Bambi Francisco

My media trends

How do you grow up from being a niche content site to one that reaches a larger population? One way is to be part of a larger media company. The other way is to host a bunch of content sites. AlwaysOn-Network founder Tony Perkins is open to both.

Watch Perkins on outlook for AlwaysOn

Search trends

How many people go to the library or bookstore and are motivated to go on a shopping spree? It's likely that those environments aren't the places that inspire anyone to shop, and that's the challenge for Answers.com, which is a site that serves the purpose of an online dictionary and encyclopedia. I'm a big Answers.com fan, but, I don't necessarily find myself prompted to shop when I'm searching for the definition of, say, sabellianism. What's more, Answers.com relies on Google for less than 20% of its audience. It's not the majority of its traffic, but a big chunk nonetheless.

See Answers.com Rosenschein on search outlook

Google appears to be increasing its lead in the search-engine wars. Google currently has 39% of search query market share, according to a comScore report on search traffic in October. But Google doesn't have a clustering search technology that many people find useful. That clustering technology can be viewed by going to www.Clusty.com.

See Clusty CEO on where to take his company next 

Giving Thanks to, um, Google

It is Thanksgiving week. So, let's give thanks.

As Americans prepare to sit down and enjoy the celebration on Thursday, it's time to be thankful for so many blessings - our family and friends, the roof over our heads, the food on the table, our health, the day off, the cheap prices on the Web, and the extra-large turkey because of, umm, yes, Google. I can hear the silent acknowledgements now: "Thank you Google for being the stock in my portfolio that's made me look like a rock star trading stud this year, and for being the reason I can be very generous this Christmas."

If you're not echoing these thoughts, don't worry. You might have a chance to thank Google by the time Christmas comes around. By the time of this writing in my Net Sense column on MarketWatch, Google shares traded just above $400. On Monday, Ben Schachter, an analyst at UBS upped his 12-month price target on Google to $500 from $430. Some of my readers are already expecting Google to close the gap to $500 well before the end of this month.

In a Net Sense vote conducted in early November on where Google would finish the month, 46% of the 2,511 votes cast bet that Google would end the month between $400 and $450. More than 15% said that Google would end the month above $450. Some readers e-mailed me and said $500 was more like it. All this bullishness is enough to make us all think back to the 1999-2000 timeframe when, throwing darts at round numbers was the popular sport. 

I know. I know. My readers are likely saying: "2005 is very different from 1999. When it's feeling kind of frothy in the market, why do we always resort to that 1999 feeling?" First of all, I agree. In 1999, it was Internet mania. Today, it's Google mania.

And, why do I want to recall the crazy days of 1999? Well, it's Thanksgiving, and I'm thankful for the memories, especially since I've been awash in them after rummaging through my collection of Henry Blodget, David Readerman d.i.r.t. reports on Internet research trends, and Mary Meeker's "The Global Internet Primer" reports from the Bubble days as part of the process of moving my office here at MarketWatch.

But my stash of reports is filled with some rich Internet history that's a good reminder of how far we've come, how somewhat off we were, and how often directionally right about consumer Internet fundamentals we were - but just plain wrong as to who the winners would be. Importantly, my Internet history collection, which spans the pre-bubble to post-bubble years, shows our tendency to want to put all our optimistic expectations into the few stocks we know.

Back in 1999 and 2000, we didn't know Google. Today, it feels as though Google is the only stock we know.

See Net Sense column on MarketWatch

The Calvinist/rationalist view

I am an Orthodox Christian in the lineage of Calvinist theology. That is, I believe in original sin, and the corrupt nature of man. I believe in predestination because I believe in an all-knowing, omniscient and omnipotent God who willed and decreed the final outcome of civilization here on earth. It is irreconcilable to me to think that God is omniscient and omnipotent and the great and intelligent designer while being one who does not know how the story ends. Yet, I do believe in free will as well. I believe that God gives us the mind, power and gifts to make decisions that while not ultimately defines our fate, ultimately puts us in circumstances that allow us be used by Him to reach out to others. Our free will enables us to reach people who are not predestined by God to be reached out to by us. Our free will enables us to make choices that lead to who we will reach out to. God's will is that we reach out to people - but perhaps he does not define who those are specifically.

