Internet Brands
Encyclopedia
Internet Brands is a new media
company based in El Segundo, California
that operates online media
, community
, and e-commerce sites
in vertical markets. The company also develops
and licenses internet software
and social media
applications.
The company's strategy is to focus on specific target audiences
which tend to be attractive to advertisers.
On December 1, 2010, Internet Brands acquired AllLaw.com and AttorneyLocate.com, both originally founded by Arvind A. Raichur
.
SEC filings indicate that approximately 70% of the company's revenues are derived from advertising from more than 40,000 accounts—most of them Small and medium enterprises.
The company's portfolio of websites include many with social media
features: social network service
s, user generated content, blogs, wikis, and internet forum
s, with over half a million registered users across forums.
Owned websites: Apartment Ratings
, CarsDirect
, CorvetteForum
, Craftster
, DoItYourself.com
, DVD Talk, EPodunk
, FitDay
, FlyerTalk
, Model Mayhem, Professional Pilots Rumour Network
, WAHM (magazine)
, Wikitravel
.
, launched from the business incubator
Idealab
. The company invented a consumer-advocacy approach to selling cars "haggle-free" online, an approach it continues to employ. In 2000, Roger Penske
invested in the company and joined the Board of Directors. In 2002, Time Magazine voted the site one of the 50 best in the World.
The company changed its name to Internet Brands in 2005. The company's IPO was in November 2007 on the NASDAQ exchange.
INET was added to the NASDAQ Internet Index on March 22, 2010.
Internet Brands is headquartered in El Segundo
, California; Autodata is headquartered in London, Ontario
.
Internet Brands agreed to be acquired for $640 mln by the private equity firm
Hellman & Friedman
in September 2010.
software, prompting complaints from registered users on the official forums. According to The Register
those who complained were then banned from both the forums and from receiving support & updates, despite still having valid licences for the product. Internet Brands defended their position to The Register in a separate article; however a later update to the same article stated that at least some of Internet Brands' claims were false.
team claiming copyright infringement
; specifically that code in XenForo was based on vBulletin code, breach of contract
, and engaging in unfair business practices
.
In November 2010, Internet Brands sued Kier Darby, a lead developer of XenForo, who had previously served as a lead developer for Internet Brands' vBulletin, claiming that Kier had not returned confidential information from Internet Brands regarding the vBulletin software.
The XenForo team has denied the claims.
New media
New media is a broad term in media studies that emerged in the latter part of the 20th century. For example, new media holds out a possibility of on-demand access to content any time, anywhere, on any digital device, as well as interactive user feedback, creative participation and community...
company based in El Segundo, California
El Segundo, California
El Segundo is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located on the Santa Monica Bay, it was incorporated on January 18, 1917, and is one of the Beach Cities of Los Angeles County and part of the South Bay Cities Council of Governments...
that operates online media
News media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
, community
Virtual community
A virtual community is a social network of individuals who interact through specific media, potentially crossing geographical and political boundaries in order to pursue mutual interests or goals...
, and e-commerce sites
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
in vertical markets. The company also develops
Software development
Software development is the development of a software product...
and licenses internet software
Application software
Application software, also known as an application or an "app", is computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks. Examples include enterprise software, accounting software, office suites, graphics software and media players. Many application programs deal principally with...
and social media
Social media
The term Social Media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0,...
applications.
Consumer Internet Division
The consumer internet division owns and operates more than 95 websites in seven categories. The company attracts more than 62 million unique visitors per month, with 97% of the audience originating from organic, non-paid sources.The company's strategy is to focus on specific target audiences
Market segment
Market segmentation is a concept in economics and marketing. A market segment is a sub-set of a market made up of people or organizations with one or more characteristics that cause them to demand similar product and/or services based on qualities of those products such as price or function...
which tend to be attractive to advertisers.
On December 1, 2010, Internet Brands acquired AllLaw.com and AttorneyLocate.com, both originally founded by Arvind A. Raichur
Arvind A. Raichur
Arvind A. Raichur is an American lawyer and entrepreneur; he is the president and founder of AllLaw.com, Inc. Raichur graduated with a double B.A. in economics and political science from the University of New Mexico where he was a CLEO Fellow and member of the ASUNM student senate...
.
SEC filings indicate that approximately 70% of the company's revenues are derived from advertising from more than 40,000 accounts—most of them Small and medium enterprises.
The company's portfolio of websites include many with social media
Social media
The term Social Media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0,...
features: social network service
Social network service
A social networking service is an online service, platform, or site that focuses on building and reflecting of social networks or social relations among people, who, for example, share interests and/or activities. A social network service consists of a representation of each user , his/her social...
s, user generated content, blogs, wikis, and internet forum
Internet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
s, with over half a million registered users across forums.
Owned websites: Apartment Ratings
Apartment Ratings
ApartmentRatings.com is an online user generated database of information about apartment buildings in the United States.-History:ApartmentRatings was founded in 2000 by Jeremy and Katie Bencken in Austin...
, CarsDirect
CarsDirect
CarsDirect is an online automotive research portal and car buying service based in El Segundo, California that allows consumers to research, price, purchase, insure and finance a vehicle online. The company also provides lead generation and referral services to auto dealers.-History:CarsDirect was...
, CorvetteForum
CorvetteForum
CorvetteForum is an auto enthusiast website for owners and fans of the Chevrolet Corvette sports car. The site is widely considered the largest Corvette enthusiasts' club – online or offline – in the world.-History:...
, Craftster
Craftster
Craftster is an online community for crafting and do it yourself enthusiasts. Users post pictures of craft projects they have made and others comment and ask questions about how it was made....
