RushmoreDrive Announces Top Search and Email

December 18, 2008

The black targeted search engine RushmoreDrive has added two new features to its lineup of online offerings. Stealing a few pages out of Google’s book, RD is now offering a listing of their Most Popular Searches and a brand new Email Service.

RushmoreDrive’s “most popular searches” is a listing of the most popular keywords collected by the search engine in 2008. Searches are broken down into categories including Top News Searches, Top Male and Female Celebrity Searches, and Top Job Searches (why is technology not in the top 10?). The top celebrities included Steve Harvey and Jennifer Hudson, and the top most searched news item was the Isaiah Thomas Overdoes. While Britney Spears is at the top of most mainstream search engines, Rushmore Drive ranks her a close second behind Jennifer Hudson for the top most searched item overall, in third place Barack Obama.

RushmoreDrive also introduced a new 1000MB email service. The service allows users to choose from either an RMDrive.com or RushmoreDrive.com domain. The email system has a built in calendar, spam protection and built in virus protection for all users.

While neither of RushmoreDrive’s new additions are remarkably innovative, they do remind me of the clarity of RD’s overall strategy. First off, RushmoreDrive is obviously targeting an older demographic. This is evident by some of RD’s partnership deals, including sponsorship of the Stellar Awards and the Gospel Tour with Regina Bell. Granted they did do the “Listening Lounge” with Jon B. which some might consider a little younger and the “Watch the Vote” party at Johnson C. Smith University. The release of RD’s email service just re-emphasizes this point. It’s obvious that RushmoreDrive’s email will not drive young people (the most active demo on the internet BTW is between the ages of 18-29, 30-49 are in second) away from their Yahoo, Gmail, or Hotmail accounts, and it doesn’t look like they’re trying. If you read RushmoreDrive’s description of their email services, it seems as if they’re attempting to explain the benefits of using email instead of convincing users to switch to their service. With lines like:

Email combines the speed and efficiency of the telephone with the written word. It allows users to transfer files and documents. It is a quick and easy way to inform others of what’s happening and is more effective than any other method because of the ability to view documents without the cost and time constraints of face-to-face meetings….

I mean, who under the age of 49 (maybe higher) needs to be sold on the benefits of using email? I know I don’t, but I’m sure there’s a percentage of the older population that does.

The problem with targeting an older demographic is that it frightens away the trendsetters, you know the ones who use services like these the most. Remember when you first heard that IAC was making a black targeted search engine. The idea was innovative, hip, sexy, but since RD has started moving away from their core, and towards other methods of obtaining users, it seems as if it has slowly lost its luster.

My advice to Rushmore Drive…lets go back to innovation instead of re-creation, before you loose us all. Oh and if you are however are in the market for a new email address and are considering RushmoreDrive’s new service, you can sign-up here.

Updated: RushmoreDrive.com email service offers 5GB of storage not the 1000MB originally stated.

Category: News, Strategy, web 2.0 | Tags: most searched by blacks, RushmoreDrive, RushmoreDrive email, RushmoreDrive Top searches

gem2001

Wow. This isactually sad to watch. Marcus ar you going to weep when they finally give up the ghost?

My parents already have email through their internet service providers. Second, they see all of us emailing them from aol, yahoo, and gmail addys. So explain to me why someone would choos a service, even a free one, that was inferior to several competitors?

if the ad an snse the wod abandon thi folly and thrw their efforts to mobile content and apps since 85 percent of blck ppl have cellphones.

They are't going to out google googel.

Markus Robinson

My parents do too Gina, but one thing I have learned over time is that there's still a lot of people who aren't as web savvy as my 60 year-old parents. Check the comments on my I See Color post, I think that will help emphasize my point. Rushmore Drive, IMO, have departed from users like myself and is now positioning themselves to go after older users, and I believe it could ultimately do more harm than good.

NKB

RushmoreDrive.com is attempting to become a destination for the black community, so it makes sense that they would offer e-mail which is a missing component. This will add value to the site and to repeat users. As for targeting an older demographic, I do not agree that RushmoreDrive is targeting this group, because the site has so many different offerings with jobs, news and opinion in addition to Drive-In and R Listening Lounge. If they were going after the Gospel market, they certainly would not allow articles in support of gay marriage that chides blacks for voting against it.

