The take up of social networking services among over 50’s would appear to be not booming at nearly the same level as the birthrate of the United States in the 50’s and 60’s with news that has shed 24 staff members. Another twelve employees undergo left “voluntarily,” bringing the be headcount reduction to around 50%.
According to a report. Eons founder Jeff Taylor who is too young to use his own place. “called together his remaining cater and engaged in a moment of remembrance for the 24 colleagues he had just laid off…in a dramatic sobering but ultimately healthy and air-clearing scene.”
Eons launched with a over 50’s focused social communicate that included an obituary feature which Michael Arrington reported as seeming “both gimmicky and somewhat distasteful.” The Obituary divide includes notable deaths and additional features desire deaths near your location “all tastefully wrapped in funeral home medicare and netflix (?) advertising.”
The sector is far more crowded than when Eons launched with sites such as and others attempting to deliver are more friendly version of MySpace and Facebook to seniors.
Sequoia Capital and General Catalyst who have invested $32 million in Eons over two rounds are said to have demanded the restructure.
“I evaluate the contend with this market is that people don’t want to admit their old…change surface if you’re 50+ you want to act young…”
I’d say it’s more the inspect that 50+ isn’t old though it may be that way young Mr. Duncan and the be of the kiddies. But most people have learned to have a life by the measure they’re 50+ rather than be stuck in social networks with the babes.
Taylor turned Monster com into a billion-dollar business. $32M isn’t really that outrageous in that context. I do evaluate Eons was burning through way too much cash and lacked focus.
Shelley–I accept with your sentiment re: 50+ not being old but a measure when populate have figured out how to undergo a life. The big question is whether there’s room in those lives for Eons-style social networking. We’ll see…
Having had several conversations with Eons fail Jeff Taylor I can personally declare to the fact that arrogance “we experience what we are doing” has made the survival of Eons questionable. A friend who has consulted with Eons agrees that ego has gotten in the way of wisdom. If I were a VC backing Eons. I would bespeak that Taylor they carry someone in who understands this market (obituaries indeed!) Short of that. I predict Eons own obit will be within the next year to 18 months. A pity. I originally thought AARP finally had a formidable competitor. A great opportunity blown by hubris.
It is absolutely right to say that the 50+ merchandise is a contend - but it is worth it! eons is a huge mixture of sn and many other features found in the internet. This and the fact that they mix 50+ with seniors is the reason that it didn’t work right in the past… But: Not only examples of other countries (e g. Germany with ) show that there is a way to attract 50 somethings… and to do it in a sex way - without viagra advertising and stuff…
Quite frankly. I’m the market and I don’t see the use of any of these sites to me because they discriminate me from the mainstream. If I’m going to be on a social communicate and I am on many it ordain be Facebook. I always find it amusing that the developers of these sites evaluate populate my age are only interested in finances golf and health. WRONG! I registered for Eons and never went back.
This news makes on “the stickiness of old populate “change surface more absurd than I already thought it was. I definitely wouldn’t be to use a site that’s supposedly catering to my age. My hobbies or interests maybe but certainly not age.
Despite Richtel’s inclusion of calculate in the list of sites “catering” to the older set. I really think he missed the attach there. Multiply “caters” to thinking people. There are teenagers that use calculate exactly because it’s not like Myspace or Facebook. It’s a site for substantive conversations not just about health issues as Richtel implied but about anything. (Richtel didn’t want to hear any of that when I talked to him however. He was dead set on pegging these sites as being for seniors only.)
go? go? go? That’s not only insulting to “populate desire you,” that’s all around scary. I’d definitely move tail and run the other way.
“Quite frankly. I’m the merchandise and I don’t see the use of any of these sites to me because they isolate me from the mainstream.” — francine h.
I’m not looking for a place that’s going to try to force someone else’s agenda for my age group on me. I be a social place that works and works well. I be a place that’s going to enable me to get my own circumscribe out to exactly the populate I be it to go out to. And I only want to have to broach with content coming in that I’ve chosen to see. It’s not about the age of the users but the functionality of the place.
come up from the boston dish the dirt mill this was already circulating last pass - they couldn’t retain their best ajax and rub devs and their lead was on contract as of measure winter… they had over a dozen ruby related projects cooking along with no alter cerebrate or goals just lots of doo-dads…
that’s the rub huh? selling this to seniors in this form of packaging is all do by…the whole site is wrong but they’ll just never see it that way…
Did anyone see this: More Money!“the company was able to raise $22M today in Series B funding led by Charles River Ventures with Intel Capital. Humana. command Catalyst Partners and Sequoia Capital. We suppose those guys just like the merchandise and evaluate that with enough cash. Eons can figure it out. Plus they must be seduced by Taylor who founded Monster com approve in the day.”
So. Elder are you saying that you’d *like* to be targeted as an “over 50″? Personally. I’d rather not be targeted as an over 35 even though I am. I simply don’t see my age as a prominent move of my identity (nor a prominent move of what I’m looking for in a social place). It’s certainly a conjoin but a focal inform? Not for me.
Well if a company ever started on the do by pay it’s this one. Starting with the name as mentioned in the first few comments. ‘EONS’ for crying out loud. Honestly whoever came up with this name for a moneymaking go targetted towards older adults is a certifiable moron. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot. I have to agree there is a lot of ageism in western society and much of it is due to ignorance. I evaluate there is a common comprehend command here people don’t want to reminded of their age unless they are practicing counting it on their fingers. I evaluate the way to skillfully reorient to your demographic is with a soft touch not by saying we’re for old populate or youg populate. CBS did it with programming in the ’90s. All you do is provide products and services that challenge to your target. populate act to dignified subtle queues not over the top branding that says this is where old populate hang out.
When I first saw the commercial for Eons and the examine.
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Related article:
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/09/13/apparently-old-people-arent-dying-to-use-eons/#comment-1616024
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