24 Hour Update on Israel internet Top 10

My post on the Top 10 Israeli Internet companies elicited a reaction from Ouriel Ohayon, who posted his own version.  I wanted to give a 24 hour update on where results are for the top 5:

1. Conduit

2. Eyeblaster

3. Gigya

4. Oberon

5. Dotomi

Click Here to take survey

Seeking Alpha's Market Currents + Twitter = Best Free Stock Market News Ticker

To give you an idea about how mashing up free tools can create incredible value for users, check out the Seeking Alpha Market Currents + Twitter combo.

Market Currents provides minute by minute updates of important stock market news at their site. It updates automatically at the site. But it also updates automatically to their twitter account and I view it in Twhirl as kind a rolling news ticker for stock market news. 

More importantly, Market Currents is consistent with what I think Twitter is best for, spreading links. Tim O'Reilly's feed is one of the best ways to get pointers for the most interesting articles on the web (liberal and technophile) and I find myself using it to dispense interesting posts on the web as well. Market Currents @ Seeking Alpha links out to the best of the web that is impactful on the stock market. And the realtime distribution that Twitter provides makes it actionable for stock market traders.

Winter 2009 Top Ten Israeli Internet Companies - Please Take the Survey

A little more than 6 months ago I posted a list of the top 10 most promising/valuable Israeli internet companies. The post drew quite a bit comments and chatter both on my definition of what is an internet company and also with the definition of promising and valuable.  I recommend reading the original post and the comments.

This time, I am just going to call it the Top Ten internet companies in Israel.  These are my biases and impressions. I am also putting them in alphabetical order below rather than ranking them this time. Readers can rank them in the survey below. The wisdom of the crowds may prove better at ranking than I was. There are some differences to the last list owing to 6 months passing, a crappy economy, changing business models and a change in my definition of internet companies based on user feedback. I also chose not to include any companies that do not have revenue. So, without further ado.

Conduit (Benchmark, Yozma)

Dotomi (Yair Goldfinger, USVP)

Eyeblaster (BRM)

Fixya (Mayfield, Pitango)

Gigya (Benchmark, Mayfield)

JaJah (Sequoia)

Kontera (Sequoia, Carmel)
Metacafe (Benchmark, Accel, DAG, Highland)

Oberon (Goldman Sachs)

Seeking Alpha (Benchmark)

Please rank these top ten Israeli internet companies in the survey.
Click Here to take survey. 

I will publish results as soon as a critical mass of readers have taken the survey.

Obama's Use of the Internet And Tech Is Absolutely Amazing

It is no secret that I was not a big supporter of Barack Obama leading up to his election but I must say that I have been very impressed with the way he handled both the transition and his first few days in office. I will have more to say on his "aggressive" plans for the Middle East in a later post but I first want to tip my hat to president Obama.

Obama's use of the internet to convey messages is nothing short of phenomenal. Change.gov for transparency and opening up government to the masses is a masterstroke. The Briefing Book is a phenomenal experiment in democracy and empowerment. And the weekly YouTube address is just perfect for this century, marking our transition from faceless radio to facebooked masses.

Most remarkably, his weekly YouTube address' discussion of his stimulus plan displays a leader who is totally facile with technology and determined to help America leapfrog into this century using and investing in American innovation. No more trailing Korea on Broadband or falling behind German in clean energy. No more dependence on Saudi and Iranian oil. Green is in and he will invest in it. Broadband is crucial and it will be a priority. Modernizing schools is a must so it will be part of the recovery and stimulus plan (full Youtube address below).



When I contrast this to Israel's political bumbling handling of all of these issues, I yearn for Obama. Despite being a technologically rich country, we have no government plan for investing in technology. Our broadband speeds are woeful. We have an abundance of sun but tiny amounts of solar energy initiatives in the local economy. We have an obvious water shortage (no rain again today despite the weather forecast) and we have had no progress on desalination. Frankly, the contrast is dramatic.

Very Funny Hebrew Video on Kosher in Israel

CeaseFire in Gaza = We Cease, They Fire

I guess the Prime Minister does not read my blog or did not accept my suggestions on the terms for a ceasefire with Hamas. Alternatively, he, like one of the commenters, thought I was totally unrealistic. 

I fear that we have parlayed our military success into another empty paper like resolution 1701 which ended the second Lebanon war. Tzippi Livni now has a squadron of paper airplanes to trot out when Hamas follows Hezbollah's lead and re-arms itself to the hilt.

Although not part of my suggested ceasefire terms, my heart goes out to the family of abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who feel that this was a missed opportunity to bring their son home. 

