

Where are they now? The stories of what happened to ten dot-coms from the first bubble - ilamont
http://www.thestandard.com/node/107162

======
pg
This would be a lot more useful if it were all one one page, or at least if
all the links were on one page.

~~~
ilamont
All of the links to the profiles appear in the first paragraph of the featured
article. The companies/services are Boo, TheGlobe.com, Pets.com, Webvan,
eToys, DrKoop.com, Garden.com, Kozmo, Excite@Home, and Entertaindom.

~~~
redorb
\- I don't care how easy it is to click through then click the back button;
then again ...

\- Whenever you build content for page views and NOT users you make a grand
mistake, user satisfaction is what makes those page views worth anything.

~~~
ilamont
Actually, this content was built because it's interesting (and therefore
satisfying for users), it ties into our coverage areas and historical mission,
and it supports our business.

The format was derived from a British music magazine that I used to read, as
described here:

[http://ilamont.blogspot.com/2008/05/dot-com-nostalgia-
whatev...](http://ilamont.blogspot.com/2008/05/dot-com-nostalgia-whatever-
happened-to.html)

If this were a single-page article, the length would be more than 5300 words
long -- or the equivalent of around 20 double-spaced typed pages on A4 paper.
Do you think that's more enjoyable to read or scroll through?

Yes, I could have comissioned it as a feature-style article, which probably
would have been half as long or less, but I really don't think it would have
been as effective or readable as the profiles. For instance, the profiles
allow you to easily skip over companies and sections you don't want to read,
whereas a feature would force you to skim.

As for generating page views, it's unfortunate that this drives so much online
journalism today, but this special feature would have been commissioned
regardless if we were using page views, time spent on site, or some other
metric.

One of these days, a new business model will come to dominate online media --
maybe even invented by one of the Y Combinator companies -- and I honestly
hope it will encourage media outlets to return to an emphasis of quality over
quantity. We're in the age of the page view right now, but it won't last
forever.

~~~
mattmaroon
Yeah, I don't know that putting it all on one page is the solution, but having
each page linked to from each page might help a lot.

------
erickhill
I'm shocked that another company would buy the rights to the Pets.com puppet.
Yes, the thing was briefly well recognized, but why would you want to spend
marketing dollars on a failed brand, and associate your brand with it?

Here's an idea: For my next company I'll try to buy the rights to the image of
Jar Jar Binks. That should go over well.

~~~
xirium
> I'm shocked that another company would buy the rights to the Pets.com
> puppet.

There's a precedent in the UK. A company in the UK that provided a digital
television service ( <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITV_Digital> ) used a
monkey puppet to promote its service. Like Pets.com, it failed. Like Pets.com,
the rights to the puppet now belong to another company.

The monkey puppet is now used to advertise tea. The tea company was famous for
adverts featuring clothed chimpanzees dubbed to promote the brand (
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PG_Tips#Advertising> ). However, due to the
advance of animal rights, the company now uses a monkey puppet which is widely
recognised in the UK.

------
neovive
Does the title imply that a second bubble is upon us?

