 |
| 等 级：长老 |
| 经 验 值：1472 |
| 魅 力 值：510 |
| 龙 币：2424 |
| 积 分：1571 |
| 注册日期：2003-02-17 |
| |
|
|
|
ZT: 关于旅行结伴搜索引擎goofymob的一篇专访（英文）
Who needs a Chinese Travel Partner Search?
Mark McNeill
When Google is almost reigning the Earth, who needs a Chinese travel partner search engine? That is a tough question to the Chinese internet entrepreneur, Dennis Chu, who is starting a vertical search engine that puts all his stakes on the booming Chinese adventurous travel market. Considering the dominance of Google and VC’s hesitation to jump on the shaky web 2.0 wagon when pessimism spreads over the Chinese internet communities for the past months.
A famous Chinese Portal CEO comments that the web 2.0 startups and vertical search engines have slim chance to survive when the big web 1.0 portals, such as Sohu and Sina step into the far from flat playground and strike back. He questioned that there is no feasible revenue model for these new wave of startups.
Dennis Chu, the founder of Goofymob Travel Partner Search, begs to defer and claims his startup Goofymob as the “first outdoor partner search engine on the earth”.
When being asked what his confidence is based on for Goofymob, Mr. Chu proclaims that the “unique user experience and customer value” that Goofymob offer are the key things that he and his team are focused on, he “believe that consumer value and user experience is what ultimately builds a business, and he believes Goofymob provides with such a value, convenience for Chinese weekend outdoor freaks and Golden week holiday vacationers, especially, unlike most outdoor and travel sites, he aggregated the threads that spread over hundreds of outdoor and travel forums in Chinese websphere.
When talking about the fakes traffic of many Chinese sites, Dennis comments sharply, “That does not make any sense, we are doing a business. “ Mr. Chu questioned: “What does the non-exist ‘traffic’ help if it does not bring any value to users and investors?”
Unlike most Chinese internet elites who are satisfied with the gigantic China market, Dennis looks beyond the Chinese border and positions Goofymob as a global company that will, ultimately, provides services to a global audience. Contrary to many Chinese software elite resort to nationalism and claim themselves as icon of “national software industry” to fight “foreign software hegemony” in cheap publicity stunt, Dennis shows obvious disagreement but words it very carefully as that “he believes that people in the world share much more in common than what is different, software that works for Chinese most probably works for people from anywhere on earth.”
Starting his money hunt from this July when Goofymob gets its second upgrade, Mr. Chu has been constantly met with potential investors such as IDGVC and Ceyuan Ventures. Mr. Chen, the Venture Capitalist and ex-president of PKU mountaineering club Eagles(Shanyingshe), agrees that this little thing Goofymob looks good but he warns the outdoor travel market takes maybe another three years to maturate. Dennis agrees and he said he is prepared for that.
When I wish him good luck to his startup search Goofymob, Looking into my eyes, Dennis grabbed my hands and insisted “please use it for your next week hike, you will love it!”
|
| |
|
|
2006-09-27 17:26:06
