Internet celebrity interview: Alon Cohen from Bitwine.com

Posted on February 18, 2007
Filed Under Interviews, Online business, web 2.0 news |

Today we have a special guest from www.BitWine.com. His name is Alon Cohen and he is the first internet celebrity interviewed by businesshackers.com

>>> How did you manage to become so well-known on the internet?
Hard work, usable application, and grass root marketing. There is still a long way to go; we have not scratched the surface of the potential yet.

>>> What is the key to success when running a website?
Usability, exceptional Customer Service and excellent technical people.

>>> Could you please briefly describe what makes your website unique?
BitWineâ€™s platform enables a “Real-Time Knowledge Market”. Similar to eBAY, where people exchange goods, we allow people to exchange (sell) intangible goods such as Knowledge or Advice.
Our service is built around a belief that trust is the critical element underlying interactions between unrelated people. Using live video, audio and real-time payments, people can offer, or purchase services from someone who they can see, hear, and qualifyâ€¦.just as if you were sitting in the room with them.
If you need to have an answer NOW for a specific, very customized and private, matter, you may use BitWine to â€œjust ask someoneâ€, rather than sending a public message or spending time collecting pieces of free information from people you donâ€™t know, or sources that you have not vetted.

>>> What should a newbie do in order to become competitive on the net?
I do not believe in coincidence, you need to work hard, get the best talented people around you, and adapt to what your customers tell you. At BitWine, we set our development priorities based on the requests of our users and partners. People write to us every day and we listen.

>>> What is the future of the web after web 2.0?
In a way, we see BitWine, somewhat in that future. BitWine is a User generated content site, but much different from say Wikipedia. At BitWine people help people in real-time, the content is customized on the fly.
I do not think a trip designed by others will fit your next trip schedule. Travel agents for instance suffered from the shift to the on-line booking, but cannot be replaced yet as a source of travel knowledge and customized Trip planning. By adapting and moving on-line to sites such as BitWine they can re-monetize their talent.
The near future is all about monetization or content and uses beyond ad revenue.
Looking foreword, and if you really ask me to be creative, if you add the explosive trend of web based video, I can see a Web 4.0 type of application where a TV program is generated in real time by a large number of users contributing content, voting, editing, organizing and broadcasting live, to the Web and TV alike. A live reality show doctored by the masses.

>>> Is there anything you would like to tell to our readers?
We see a great opportunity to work with Partners who are interested in extending their interactions with their customers. BitWine is designed as a â€œPowered Byâ€ platform; it is open for Partners to use without attempting to become a destination site.
We help our partners build strong communities that not only increase revenue, but also really help their audience find trusted answers to pressing problems, all based on revenue share model that shares revenue with the audience as well as with the site.

Thank you Alon very much for this inteview!
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