Google Buys Dodgeball - What is gained from the deal?
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From Dodgeball’s point of view, this could be the best thing that ever happened to the company. To quote from Dennis Crowley’s FAQ about the deal, “Now that we’re part of Google, we’ll have more resources available to us. That means Alex and I can get back to building new features. We have a lot of ideas that we’ve wanted to work with for a long time and we’re excited that we will now have the time and resources to actually follow-through with them. There’s some cool stuff in the works –- stay tuned.”
Google gained quite a bit from the deal as well. Anyone watching the search engine giant lately has seen the company working to expand its reach beyond simple Internet search. Google does desktop search, provides maps (both normal and satellite maps) and directions to places, and even lets users perform searches on their cell phones. Dodgeball’s service should fit in well with Google’s mobile phone search offering.
This isn’t Google’s first foray into interactive or social networking services, incidentally. Google’s users can benefit from email applications, photo management and blogging tools. Google is also affiliated with at least one service that is somewhat similar to Dodgeball. Orkut, started by a Google employee, allows friends to connect through an online community. It is currently an invitation-only service; a friend who is a member has to invite you in order for you to be able to join. Another big difference between orkut and Dodgeball is that orkut’s focus is on Web interaction; Dodgeball encourages offline, “real-life” interaction.
Specific details about the agreement, including financial information, were not disclosed. The press release section of Google’s website, as of this writing, did not even include a release about the purchase. It is clear, however, that Crowley and Rainert will stay with the company, and continue ro actively guide it in the directions they want to see it grow. In Crowley’s words, Google “got” what Dodgeball is doing, unlike the many angel investors and venture capitalists that the two partners consulted for financial backing. “The people at Google think like us. They looked at us in a `You’re two guys doing some pretty cool stuff, why not let us help you and let’s see what you can do with it’ type of way. We liked that. Plus, Alex and I are both Google superfans and the people we’ve met so far are smart, cool, and excited about what they’re working on.”
Next: Possible future services and concerns >>
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