I believe that men who believe in God but not Christ as our savior are not Orthodox Christians, but Christians in the tribal sense. They unite because they are descendants of those who believed that Christ had a role in defining morality in this world. Am I wrong for accepting those who do not ultimately believe that Christ is the way? Am I unequally yoked by accepting one who does not believe that Christ is the way, and not just a way to receiving the gift of salvation? This is a challenge for me because while I think I am to only be with someone with the same understanding of Christianity - original sin and a corrupt nature - I can grasp the good intentions of such forefathers who tried to adjust the strict view in order to save men from ultimate destruction or secularism. Men who are of the lineage of the New England theology have cultivated their views in a culture and environment that bred such liberal views of Christianity. Am I better than them or more holy? No. Am I more Christian than them? I think not. Can I align myself with them, however? Yes and no. Are they not as much a seeker as I am? Do they not raise questions that are valid? Am I to dismiss them? I cannot.

Yes, I am a product of rationalism and strict Calvinism as much as men are products of their culture and upbringing.

But I cannot reconcile this selfish desire in us with the notion that men are also moral agents. If we are moral agents with the ability to do good, why then this selfish nature? What is it that drives us to selfishness and freedom and liberation of having to serve others before ourselves? I cannot reconcile not having a corrupt nature with also having a tendency to be selfish. What is the origin of selfishness if not the corrupt nature of men? Isn't selfishness sin? If we are prone to be selfish, then we're inherently sinful. 

Am I better than others that have not the same view? I am not. Therefore how are we to reconcile differences? That is the question I struggle with.

Truveo's elevator pitch

Search is the No. 2 activity on the Web behind e-mail. As every searcher knows, it's not perfect, especially when it comes to video search. Truveo is  a new video search engine. Truveo founder Tim Tuttle gave me his elevator pitch recently while we were at the Dow Jones Consumer Venture Technology conference.

I also caught up with Ron Conway, an angel investor who was lucky enough to invest in Google when the company was just $70 million. Ron said that he's looking at companies that are creating services/software that enhances the services already provided by Google, Yahoo, MSN and InterActiveCorp's Ask Jeeves. He believes it's better to sell to those big established Net companies than burn millions creating a competitive offering.

Watch Tuttle give his elevator pitch to VC's

Watch Conway talk about why it feels a bit like 1999

Facebook phenomenon

How did Facebook manage to gain traction and get a $100 million valuation? Watch the interview with the 21-year-old founder who started the company in his college dorm last year.

Watch interview with founder Zuckerberg on starting his company

Also read Net Sense on MarketWatch

Yahoo maps takes the lead

If you haven't checked out Yahoo's new maps, you should. I had a preview on Wednesday, and it offers a utility that other maps don't. For instance, you can choose multiple locations and get directions to those places. Plus there is a search box clearly on the page where you can search for other places or services, say ATM machines, between those two locations. The ATM locations appear on the map, and then you can drag the most convenient ATM location between the search boxes with the two location points. Yahoo maps automatically gives you directions to the ATM and then to your final destination. There are also developer tools so you can easily incorporate or mix other content onto the maps.

Even a non-techie like me can do it. For instance, Yahoo maps and Flickr are combined on this site: Check out the site and Yahoo maps in beta

Watch interview with head of Yahoo Local, Paul Levine

Google Runaway

On another note, my recent column on Google is getting a lot of responses. First of all, I'm not calling for a top, like some readers might think I'm doing. From the initial e-mails I've received, it seems there are a number of Google fans. Apparently, my readers believe Google is going to $500. Read column on MarketWatch.com, and if you have any responses, please post them here. My bet - Google ends the year above $400.

See Net Sense column on MarketWatch