
One thing to keep in mind: Zwinky is open to anyone age 13 and older. Zwinky lets its members create their own cartoonish, large-headed and big-eyed avatars, which they can use in several different ways. One of these social networking services is Zwinky, a service launched in 2006 and owned by InterActiveCorp (IAC). Generally, members can be as creative as they like with their avatar, either fashioning it as close to their appearance and personality as possible or creating an entirely different personality. After all, most Web sites that offer some kind of online community allow their users to create avatars, an electronic image that represents the person controlling it. Now they promise “instant gettification.But maybe this is why social networking has become so popular at the beginning of the 21st century. “You have got to be more direct in telling people about it which is our plan for the balanceĪlready, the ads no longer focus on algorithms, but feature a more direct promotion of Ask’s features. “There is no question given the product and its use, that we do have a compelling product,” he said. Diller, IAC’s chief executive, promised a change.
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(There is proof: Microsoft has reversed its slide in search share by offering free prizes for people The first wave of ads promoted Ask’s search expertise with incomprehensible billboards that read “The Unabomber hates the algorithm” and “The algorithm Killed Jeeves.”Īlgorithm, it turns out, is not one of those magic marketing words, like say free.

Worse yet, Ask’s new advertising campaign, by badboy agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky (creators of the Burger King Subservient Chicken), simply wasn’t bringing “We put so much content on the page, that we are getting fewer paid clicks,” Mr. The problem is Ask’s revenue per search is falling. Well to the new format, which presents images, video and other forms of information alongside a traditional list of Web sites. Jim Lanzone, the chief executive of Ask.com, said in an interview that the that users are responding very The site’s redesign in June was a mixed blessing. Over at Ask, things aren’t doing quite so well. (Think Second Life meets IAC’s Home Shopping Network.) After that, it will sell real versions of the virtual clothing too. He said Zwinky has turned into a combination of a social network and a virtual world with Zwinktopia, a site on which uses can play games to win Z-bucks with which to by clothes for their avatars.

The advertising revenue from these searches has become a $100 million a year business, said the chief executive of IAC’s consumer applications and portals division, which includes FunWebProducts.
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The catch is to use any of these services, you have to download a toolbar that will install in your Web browser that prominently features a box for searches (by, of course, Ask). Sort of like an online paper doll program.)

Last year, the company introduced, which lets people create and outfit avatars-images that can represent them on their social network pages. This group started as Smiley Central, a service that offers users animated cursors and other The bright spot there, however, was what IAC now calls its FunWebProducts division. Analysts haven’t expected much from IAC’s money-losing Internet media and advertising unit, which includes IAC/InteractiveCorp disappointed Wall Street with its second quarter results yesterday, mainly because there haven’t beenĮnough big bands touring, causing a surprising shortfall in IAC’s Ticketmaster unit. Barry Diller may be missing Jeeves, but at least he has Zwinky.
