Webware Radar: Survey: 80 percent of Web users want privacy
Also: the launch of $99 Music Videos Network; online dealer Portero raises $6.6 million from LFE Capital; and GoDaddy, unlike many companies, is looking to hire.
Burst Media, a company that provides advertising services to Web publishers, announced the results of a survey Thursday, which asked 4,000 Web users how online privacy impacts their Internet experience. It found that privacy is a major concern for 80.1 percent of respondents who claim they want their personal information kept private.
Although privacy is a major concern for all age groups, only 67.3 percent of respondents aged 18 to 24 years worry about privacy, while 85.7 percent of those aged 55 years and older are concerned about their privacy online. Of those surveyed, 62.5 percent also said that it's "likely" that a Web site they visit is collecting their personal information and transmitting it to third parties.
$99 Music Videos Network, a joint venture of Next New Networks and Verizon, launched Thursday in the hope that it can transform the way music videos are distributed. According to the company, each Thursday it will debut one music video and a "making of" clip and make them available through YouTube and iTunes. Eventually, the company hopes to partner new artists and independent filmmakers to create videos on just $99 (thus the name). The first music video available on the site is "The Sun Song" from La Strada.
Portero, an online company that sells pre-owned authentic luxury-brand accessories like watches, handbags, and jewelry, announced that it has raised $6.6 million in a round of funding that was led by LFE Capital. The company said it plans to use the funding to expand its presence online and become a more well-known source for authentic luxury goods.
Domain registrar, GoDaddy, announced Thursday that its business is growing at a rapid rate and unlike many online firms, it's expanding its office space and hiring more employees. According to the company, it has already set company records for new customers and orders and plans to hire more employees to match customer demand. In fact, the company has already hired more than 100 people so far this year. GoDaddy plans to expand its customer care division, as well as its legal, accounting, marketing, and development departments.