, DoItYourself.com
DoItYourself.com
DoItYourself.com is a leading website for do it yourself information and an active online community for do it yourself enthusiasts, or "DIYers," to exchange information, tips and advice.-History:...
, DVD Talk, EPodunk
EPodunk
ePodunk is a website that profiles communities in the United States, Canada, Ireland, and the UK. It provides geocoded information that includes local museums, attractions, parks, colleges, libraries, cemeteries and other features, as well as local history and trivia...
, FitDay
FitDay
-History:FitDay began as a personal computer software application written by two Boston programming entrepreneur], Jim and Russ Determan , in 2002.Subsequently, they launched an internet version of the software on the domain FitDay.com....
, FlyerTalk
FlyerTalk
FlyerTalk is an Internet forum for discussion of airline frequent flyer programs, hotel loyalty programs and other issues related to air travel...
, Model Mayhem, Professional Pilots Rumour Network
Professional Pilots Rumour Network
The Professional Pilots Rumour Network, or PPRuNe, is an Internet forum catering to airline pilots and others in the aviation industry.The site was originally presented by Danny Fyne as an email list in 1993...
, WAHM (magazine)
WAHM (magazine)
WAHM is an online magazine about work at home jobs, work at home job opportunities, and the work at home lifestyle. The name is an acronym for "Work at Home Moms," though the magazine covers issues affecting all home-based workers and telecommuters, both male and female.-History:Software engineer...
, Wikitravel
Wikitravel
-External links:* *...
.
History
The company was founded in 1998 as CarsDirect.comCarsDirect
CarsDirect is an online automotive research portal and car buying service based in El Segundo, California that allows consumers to research, price, purchase, insure and finance a vehicle online. The company also provides lead generation and referral services to auto dealers.-History:CarsDirect was...
, launched from the business incubator
Business incubator
Business incubators are programs designed to accelerate the successful development of entrepreneurial companies through an array of business support resources and services, developed and orchestrated by incubator management and offered both in the incubator and through its network of contacts...
Idealab
Idealab
Idealab is a business incubator based in Pasadena, California.-History:Idealab was founded by Bill Gross in March 1996...
. The company invented a consumer-advocacy approach to selling cars "haggle-free" online, an approach it continues to employ. In 2000, Roger Penske
Roger Penske
Roger S. Penske is the owner of the automobile racing team Penske Racing, the Penske Corporation, and other automotive related businesses. A winning racer in the late 1950s, Penske was named 1961's Sports Car Club of America Driver of the Year by Sports Illustrated...
invested in the company and joined the Board of Directors. In 2002, Time Magazine voted the site one of the 50 best in the World.
The company changed its name to Internet Brands in 2005. The company's IPO was in November 2007 on the NASDAQ exchange.
INET was added to the NASDAQ Internet Index on March 22, 2010.
Internet Brands is headquartered in El Segundo
El Segundo, California
El Segundo is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located on the Santa Monica Bay, it was incorporated on January 18, 1917, and is one of the Beach Cities of Los Angeles County and part of the South Bay Cities Council of Governments...
, California; Autodata is headquartered in London, Ontario
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
.
Internet Brands agreed to be acquired for $640 mln by the private equity firm
Private equity firm
A private equity firm is an investment manager that makes investments in the private equity of operating companies through a variety of loosely affiliated investment strategies including leveraged buyout, venture capital, and growth capital...
Hellman & Friedman
Hellman & Friedman
Hellman & Friedman is a private equity firm, founded in 1984 by Warren Hellman and Tully Friedman, that makes investments primarily through leveraged buyouts and minority growth capital investments....
in September 2010.
vBulletin criticism
In October 2009 Internet Brands changed the pricing structure for its vBulletinVBulletin
vBulletin is a proprietary Internet forum software produced by Jelsoft Enterprises and vBulletin Solutions, both subsidiaries of Internet Brands. It is written in PHP and uses a MySQL database server.-History:...
software, prompting complaints from registered users on the official forums. According to The Register
The Register
The Register is a British technology news and opinion website. It was founded by John Lettice, Mike Magee and Ross Alderson in 1994 as a newsletter called "Chip Connection", initially as an email service...
those who complained were then banned from both the forums and from receiving support & updates, despite still having valid licences for the product. Internet Brands defended their position to The Register in a separate article; however a later update to the same article stated that at least some of Internet Brands' claims were false.
vBulletin lawsuits
In October 2010, Internet Brands announced that it would file a lawsuit against the XenForoXenForo
XenForo is a commercial Internet forum software written in the PHP programming language using the Zend Framework. The software is developed by a team led by former vBulletin lead developers Kier Darby and Mike Sullivan. The first public beta release of XenForo was released in October 2010...
team claiming copyright infringement
Copyright infringement
Copyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.- "Piracy" :...
; specifically that code in XenForo was based on vBulletin code, breach of contract
Breach of contract
Breach of contract is a legal cause of action in which a binding agreement or bargained-for exchange is not honored by one or more of the parties to the contract by non-performance or interference with the other party's performance....
, and engaging in unfair business practices
Unfair business practices
Unfair business practices encompass fraud, misrepresentation, and oppressive or unconscionable acts or practices by business, often against consumers and are prohibited by law in many countries. For instance, in the European Union, each member state must regulate unfair business practices in...
.
In November 2010, Internet Brands sued Kier Darby, a lead developer of XenForo, who had previously served as a lead developer for Internet Brands' vBulletin, claiming that Kier had not returned confidential information from Internet Brands regarding the vBulletin software.
The XenForo team has denied the claims.