6:45 PM PDT Wed, Sep 14, 2011 Cool: BuzzData Releases API So Developers Can Use Its Facebook-for-Data Platform
BuzzData, a social network for publishing, sharing and discussing data, has launched its beta API.
"We've attracted the interest of such a unique, diverse community over the last few months, we can't wait to hear more suggestions from you," the BuzzData team writes on their blog.
Developers must request the API key from beta at buzzdata dot com. The API documentation is also available on Github.
BuzzData, founded in October 2010 and launched in July 2011 by Pete Forde and Mark Opausky, has data sets on topics from B-list celebrities to...
1:46 PM PDT Wed, Sep 14, 2011 Google Brings +Snippets to Google Maps for Sharing Places and Directions on Google+
Google first launched +snippets in August. Other Google products with +snippets capabilities include Books, Offers and Product Search [ see screen shots below ]. Google plans to roll out the feature to additional Google products in the future.
In order to use +snippets, users must first...
0:46 PM PDT Wed, Sep 14, 2011 Smart: Embed Your SurveyMonkey Survey on Your Facebook Business Page
SurveyMonkey's new Facebook application allows anyone using the service, paid or free membership, to embed a survey on to their Facebook business page -- though you can't add a survey to your personal wall just yet.
SurveyMonkey's Facebook Collector, released in October 2010, made it easy to share a survey link on Facebook, but users could not place the survey itself on the page. All of the responses the new Facebook application collects are compiled with responses logged on SurveyMonkey.com.
LAUNCH has asked SurveyMonkey when the app will roll out to personal Facebook pages and will update with any response.
In April 2009, former Yahoo Music exec Dave Goldberg became CEO of then 10-year-old SurveyMonkey. Under Goldberg, the number of surveys has grown from 290K a month to 580K and now boasts more than 42M unique users per month with a staff of less than 100. "We're very profitable...
11:06 AM PDT Wed, Sep 14, 2011 David Tisch Steals TechStars TV Debut
[ David Tisch, TechStars NYC managing director, will be the highlight of the season. Photo courtesy of Bloomberg's TechStars TV ].Bloomberg's "TechStars New York The Show" debuted last night, launching the startup accelerator program further into the spotlight as it documents the trials of the entrepreneurial class and gives insights to those aspiring to a TechStars slot. [ Watch the first episode here ].
Reality TV always raises the question of how "real" the situation is, but the TechStars show feels more natural than the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" with conflict rising out of the constant challenges startups face -- "how are you going to compete with x?" and "how are you going to monetize this?" Although the producers included typical commercial segues that scream drama ["Which team faces a shakeup before day one?"], the actual program enters these scenes with less kick.
The show starts by introducing David Tisch, TechStars NYC managing director, and TechStars founder and CEO David Cohen. Tisch is clearly going to be the star...
10:04 AM PDT Wed, Sep 14, 2011 Study: Facebook and Twitter Growing as Traffic Sources for Online Shopping
[ Photo courtesy of S. Shepherd via creative commons license. ] Online shopping traffic from Facebook and Twitter has grown in the last year, but still represents less than 1% of total ecommerce traffic, according to a recent report.
RichRelevance, an online personalized shopping retailer, collected data in August from 200M+ shopping sessions, which resulted in sales of $500M+, to see how Americans browse and shop for products online.