BloggingStocks http://www.bloggingstocks.com BloggingStocks http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/media/feedlogo.gif BloggingStocks http://www.bloggingstocks.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Seeing value in Facebook applications?]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/08/17/seeing-value-in-facebook-applications/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/08/17/seeing-value-in-facebook-applications/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/08/17/seeing-value-in-facebook-applications/#commentsFiled under: ,

Any user of Facebook is probably well aware of its addictive and habit-forming properties. It's these simple characteristics that make Facebook so valuable to a potential acquirer. Users spend an enormous amount of time on the site every day and they visit huge amounts of pages on each visit. Because Facebook seems to be out of reach for just about every American company or venture capital firm, interested parties have begun to enter the Facebook Applications space with hopes of cashing in on the Facebook craze that's taken America by storm.

TripAdvisor, owner of TripAdvisor.com, is the reported buyer of the Where I've Been application for a pretty penny of $3 million according to VentueBeat. For those of you who don't use Facebook this is simply an optional addition to one's profile which displays a map and allows users to show where they've visited. This is TripAdvisor's second Facebook application. Their first, Cities I've Visited, has about half the users of Where I've Been.

As a VentureBeat post from about two months ago outlined, other businesses are also actively involved in acquiring these valuable and lucrative Facebook applications. It's remarkably interesting that Facebook applications are becoming parts of business strategies and it should be very fascinating to watch this story unfold.

Seeing value in Facebook applications? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 17 Aug 2007 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>FacebookFacebook applicationFacebookApplicationTripAdvisorVentureBeatFri, 17 Aug 2007 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[This week's rumor round-up: Will News Corp pull its offer for Dow Jones?]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/06/15/this-weeks-rumor-round-up-will-news-corp-pull-its-offer-for-do/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/06/15/this-weeks-rumor-round-up-will-news-corp-pull-its-offer-for-do/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/06/15/this-weeks-rumor-round-up-will-news-corp-pull-its-offer-for-do/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , ,

DOW JONES & COMPANY (NYSE: DJ)

Could it happen? Could News Corporation (NYSE: NWS) pull its offer? They could, and the fear is absolutely there. That's why the stock has fallen. For one, the Bancroft family, which controls the majority of Dow Jones' shares, hasn't formally accepted Rupert Murdoch's $5B, $60 a share offer. And no one else has come forward with a competing bid. But it does seem that both sides are moving together in the same direction. Okay, but somebody should make up their mind -- either way -- and stop fiddling around.

EXPEDIA INC (NASDAQ: EXPE), IAC/INTERACTIVECORP (NASDAQ: IACI)

Barry Diller is back at it. The chairman and CEO of IAC/InteractiveCorp, who is also chairman of the board and a senior advisor to Expedia, is working to take online travel firm Expedia private at $30 a share. Part of any deal will involve Expedia's TripAdvisor being spun off with about 400 jobs being lost in that shuffle.

PENN NATIONAL GAMING INC (NASDAQ: PENN)

After many, many laps around the track, this race is over, as race track and casino operator Penn agreed to be acquired today by Fortress Investment Group LLC (NYSE: FIG) and private equity firm Centerbridge Partners. All cash, baby, in a deal worth $8.9B that includes $2.8B of assumed debt. Everyone to the Winner's Circle.

Continue reading This week's rumor round-up: Will News Corp pull its offer for Dow Jones?

This week's rumor round-up: Will News Corp pull its offer for Dow Jones? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 15 Jun 2007 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AAAlcoaBarry DillerBarryDillerBuffettCenterbridge PartnersCenterbridgePartnersCHAPChaparrel SteelChaparrelSteelCRMDealsDillerDJDow JonesDowJonesEXPEExpediaFIGFortress Investment GroupFortressInvestmentGroupGerdauGGBGOOGGoogleHBCHSBCHSBC HoldingsHsbcHoldingsIAC/InterActiveIACIIBNICICIICICI BankIciciBankInterActiveInternational RectifierInternationalRectifierIRFMurdochNews CorpNewsCorpNucorNucor CorpNucorCorpNUEPDL BiopharmaPdlBiopharmaPDLIPENNPenn National GamingPennNationalGamingprivate equityPrivateEquityRio TintoRioTintoRTPrumorsSalesforce.comTripAdvisorUSGUSG CorpUsgCorpFri, 15 Jun 2007 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Expedia bound to fly higher]]>http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2006/11/10/expedia-bound-to-fly-higher/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2006/11/10/expedia-bound-to-fly-higher/http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2006/11/10/expedia-bound-to-fly-higher/#commentsFiled under: , ,

While Expedia Inc.'s (NASDAQ:EXPE) Expedia International, Trip Advisor and Hotels.com are doing very well, the Expedia.com domestic performance has been terrible. But as a writer at Theflyonthewall.com reports, this a great stock to stick with, as the market forces are "too powerful to ignore."

Expedia's international businesses are soaring; bookings were up 28.6% while domestic bookings grew a paltry 2%. The company plans to move aggressively into Japan and India in 2007, two big growth areas.

The Fly points out that Expedia is a "contrarian investment play on the economy" -- when the economy slows, hotel occupancy rates tend to flatten and decline. This gives Hotel.com more inventory to sell, driving up revenue and profits.

The online travel business may be ready for some industry consolidation. Expedia had been spun off from IAC/InterActive Corp. (NASDAQ:IACI) and Orbitz from Cendant. Sabre Management has been saying that some consolidation would be good for the online travel business.

Expedia has built three powerful global franchise names ---Expedia, Hotels.com and TripAdvisor. Investors should come back to this stock.

Expedia bound to fly higher originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 10 Nov 2006 13:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>expeExpediaHotels.comIAC/InterActiveCorp.iacitravelTripAdvisorFri, 10 Nov 2006 13:22:00 EST