October 31, 2011 : Comments (4)
Google+ Updates Android App, Adds New Design And Other Features
Business
RockYou Partners With Peak Games, Launches Facebook Social Games In Turkey, Middle East
Social game developer RockYou has announced a regional gaming partnership with Peak Games. The partnership will help a select portion of RockYou's catalog reach a wider audience in Turkey and the Middle East. Zoo World 2, one of RockYou's most popular Facebook games, is among the titles being adapted for release in Turkey and some Middle Eastern countries. Peak... Read more »
REPORT: Zynga Puts IPO On Ice, May Wait Until November To Go Public
Social gaming company Zynga is said to have delayed its IPO due to volatile stock markets. The firm had initially planned to hold its IPO -- in which it is aiming to raise $1 billion -- as soon as possible after filing the required paperwork with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in July, but appears to be holding off on the IPO for the time being. As a... Read more » Twitter Hires Former FCC Aide Colin Crowell As Head Of Public Policy
Twitter has hired Colin Crowell as its new head of global public policy, the company's general counsel revealed Monday. Crowell will begin his new job in mid-September. Crowell previously worked as senior aide to Rep. Ed Markey, where he helped bring some of the key tech and telecommunications issues over the last 20 years to Congress. In 2009, he became the... Read more » LinkedIn Expands Into Germany, Opens Munich Office
LinkedIn has announced the opening of its first office in Germany. The Munich office will provide support for more than 2 million members of the social network in German-speaking markets. The company has appointed Kai Deininger -- a former managing director for Monster in Germany -- as director of LinkedIn Germany. Since launching a German-language version of... Read more »
Zynga Changes Stock Structure, Gives CEO Mark Pincus More Voting Power
Ahead of its impending IPO, social gaming company Zynga has reorganized its stock structure to give CEO Mark Pincus more voting power. The company's board (which includes DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg) has approved 3 tiers of stock, which gives Pincus 70 votes per share, up from the previous 10 votes. Those who have already invested in the... Read more » Facebook Looking To Make 7 Acquisitions This Year To Stay Ahead Of Google+, Twitter
Facebook is looking at making some acquisitions that will help it improve its user interface design, maintain reliability and upgrade its mobile experience to stay ahead of competitors such as Google+ and Twitter. The world's biggest social network is aiming to make around 20 acquisitions this year, compared with 10 in 2010 and 1 in 2009. It has made 13 so far... Read more » REPORT: Tumblr Raising $75M To $100M At $800M Valuation
Tumblr is said to be in the middle of discussions to raise a new round of funding. The microblogging service is apparently looking to raise between $75 million and $100 million at a valuation of $800 million or higher. According to Business Insider, Tumblr is holding discussions with DST, Kleiner Perkins, Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital. Tumblr is focusing... Read more » Skype Acquires Group Messaging Service GroupMe, Expands Mobile Platform
Skype has acquired the group messaging service GroupMe. Though the terms of the agreement are undisclosed, All Things D is reporting that the purchase price is around $85 million. It is likely that Skype will use the service to enhance their SMS, social and mobile features. GroupMe, which launched in 2010, has established its platform as a widely used mobile group... Read more » Ashton Kutcher May Face Questions About Tech Investments After Editing Details Magazine
Actor and tech investor Ashton Kutcher could be facing questions from federal authorities after failing to fully disclose his investments in Web companies profiled in an online-only version of Details magazine. He was the guest editor of the "The Social Issue" of the magazine. The issue, which you can check out on Facebook, profiled several Web and social... Read more » YouTube Teams Up With Music Publishers To Display Ads On Fan-made Videos
YouTube has announced a partnership with the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) and its subsidiary Harry Fox Agency (HFA) -- 2 of the largest representatives of music publishers in the U.S. This will help music publishers and songwriters to make money when their songs are used in videos that have been uploaded by other YouTube users. This deal will give... Read more »
