
Google acquires TalkBin (YC W11) - qasar
http://techcrunch.com/2011/04/25/google-acquires-talkbin-a-feedback-platform-for-businesses-thats-only-five-months-old/
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Timothee
Does anybody know where the founders come from? if they were known from
before?

Asking because it sounds like Google was after the team more than anything… 5
months doesn't leave much time for them to prove what they're capable of, so
I'm curious.

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gunthere
This was not just a team play. I saw Talkbin signs in Coupa Cafe in Palo Alto
- immediately understood the concept and potential. I sent a text to the owner
and received a response within 10 minutes. Talkbin if I understood it
correctly is enabling us all to "talk with" the store managers or workers via
text and mobile app. It's actually a very powerful communication vehicle and
right up Google's ally.

~~~
cyen
Mobile's going to be an increasingly interesting strategy with local
businesses. When these owners and workers are running their business, they're
not running into the back room to check computers or laptops or websites - but
they do have their phones and can often step aside to respond to a quick SMS.
I imagine Talkbin has caught on to this - lots of other startups don't seem to
- and this really feels like a product where everyone benefits in the end.

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sahillavingia
I tried so hard to invest in you guys. At least it validates my thinking.
Congratulations! :)

~~~
allanscu
There will be a lot more opportunities. At least your gut told you they were a
winner. Now ask your gut to go pick the next one (and tell me what it is.)

~~~
sahillavingia
Email me and I'll give away all my secrets. :)

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JofArnold
Team + execution + market + timing + deep knowledge of the vertical = epic
win.

Congrats guys! It's been a pleasure watching it happen.

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alain94040
If you read between the lines, Google's announcement focuses on the team and
says "the team", not the product will be a great addition to Google.
Similarly, the TalkBin announcement uses words like "While we are proud of
what we accomplished ... Google will help us make our bigger goals a reality".

Both sides know the product is dead. I guess Google is acquring the talent and
the concepts.

~~~
pg
Actually from what I've heard that's not the case.

As I often find myself saying on HN, if you're going to be nasty, you'd better
be right. Though honestly, why be nasty at all? These guys are celebrating.
Why post comments belittling their achievement?

~~~
davidw
While I'm sure everyone here is happy for them (and you, their backers), I
think it's also natural to be inquisitive as to the nature of the acquisition.
alain94040's post might have benefited from a more curious and less
categorical tone, but I don't think it was fundamentally 'nasty' either, as
it's common knowledge that many products do not really continue to exist once
in Google.

Of the YC companies that have gone to Google, what were their products, and
those products' fates inside Google? (Not a rhetorical question, the subject
got me interested; maybe I'm wrong in my 'common knowledge'). Edit: something
else interesting to look at, utilizing your own data, might be the acquisition
price vs the product's fate.

In any event, it's good news, and the team deserve congratulations.

~~~
nchlswu
I'm curious if the organizational changes at Google will have any change for
product acquisitions and how they fare inside Google going forward.

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gg_
Am I missing something, or is TalkBin pretty much a clone of Skweal
(<http://skweal.com>)?

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tiomka
Google bought 3 engineers, not a business that has relationships with vendors,
that Skweal is acquiring. Not sure if you can solve social problems with more
code.

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citizenkeys
Congrats to these guys! These guys were stealth from funding to acquisition.
Seems like this will be the Google equivalent of Yelp.

~~~
vikramhaer
I see them less as an equivalent to yelp and more as a way of providing
instant feedback to business owners. It seems more a feedback system than a
review site. I haven't had the chance to try it out though so this is based
purely on what I've read about them.

~~~
rhizome
There's a back-end to Yelp, Groupon and all of the "pre-sale aid" models out
there. Foursquare and their cohorts move it forward in time a bit to reflect
"I'm here," or sellING.

For a pedestrian example, think of the times you've called your cellphone or
power company and the recording on the phone tells you to have the helper send
you to a satisfaction survey. Now transpose that to proximity services: you
leave a restaurant and your phone pops up, "Thanks for visiting! Care to tell
us how we did?" ...which is then popped-up to the manager. Googlers are
smarter than me, so I'm sure they have more nuanced and lubricative plans, but
you get the idea.

Yelp deals with what you're planning or where you've been, bracketing your
experience, and the coupon services act as nudges against your retail future.
'Long as you keep checking your phone, that is. The pot of gold I feel is to
reflect where the user will actually go (determination). This is where
recommendation engines become useful: to (try to) tell the user where they're
going to go. "Rhizome, there's a Taco Bell on the next block. _I KNOW YOU LOVE
TACO BELL_ "

The user's time and attention is getting pinched at all times for these
services to pull information about where the user is in the retail thought
process, and maybe Yelp will have their reactionary review model knocked from
under them when recording the reaction takes much less effort on the user's
part. Then again, maybe this is all cynical and evil on my part. I don't know.
;)

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mynameisraj
Congrats guys! It's been a pleasure working with you.

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rkalvi
Congrats Qasar and Guys! I think all things aside, talkbin worked because of
two simple reasons that are not usually evident : People like to give
feedback. Businesses want feedback. I remember how they started with the idea
to give coupons to entice folks and how they realized people simply want to
give feedback. Great Execution guys!

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greatreorx
Anyone know how they were planning on getting revenue? I know that can
sometimes be a snarky question, but this seems like a good idea and I'm
genuinely curious... especially because it looks like they launched as a free
service. Were they thinking this is something that a small business owner
would eventually pay $5-20/month for?

~~~
southpolesteve
I don't think its snarky to ask a _business_ how they plan to generate
revenue.

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jetaries
Congrats guys!! First exit in the batch.

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nhangen
Impressive day for YC.

Very impressed with how deep their vision is in seeing companies with exit
potential.

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rmorrison
Congrats guys!

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allanscu
Congratulations!

