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Supersonic Flash-Based Swan Song

While Seattle decides how it will contend with the ball-napping of its NBA sports franchise, sold out from undeneath its fandom by opportunist Howard Schultz, the Website for the team is strlking out at a different level — use of Flash technology. Supersonics.com is the first Flash-driven site in major professional team sports. Reportedly, it took 2,000 hours and over $100k to build the NBA team site using Flash exclusively. Cypress Consulting is responsible for building the site, touting it as a much more immersive and high fidelity experience. The Sonics say the site is a whole new paradigm in how sport teams present their brands.

The blogosphere has had mixed reactions. Some consider that once viewed, there is no reason to return. Other claim this is not the best way to present score, schedules and news, or to foster interactivity. And what about counting page views? Perhaps if the Sonics stick around they can monetize their Internet experience with Seattle Web marketing brainpower. [24×7]

Private Investors Buying Seattle’s Getty Images
for $2.1 billion
The San Francisco private investment group Hellman & Friedman is buying Seattle’s Getty Images for $2.1 billion.

The 10-year-old stock photo and video company put itself up for sale last month as higher costs ate away profits. The stock had dropped from a high of $94 in November 2005 to a low of about $22.

BooRah Launches Online Restaurant Review Guide in Seattle
BooRah has launched anj online restaurant review guide, www.BooRah.com, in Seattle. BooRah to give residents and visitors an easier way to find great local restaurants. Built on patent-pending summarization technology, BooRah is an easy-to-use, personalized review guide that automatically compiles online reviews from bloggers, professional critics and consumers.

The BooRah Seattle restaurant review guide features detailed ratings, menus, photographs, restaurant discounts and coupons, keyword searches and other relevant restaurant information compiled from hundreds of sources on the Internet. BooRah offers a unique “Boo” (bad) and “Rah” (good) rating system that automatically scans and summarizes reviews, quantifies comments and sentiments, and incorporates them into detailed ratings for the consumer. The BooRah rating system evaluates restaurants on food, service, and ambiance — and provides an overall rating, making it easy to choose the perfect restaurant for any occasion. [24×7]