing) and thus get "around" the 1v1 competition to Naver et al. A great move and one that Nate dot com successful did as a mobile content provider and mini-hompy leader. Empas has been pushing this recently and with some amounts of success it would seem (been gaining).
buuuuut, Google Korea seems to be taking a google amount of years to get their act together and do something significant (STIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLL looking for a CEO and team).*sigh*
Now this dood comes out...while Big G picks their nose and ramps for this launch that never seems to manifest..... with a pre-Google-full-launch strike and claims this ground "simple, clean and fast, don't be evil, no flashy banners" search engine.....
AND its home grown.
hmmmmm......
I think it maay just be the exact right time to be doing something like this. And as far as I've seen...he's the first since the now defunct Zingu to do so (who seems to have suffered from being too EARLY).
Sure, its still a longshot. But I like longshots and it certainly deems watching. I've looked at it and done some searching...its fine, seems to use a version of the category clusting we saw introduced years back with ...er... (what's the company that did dogpile clustering? ). Its simple..needs some work but whatever...
point is, I don't know about the basis of the technology (weighing copyied material? :/ ),but he has the right timing, its homegrown, and if the MARKETING was done right, ie: should really (IMO) claim a new mindspace (or blue ocean the buzzword goes) of "simply search" hard and firm...he might just take A LOT of the steam outta the Big G Korea plans.
I'll definitely keep ya posted...this one might be fun to call.^^
2006 will starting to be interesting afterall. :p
so like.... goooo underdog! lol
We will give a higher ranking for a site with materials copied by other pages,¡¯¡¯ Chang noted.
IMHO, this looks to be another typical flash-and-cash idea, which is still popular in Korea. A company comes up with an idea and spends a huge amount of money to generate publicity. The media announces to the world how this idea is the greatest idea since kimchi. After a few weeks (months, if they're lucky), the buzz has died down and no one cares any more because it's not the "big, new thing" any more. The underlying business idea didn't have much substance, so the business quietly fades away. If the owner was smart, he has divested most of his shares in the company during the media blitz while investors were falling over themselves to throw money at him, so that others are stuck with cleaning up the mess.
In my 11+ years in Korea, I attended several such media blitzes (rent a huge hotel ballroom; wine & dine invited guests that include the media, industry big-wigs, and politicians; have some self-congratulatory messages that compare the new company to the industry leader (without really giving any deatails why the new company is supposedly better or even any different) by the CEO, a politician, and an industry leader, maybe throw in an academic for good measure; give them all nice, expensive gift bags with goodies to remeber the occassion). Few of the companies are still around, and if they are, they are barely scraping by.
But ... um.... those are almost all for b2b companies, or for b2b purposes (ie for advertisers etc)... this is a b2c thing. ie: the netizens themselves are who matter here. So unless you are talking about a MNET beach party for netizens or something.... then you are mixing apples and oranges.
that said, yes, chances are its the same flash in the pan thing and its got a very long, small shot at this game. Plus, I didn't find much about in Korean papers eithers (bad sign).
I don't which part of the biz you been in... but I've been toiling away in the trenches for a loooooong time as well... and as a b2c thing there is something to the timing and positioning of this that I like (if nothing much else). And some companies have done just fine riding off the coattails of other here.
yes, there is room for only 1 or 2 big guns, esp for mindshare, and the portal space is so dang crowded and competitive that its folly to go as far as to even compare.... but that might be the perfect scene to become the first "UNportal search" might do well for them by creating a NEW space.
I think they would need some serious cash backing and/or prevalent and savvy guerrila marketing (online and off). eg: make it cool or use good "kamsung (emotional/moving) marketing" type route -- sorry for the romanized korean -- with say good PPL. If they did or could...I think they would have a shot at making a nice little corner for themselves with other guys playing catchup (that's important here as you know). Fook the confererences and dinner parties etc.
I've said much the same for the Big G as they have the resources to do so if they wanted...but they're dragging their feet at this point, imo. Its early in the year yet of course... so the monster could still abruptly unleash... but I've blown that horn one too many times around here. ;)
One was actually for a consortium that we were intially involved with. But after the event it becamse apparent that the "consortium" was severely skewed in favor of the 3-4 big guns and that everyone else would receive very little benefit from it. I believe that shortly after we voiced our concerns and dropped out, the consortium unraveled. We later heard from a couple other people we met at the event that they likewise left shortly afterwards.
Although I criticize the events, I accept that they have their place in Korean business customs. The "see and be seen" aspect is pretty important. It was just part of the bigger game that I really didn't like to play.
Although I criticize the events, I accept that they have their place in Korean business customs. The "see and be seen" aspect is pretty important. It was just part of the bigger game that I really didn't like to play.
I hear that.^^
actually...is it me or have these events have been losing flavor lately? feels like everyone is getting a bit jaded...maybe we are seeing the beginnings of the tides of change. (fingers crossed). though I usually enjoyed the free food. lol.
