Successful venture capitalist Guy Kawasaki launched Truemors, a site that explores media rumors, about a year ago for $12,107.09, and it's now been bought by NowPublic, the world's largest user-generated news site, who hired Kawasaki to continue on the board.
Kawasaki's business model was like many others: throw it up against a wall and see if it sticks. Venture Beat commented at the launch that it was a site smothered in spam. Eventually the site was cleaned up and traffic grew from zero to 50,000 people a month. There was no public announcement of Kawasaki selling the site, and no price was given, but NowPublic is the new owner and Kawasaki still plays a key role.
Why This Trend Is Growing
- User-generated News
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create a platform that allows users to generate and share news content, attracting a large audience and potential revenue through advertising or subscriptions.
- Media Rumor Exploration
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop a website or app that focuses on exploring and discussing media rumors, providing a platform for users to engage with rumor-related content and generate discussions.
- Site Cleanup and Optimization
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Build a service or tool that helps website owners detect and remove spam, improving user experience and driving traffic growth.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Digital Media
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Introduce new digital media platforms or tools that cater to the growing demand for user-generated content and rumor exploration.
- Online News
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Reinvent the online news industry by creating innovative news platforms that prioritize user-generated content and foster engagement through rumor exploration.
- Website Optimization
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Provide website optimization services or tools that help website owners enhance their platforms, improve user experience, and drive traffic growth.
