From Morning Filter (Feb. 26, 2014), Marketing‘s daily morning newsletter
Why so many successful websites are ugly
Some of the web’s most successful publisher sites are also the ugliest. Think of the MailOnline, The Huffington Post and Drudge Report. Or even sites like Cheezburger, Reddit and Craigslist that seem to come from a different era but drive much of today’s web traffic. As it turns out, analytics are blind and sites designed to ensure engagement offer more traffic than those with a beautiful logo or a sharp look.
[Read more via Digiday]
Whatsapp acquisition good for its Canadian competitors
After Facebook shelled out $19 billion for Whatsapp, many other social networks may start asking whether they need a messaging service, too. According to the founder of Kik, a Waterloo-based startup that makes a similar app, the buzz around the Whatsapp acquisition has been good for business and a validation of their product. The buzz may also be good for BlackBerry, which saw its stock jump following the acquisition thanks to its once-popular BBM service, which is now available on Android and iOS.
[Read more via BetaKit]
Comcast and Netflix ink deal
Media players are closely scrutinizing the relationship between Netflix and Comcast in the U.S. Netflix recently agreed to Comcast’s demands in a change that “represents a fundamental shift in power in the internet economy that threatens to undermine the competitive market structure that [has] served internet users so well for the past two decades,” according to The Washington Post. Here’s what the deal means for interconnection, the structure of the internet, and how more industry consolidation could make things worse. (Yes, the irony—coming from a Canadian standpoint—is thick.)
[Read more via The Washington Post]
Google Maps enters Toronto mall
Yorkdale Shopping Centre is taking mall maps to the next level. Forget flat floor plans found on the website. Shoppers trying to get a taste of what the Toronto mall has to offer can take a virtual tour using Google maps. Previously, Google’s street view technology stopped at the mall’s entrance. Now shoppers can click through the halls and dining areas to get a better idea of what the venue has to offer. Yorkdale is said to be the first in North America to have interior shots featured on Google Maps. Shoppers can take a virtual tour of Yorkdale Shopping Centre here.
[Read more via Retail-Insider]
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