New Zealand Facebook First

“New Zealand already has lush rainforests and sandy beaches, bungee jumping and scuba diving, gourmet restaurants and lively night life, even a thriving tech community that has drawn investment from the likes of Peter Thiel,” Los Angeles Times’ technology reporter Jessica Guynn writes. “Now the country has something else the rest of the world does not: Facebook’s new Timeline feature. New Zealand is getting first crack at the major redesign of the profile page. Key to the decision: It’s English speaking and very far away from Silicon Valley. That’s according to Sam Lessin, product director of Timeline, who told the New Zealand Herald: ‘We chose New Zealand to be first. It’s far away from our data centers, so we can monitor speed and performance.’ It may also have something to do with the country having about 4.4 million people, 2 million of whom are on Facebook.”


Tags: 4.4 million  Facebook  Jessica Guynn  Los Angeles Times  New Zealand Herald  Peter Thiel  Sam Lessin  Silicon Valley  Timeline Feature  

Frances Shoemack’s Abel a Less-Is-More Scent

Frances Shoemack’s Abel a Less-Is-More Scent

When New Zealander Frances Shoemack started fragrance brand Abel, over a decade ago, she was convinced that the world didn’t need more “stuff”, she tells Forbes contributor Esha Chhabra. “We…