Comments on: Trading Post closes down print versions! Ron Walker saves Fairfax?

By: Kylie Emans

Kylie Emans — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:02:01 +0000

Just goes to show, we can’t rely on these big companies, they have NO IDEA, and us little companies with great online businesses will just have to forge ahead and show them how it is done!

By: Ricky

Ricky — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 06:35:00 +0000

Thanks Mac,

I guess the online verticals in the areas of real estate and jobs have clear cut leaders with poor competitors who still have a focus on old media as you stated.

So as a result you invest in the clear cut leader even if they have a crappy back end, poor customer relationships and a less than innovative approach to the future. Agree with you that at $8.69 I’m not jumping in.

Classic case of the businesses that got their ‘first to market and then dominate the market’ strategy right 5 years ago being almost impossible to move years down the track despite doing very little recently.

Just needs a ballsy competitor to pop up somewhere and somehow because its all a bit boring.

By: Mac

Mac — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 04:06:34 +0000

Ricky,

The ASX in general is pretty speculative at the moment and
Carsales was recently IPO’ed, valueing it around $1B,
SEEK a similar story.
REA is in the same sort of boat.
The added value comes from old media in the form of Fairfax basically admitting it has no plans.
Trading Post closes-down print for online (despite that being a dawg too).
Then grumpy old Rupert rants highlights that his old-fashioned news model can’t go the distancee with Google et al. (And shows he hasn’t got the balls to insert a no Robots tag into his news sites – instead just bags Google ‘cos no doubt his techo’s haven’t let him in on the ‘exclude’ tag knowing he wouldn’t use it anyway).
However, Ricky, REA isn’t run particularly well, it’s tech is very outdated and it is under threat from http://maps.Google.com/realestate (check this out everyone!). So, while there could be a story to invest in, at $8.69??!!! I’ll try something else!

By: Ricky

Ricky — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 03:02:49 +0000

Can someone please explain to me why the REA share price just went bananas. Looks like it went to about $8.69 earlier today. Coming off a low of $2.95 less than 12 months ago I just don’t get it. That makes it a $billion dollar business for the first time as of today.

Surely the Fairfax hoo ha doesn’t have anything to do with it.

Peter, Glenn, Robert , anyone?

Please explain.

By: Robert Simeon

Robert Simeon — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:25:45 +0000

Now this is an interesting Corbett Blog (just found) http://blogs.crikey.com.au/contentmakers/2009/10/13/what-to-think-about-roger-corbett-and-the-fairfax-board/?source=cmailer

By: Robert Simeon

Robert Simeon — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:02:25 +0000

snoop – what remains to be seen is can the “grocer” get consumers to fill their Faifax shopping trolleys from his shelves. Let’s hope he does not start comparing apples with oranges – because we know what happens next! Corbett is pro-print which is his first mistake!

Maybe they will start buying petrol stations and bottle shops just like Wollies did?

By: snoop

snoop — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:36:33 +0000

Yep all makes sense
A grocer chairing a media company.

By: Ricky

Ricky — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 03:20:39 +0000

Glad the Fairfax board read this site as they just appointed Roger Corbett to be Chairman. There’s a cultural change move there! Not.

I can hear all of the Fairfax Digital staff groaning from here. More sharing of the office with the print bods guys, who by the way will be telling you how to suck eggs.

Another free hit for Google, REA, Seek and anyone else with a quarter decent digital strategy.

I shake my head!

By: Rusty

Rusty — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:56:32 +0000

Just been playing with the new Radar search on http://www.domain.com.au and I’m really very impressed. Essentially its geo-targeted search around points of interest and weighted preferences. Properties get a star rating depending on how closely they match your needs and the stars even appear on the map view – awesome! Who says FD is not innovative? The whole team behind Domain deserves huge credit for the big strides forward this year. Let’s have less negativity and more recognition for good work.

By: snoop

snoop — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:34:41 +0000

Walker needs a haircut and a real job.