Online forums and communities present a largely untapped opportunity for making money — at least according to Dan Gill, cofounder and chief executive of Huddler.
The San Francisco startup is officially launching today. It’s one of those weird launches where the company has actually been working with customers for more than a year, and is only now getting around to telling the media that it exists. Gill said he wanted to make sure the technology was solid before doing too much to publicize it and attract competition.
Community-building software is a broad category, but Huddler approaches the market with a specific audience and mission. It’s looking for popular, product-focused forums that are built on either vBulletin or phpBB technology. Huddler contacts the owner of the site, offering to modernize the forum and bring in more money too.
Gill gave me a long list of benefits that Huddler can offer over older platforms. It gives the sites a makeover, so they look a bit less old-fashioned, not to mention more advertising-friendly. It optimizes the pages for search engines, and also makes them easier to share through Facebook Connect. And all the software is hosted online, rather than installed on someone’s computer, which means there’s less hassle for whoever’s managing the site.
Financially, there’s not much risk to the forum owner, since the software is free. Huddler is only paid by through a percentage of the increased revenue that it brings to a site. That revenue boost comes in a number of ways, Gill said — since the sites are product-focused, Huddler creates a product page with a link where visitors can buy the item in question. It also allows companies selling related products to create their own pages on the forum and engage with the community. And of course the sites can run advertising.
The transition to Huddler can be a challenging one because of the technology issues, as well as the likelihood that change will upset some forum members. Gill didn’t offer any details, but he hinted that he has seen his share of angry comments from users who didn’t like a new forum. But Huddler has become more proficient at both moving content to a new site and preparing users for the change, he said.
There are now 24 sites using Huddler, adding up to a total of 9 million unique monthly visitors. The success stories include EpicSki, which saw a 70 percent increase in natural search traffic after switching to Huddler, and DenimBlog, which doubled pageviews in two months and is now bringing in three times the amount of revenue.
Huddler raised $5.5 million in funding from New Enterprise Associates last year. For now, the company is focusing on existing forums because they’ve already got the audience, but Gill said, “There’s no reason you won’t be able to start your own Huddles in the future.”
[image via Flickr/Daniel Borman]
Next Story: Salesforce: Yes, Chatter really does improve productivity Previous Story: Otoy scores important deals for its server gaming technology
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Cancelled my NRA membership
by rsexteriors
Sorry about that
by Bryan Myrick
The NRA are apparently deaf and blind partisans...
by acat
Well, Obama was a Muslim before he became a Christian.
by Tbone
Winner always buys.
by Tbone
This time it's serious
by kenchely
This time it's serious
by kenchely
Then you should with hold your dues
by Tbone
Were that the case, why come off the bench *at all* ?
by acat
No... it's not hard at all to tell his dominant stripe.
by randy streu
And I seem to recall
by chbroussard
And how many of those candidates can be counted on when the bullet meets the bone?
by randy streu
That's a very well-reasoned defense. It does not change that there's a sea change afoot...
by acat
Then again
by expatuae
The NRA is partisan
by Tbone
It's frustrating this race is getting no attention
by itsjoanne
Agreed
by RedBeard
If you don't want to understand the different
by Tbone
Nice read until I got to the cyrillic font??????? nt
by pilgrim
NRA protects gunowners
by expatuae
Class Act
by reaganiterepublicanresistance
Why?
by Repair_Man_Jack
Gotta say, love the O'Donnell witch ad
by tngal
Athieists Are Very Theological
by Repair_Man_Jack
Me Neither
by Repair_Man_Jack
Just a thought
by jeanms
Some thoughtful connections here
by civil_truth
PPP did a poll of this district for Kos too
by scarlos
Scary
by Repair_Man_Jack
If they get a bailout they are just Pravda
by Beaglescout
Well, I'd say Uncle Charlie needs more minding...
by acat
Kudos to Doug Hoffman
by rdelbov
Reading posts like yours makes me wish...
by Ron Robinson
I agree, but...
by IronDioPriest
If the annual deficit were to go to $0the interest rate spike that you mention would likely be avoided
by JSobieski
Inteligent response...not.
by rasvar
What is the status of Miller/Murkowski?
by fbks
Profound words, Repairman, profound.
by penguin2
Several others who would do well by following your lead Mr. Hoffman.
by tngal
Depends on you define "savings"
by JSobieski
robert shumake
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You may need a hug after you read this. Or I may need one. Sources confirm to me exclusively that… I just made pretty much the most difficult decision of my ...
robert shumake
<b>News</b> and Publications - <b>News</b> Release
News and Publications - News Release. ... Academy in the news � News links � Ingenia � Photo Gallery. News Release. 08 July 2010. Academy elects 'unique national resource' to assist in economic recovery. Fifty three of the UK's leading ...
