Comments on: Why WetPaint & Other UGC Sites Get Big Money

By: Nate Nead

Nate Nead — Mon, 19 May 2008 15:15:48 +0000

Great post. It makes me want to go out and start some me-too social networking site……

By: STARTUP CHATTER » BIG PICTURE » Wetpaint Wikis vs. Ning Social Networks: GOOGLE WINS!

Mon, 19 May 2008 12:45:52 +0000

[...] Wiki for collaborating and publishing online,“ Elowitz is clear in his ambition, as it banks another $25 million in venture funding: Wetpaint goes beyond the “you” of social networks to empower groups of “we” to dynamically [...]

By: The future platform goes deeply vertical — Vad NU!

The future platform goes deeply vertical — Vad NU! — Mon, 19 May 2008 11:05:08 +0000

[...] this is where the VC’s are placing their investment as shown by the 25M USD round of financing for Wetpaint. And there are two very good reasons for [...]

By: Emil

Emil — Mon, 19 May 2008 08:47:54 +0000

Very true. Targeted micro-communities make much more sense than big generic networks, as I said in our covarage: http://www.skalfa.com/press/meet-wackwall.html

By: srini kumar

srini kumar — Mon, 19 May 2008 07:01:40 +0000

tremendously exciting article, thanks so much. another advantage – i guess you could say it’s a plank of our business plan – is that these UGC sites generate CONTEXT, not just content. In CPC, context is king – advertisers, consumers, and ad networks benefit most when the “eyeball” starts TALKING.

for instance, a user on our system who’s tracking their student loans is most likely to come back to that space with new information – which is precisely where student loan companies want to do battle for them. such systems invite the user to do RESEARCH on them. one type of research – which is ideally suited for collaboration by the way – is SHOPPING. advertisers love to address people when they’re SHOPPING.

unlike content, which is like “show up, digest, leave”, UGC sites are empty vessels which grow more intimately linked to the user over time. A social networking profile may reveal a few interests of a user, but a metanotes space on a given topic will be laser-focused ON that topic. We are so excited to be bursting on the scene at this point in Web history. Yessssssssssssssss. :)

- srini
metanotes.com