# Hunger for Gossip Sites Truemors Sold to NowPublic By Going Like Sixty | Published 2008-07-11 | Pop Culture Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/kawasaki-succesful-again-truemors-website-is-sold References: [venturebeat](http://venturebeat.com/2008/07/10/nowpublic-buys-up-guy-kawasakis-truemors-believe-it-or-not/) Successful venture capitalist Guy [Kawasaki](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tilting-electric-trikes) 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](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/word-oh-mouth), 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](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/venture-vault) 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. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 1.7/10 - Popularity: 8% | Activity: 35% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Pop Culture](https://www.trendhunter.com/popculture) > [Internet](https://www.trendhunter.com/internet) ## Key Themes ### 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. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Online Startup Marketplaces](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/startupsonsale.md) - [Startup Revival Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/failedups.md) - [Word Guessing Game Acquisitions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/quordle.md) - [Creative Online Social Networks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bf-island.md) - [Private Company Financial Tools](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/private-markets-hub.md) - [Invite-Only Content Creation Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/inviteonly-content-creation-platform.md) - [Studio Developer Mergers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/zynga-x-take-two.md) - [E-Bike Manufacturer Acquisitions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/oset-bikes.md) - [Website Valuation Tools](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/how-much-for-site.md)