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You may need a hug after you read this. Or I may need one. Sources confirm to me exclusively that… I just made pretty much the most difficult decision of my ...
robert shumake
Online forums and communities present a largely untapped opportunity for making money — at least according to Dan Gill, cofounder and chief executive of Huddler.
The San Francisco startup is officially launching today. It’s one of those weird launches where the company has actually been working with customers for more than a year, and is only now getting around to telling the media that it exists. Gill said he wanted to make sure the technology was solid before doing too much to publicize it and attract competition.
Community-building software is a broad category, but Huddler approaches the market with a specific audience and mission. It’s looking for popular, product-focused forums that are built on either vBulletin or phpBB technology. Huddler contacts the owner of the site, offering to modernize the forum and bring in more money too.
Gill gave me a long list of benefits that Huddler can offer over older platforms. It gives the sites a makeover, so they look a bit less old-fashioned, not to mention more advertising-friendly. It optimizes the pages for search engines, and also makes them easier to share through Facebook Connect. And all the software is hosted online, rather than installed on someone’s computer, which means there’s less hassle for whoever’s managing the site.
Financially, there’s not much risk to the forum owner, since the software is free. Huddler is only paid by through a percentage of the increased revenue that it brings to a site. That revenue boost comes in a number of ways, Gill said — since the sites are product-focused, Huddler creates a product page with a link where visitors can buy the item in question. It also allows companies selling related products to create their own pages on the forum and engage with the community. And of course the sites can run advertising.
The transition to Huddler can be a challenging one because of the technology issues, as well as the likelihood that change will upset some forum members. Gill didn’t offer any details, but he hinted that he has seen his share of angry comments from users who didn’t like a new forum. But Huddler has become more proficient at both moving content to a new site and preparing users for the change, he said.
There are now 24 sites using Huddler, adding up to a total of 9 million unique monthly visitors. The success stories include EpicSki, which saw a 70 percent increase in natural search traffic after switching to Huddler, and DenimBlog, which doubled pageviews in two months and is now bringing in three times the amount of revenue.
Huddler raised $5.5 million in funding from New Enterprise Associates last year. For now, the company is focusing on existing forums because they’ve already got the audience, but Gill said, “There’s no reason you won’t be able to start your own Huddles in the future.”
[image via Flickr/Daniel Borman]
Next Story: Salesforce: Yes, Chatter really does improve productivity Previous Story: Otoy scores important deals for its server gaming technology
-->
Cancelled my NRA membership
by rsexteriors
Sorry about that
by Bryan Myrick
The NRA are apparently deaf and blind partisans...
by acat
Well, Obama was a Muslim before he became a Christian.
by Tbone
Winner always buys.
by Tbone
This time it's serious
by kenchely
This time it's serious
by kenchely
Then you should with hold your dues
by Tbone
Were that the case, why come off the bench *at all* ?
by acat
No... it's not hard at all to tell his dominant stripe.
by randy streu
And I seem to recall
by chbroussard
And how many of those candidates can be counted on when the bullet meets the bone?
by randy streu
That's a very well-reasoned defense. It does not change that there's a sea change afoot...
by acat
Then again
by expatuae
The NRA is partisan
by Tbone
It's frustrating this race is getting no attention
by itsjoanne
Agreed
by RedBeard
If you don't want to understand the different
by Tbone
Nice read until I got to the cyrillic font??????? nt
by pilgrim
NRA protects gunowners
by expatuae
Class Act
by reaganiterepublicanresistance
Why?
by Repair_Man_Jack
Gotta say, love the O'Donnell witch ad
by tngal
Athieists Are Very Theological
by Repair_Man_Jack
Me Neither
by Repair_Man_Jack
Just a thought
by jeanms
Some thoughtful connections here
by civil_truth
PPP did a poll of this district for Kos too
by scarlos
Scary
by Repair_Man_Jack
If they get a bailout they are just Pravda
by Beaglescout
Well, I'd say Uncle Charlie needs more minding...
by acat
Kudos to Doug Hoffman
by rdelbov
Reading posts like yours makes me wish...
by Ron Robinson
I agree, but...
by IronDioPriest
If the annual deficit were to go to $0the interest rate spike that you mention would likely be avoided
by JSobieski
Inteligent response...not.
by rasvar
What is the status of Miller/Murkowski?
by fbks
Profound words, Repairman, profound.
by penguin2
Several others who would do well by following your lead Mr. Hoffman.
by tngal
Depends on you define "savings"
by JSobieski
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