TMCnet News
Platial Acquires Frappr, Creates #1 Social Map SiteSAN FRANCISCO --(Business Wire)-- Platial today announced the acquisition of Frappr, the popular social map destination and widget network. The merger makes Platial the leader in social mapping with more than 15MM unique users per month and 100MM user-generated location-based information points including photos, videos, reviews, stories and people. Platial's CEO Di-Ann Eisnor says, "We are delighted to have the Frappr community join the Platial family. This reinforces our vision to connect people, neighborhoods and nations around the world. Together, we will make social mapping more accessible, more valuable and a more fundamental part of Web 2.0, encompassing mobile and local search. We will also introduce new, more effective advertising models using social data and location to create greater relevance." The company estimates that Platial-Frappr combination represents 25% of all distributed map widgets on the internet and one of the major online mapping sites generally. Platial anticipates the growth of social mapping to accelerate rapidly in the coming months as the company creates easier, more rewarding ways for users to create and search geobits. Already, Frappr has millions of communities like Mythbusters with more than 30,000 members and Harley Riders with more than 18,000 members. According to John Hanke, Director of Google Earth & Maps, "Without a doubt social mapping is only in its infancy and there is enormous opportunity still to be realized in providing users with simple, scalable tools for sharing information about the world around them. Platial continues to innovate to serve the needs of this growing community of mapping enthusiasts." About Platial Platial.com, The People's Atlas, is a free resource where hundred's of thousands of people around the world share and discover all kinds of Places. Anyone can map just about anything including their towns, lives, travels, feeds, files, photos, video and stories in one simple interface. Platial has been featured in Wired, NYTimes, All Things Considered, National Geographic Online and numerous blogs. The company is financed by KeyNote Ventures, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Omidyar Network, Ram Shriram, Georges Harik, Jack Dangermon, and Ron Conway among others. About Frappr! Frappr! is the Web's best social mapper. We help turn your ordinary Web pages into interactive, fun and engaging destinations. Frappr! was launched in 2005 by Kun, James and Brian, three friends from UC Berkeley and USC who wanted to keep track of their friends' whereabouts after college. More than 4 million Frappr! Maps have been created so far. Frappr! Maps give Web site owners and visitors an easy and unique way to visualize and interact with each other. Visitors can add their name, photo and message directly on a Web page embedded with Frappr! Maps, and the Web site owner gets real-time stats on where visitors are coming from and how often they visit. Frappr! Maps is free and can be embedded on any Web page, blog or online community that supports flash embeds, including MySpace, Friendster, Xanga and Hi5. |