The big diplomatic victory in the war was the splitting of the Arab world, many of whom silently backed Israel's war on Muslim extremism, hoping to send a message the imperialists in Teheran. I hope too that this will be a wake up call for almost President Obama, as to the language that extreme Islam understands.

Most of all, I hope the Israeli government will not repeat its mistakes of the past and will respond immediately and forcefully to ANY breach of the ceasefire by Hamas. Unfortunately, if last night was an indication, my hopes may be shattered quickly.

In the meantime: read this really novel WSJ analysis for how to stop the Hamas Attacks from the WSJ. It is all about population control.

Benjamin Netanyahu Will Do a Conference Call with American Bloggers at noon EDT Today On the Situation in Gaza- Way Cool and Full Invitation Below!

YOU ARE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN A
ONE JERUSALEM
BLOGGERS CONFERENCE WITH
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU

Live From Jerusalem, on Monday, January 12 at noon Eastern Standard Time, Israel's former Prime Minister will update bloggers on the latest developments in Israel's War with Hamas.
 
To access the call, dial (866) 214-7905.  Participants joining from outside the U.S. should dial (973) 935-8580.  The Conference ID is 80434752.

Benjamin Netanyahu, has been on the forefront of delivering the truth about Hamas, Iran, and the West's stake in the outcome of this conflict.

Mr. Netanyahu has been criss-crossing the State of Israel reassuring its citizens that Israel's Defense Forces are committed to eradicating the threat from Hamas.

As head of the Likud Party, he has suspended his party's election campaign during this time of national emergency.

Mr. Netanyahu has set aside time from his busy schedule to participate in this briefing. He will take questions but given his tight schedule we suggest that bloggers submit questions by e-mail so he can cover as much ground as possible.
 
We hope you will join us.

What Today's Katyusha Firing in the North Tells Us About a Ceasefire in Gaza

Israel woke up this morning to missile fire on northern Israel. You will recall that 2 years ago, over 600 Hezbullah Katyusha missiles rained on northern Israel for a month, causing untold damage. The Second Lebanon War ended with UN resolution 1701, poorly negotiated by Foreign Minister Tzippi LIvni, which placed UN UNIFIL troops again in Southern Lebanon. It is part and parcel of UNIFIL's task under resolution 1701 to prevent the rearming of the Hizbollah. 

The Resolution demands:

• Full cessation of hostilities (OP1)
• Israel to withdraw all of its forces from Lebanon in parallel with Lebanese and UNIFIL soldiers deploying throughout the South (OP2)
• Hezbollah to be disarmed (OP3)
• Full control of Lebanon by the government of Lebanon (OP3)
• No paramilitary forces, including (and implying) Hezbollah, will be south of the Litani River (OP8).

The Resolution at the same time also emphasizes:^[1]

• The need to address urgently the unconditional release of the abducted Israeli soldiers, that have given rise to the current crisis.

Needless to say, after today's firing and other reports by Israeli Inteligence, UNIFIL and the UN have not done their job.

This is extremely important as Israel thinks about the next ceasefire. We cannot entrust our security to the completely incompetent and antagonistic UN nor to UN forces. In addition to the impotence of UNIFIL, in Gaza UNRWA has served as a Hamas shield in its attacks on Israel and has perpetuated Palestinian poverty and refugee status in the Gaza Strip. 

So what should be included in a ceasefire agreement.

1. Clear victory by Israel and surrender by Hamas. Hamas cannot be allowed to come out with its head held high from this encounter. It will be a win for Islamic fundamentalism that they world cannot bear.

2. Israeli control of the Philadephi corridor. We cannot rely on the UN nor on the Egyptians to make sure that missiles and arms are not smuggled into Gaza. Egypt has had that opportunity for 3 years and the UN is somewhere between impotent and incompetent. We were not required to surrender control of the corridor after the Gaza disengagement. Let's admit the mistake and demand it back.

3. A pre-understanding that if rockets are fired from Gaza on Israel by anyone, the Israeli Army will be unfettered in its response. There will be no such thing as disproportionate force if there is a recurrence of the rocket fire.

4. Agreement by the UN to empower UNRWA to build up cities, buildings and employment opportunities and move the Palestinians out of their refugee camps. Hamas and the Palestinian Authority squandered Billions of dollars in western aid on weapons and did not improve the lives of palestinians. Only when they are moved to permanent, decent housing and provided for economically with the support from Hamas stop.

Mrs. Livni - Do not bring us back a Gazan version of 1701. That was a failure. You should settle for nothing less than the above outline.