StartupSearch

Welcome to the August 20 edition of the Startup Search Weekly Web Wrap-up. Each week we summarize news and announcements affecting the web technology ecosystem. In this week's issue: communications outages, blocked web access, and two founders step down from well-funded companies.

Skype outage

Internet communications tool Skype was knocked offline last week due to a lack of peering nodes. Computers around the world downloaded the latest security updates for the Windows operating system and rebooted, causing an overwhelming number of concurrent login requests over a diminished peer network. Many startup companies use Skype's group text, voice, and video chat options to stay connected regardless of their location. Companies were forced to look for new group communications solutions such as SIP or IRC during the prolonged outage.

WordPress.com blocked in Turkey

Blog host WordPress.com is blocked in Turkey due to charges of defamation. The lawsuit demands WordPress.com remove any account names containing the first or last name of a Turkish author and his pen name in any combination. The lawsuit and subsequent government action highlights the fragility of international business and upholding the law of the countries where website members and readers reside.

Technorati CEO steps down, lays off 20%

Technorati founder and CEO David Sifry stepped down last week and the company laid off 20% of its workforce. Technorati will be governed by a triumvirate of finance, marketing, and engineering executives while their search for a new CEO continues. The company cited expense control and business transition needs as the primary drivers of this large change.

Widgetbox investor replaces CEO

Widgetbox angel investor Michael Dearing has replaced founder Ed Anuff as CEO. Dearing, formerly a professor at Stanford's Design School, announced he will operate in an interim role while the company searches for a new leader.

Welcome to the August 13 edition of the Startup Search Weekly Web Wrap-up. Each week we summarize news and announcements affecting the web technology ecosystem. In this week's issue: big media and social shopping, and a new way to search for people online.

Hearst acquires Kaboodle

Hearst Corporation acquired social shopping site Kaboodle on Wednesday for an unspecified amount. Kaboodle will become a wholly-owned subsidiary operating in the Hearst Interactive Media business unit.

Spock launches

People search engine Spock launched on Wednesday to an overwhelming response. Spock focuses exclusively on people, pulling details from research sites such as Wikipedia, social networks such as Facebook and LinkedIn, and some references from the general web. Spock members can add information for any person found in the database.

Welcome to the August 6 edition of the Startup Search Weekly Web Wrap-up. Each week we summarize news and announcements affecting the web technology ecosystem. In this week's issue: vulnerabilities in the social web, new ways to submit online payments, Viddler gets more social, and Justin.tv's major site update.

DEFCON exposes web vulnerabilities

Presenters at last weekend's DEFCON conference in Las Vegas published security vulnerabilities affecting most of today's social Web. Security researchers demonstrated taking over a social networking account, collecting user names and passwords, and gaining access to remote computers using popular audio and video players.

Amazon launches Flexible Payment Service

Amazon Web Services launched a new payment service last week extending Amazon.com payment processing services to any developer on the Web. Third-party applications can quickly market services to Amazon's 69 million active customers with one-click checkouts and pre-stored payment information.

Viddler introduces groups

Video sharing site Viddler now connects publishers of similar interests through affinity groups. Site members can join a group covering topics such as coffee, music, or a recent event. Publishers can share new videos with group members for review and commentary.

Justin.tv redesign

Live video sharing site Justin.tv upgraded its site last week with new video browsing features and user submissions. The new video bar highlights video content from across the site's range of publishers and supports direct video playback. Site tips create a new way to stay up-to-date on the latest events in the publisher's lifestream.