I think that there is a little something for everyone and that RushmoreDrive.com will have to decide which demographic to target most consistently. The assumption that "older" people aren't using the web is a false one. They just use it differently. Like all start-ups, RushmoreDrive.com is finding itself which is why its identity is shifting. Search is clearly its main function and if offering email encourages a user to remain on the site while searching for relevant information, then it makes perfect sense.

Angry Black Man

My people . . . my people. Why is it that RushmoreDrive would NOT introduce email? Google has Gmail and Yahoo has Yahoo Mail and RocketMail, so why wouldn't OUR search engine have it's own email product.

And for those of you who are so smart about what works on the web and what doesn't (Markus, Darling) we know email is a smart offering because people will visit the site at least once per day -- and often several times per day -- to check their email accounts because they can't use the work email for personal stuff.

I, for one, was at the RushmoreDrive Gospel Brunch event in Dallas -- and their were a lot of other young people like me there. One guy at the event stood up and asked Rushmore's president when they would begin offering email. So I know people (even young people) want an email address they can call their own.

Finally, why must RushmoreDrive appeal to old OR young people? I, for one, want to see them appeal to as many black people as possible -- so let's talk to BOTH! Most old people don't need jobs, but that doesn't mean Rushmore is ignoring them because they have a job feature. Some young people don't read the news, but that doesn't mean Rushmore is not interested in young people because it offers news. Some people (old and young) want email and now they can use a free one provided by their search engine -- not Googles and Yahoos, but OURS called RushmoreDrive.

One day we're going to start celebrating our own instead of finding a way to prove how much self hatred we really have. RushmoreDrive isn't perfect, but it's one of the best new technologies I've seen come out of the black technology world. I guess you're totally happy if the white man provides us everything . . . .

Angry Black Man

Angry Black Man

oh yeah -- and gem2001, I guess the folks at Rushmore shouldn't waste time on mobile apps either since Google and Yahoo already have that too. Give me a break. We must stop hating and start celebrating our brothers and sisters over there at RushmoreDrive who are trying to get it done.

i got a novel idea for you -- maybe you should change your email from aol, yahoo, and gmail accounts and get your black ass a rushmore account so your black parents can see your black ass suppoting black people. if enough of us start using an email account for black people then they can stop the dominance of the white technology titans constantly telling us to ignore our own.

has google or yahoo ever tried to do shit for black people? at least iac and rushmore are trying

Angry Black Man

Markus Robinson

@NKB When Google introduced Gmail, they attempted to “fix email”, by creating a service that was superior to the competition. They gave users a faster cleaner interface, threaded emails, and more space than any other email service at the time. Gmail was so innovative, that other email providers, in an effort to compete, decided to enhance their email services, causing an eruption of innovation in email services. The problem with Rushmore Drive’s email is that it adds no new enhancements to email. As you alluded to in your comments, Rushmore Drive created email to “add value” and to get “repeat users”, which are all great benefits for RD, but how does this benefit the users? Honestly, what do I get out of this email service besides less space in my inbox? Instead of launching features to get more users, RD should be launching features that solve problems, or creates a new and innovative way to do something. That will eventually lead to more users, and added value.

@AngryBlackMan
First off, I am not hating on Rushmore Drive. To be honest the easiest and most effective way to hate on Rushmore Drive is to simply not cover them at all. In fact, the reason that I am critical of RD is because I really want to see them succeed. But I would be doing our audience and Rushmore Drive a great disservice if I didn’t keep it real. So consider this tough love.

Secondly, Why would I or anyone else settle for a mediocre email service just because it’s “our own”? I don’t use Gmail because it’s the “white man’s” email service, I use Gmail because it’s the best email service (though I have peeped some of Yahoo Mail’s new features, and I must say I’m impressed.). So if using Google makes me a sell out, then so be it, I’ll have plenty of room in my Gmail Inbox to handle the hate mail ;)

I also think it’s insulting that you or anyone else would think that black people should settle for mediocre products just because it specifically targets them. I’m all for supporting Black Businesses (Hell, I own one), but telling me to lower my level of expectations just because a business is black is not only insulting to me, but to all black businesses. If we accept mediocre products from Black Companies then they will continue to deliver them. It's up to us to demand that our companies deliver quality innovative services, because if we don't, then who will?

BLAQLIST

First let me say I love your website, and thanks for expecting nothing but the best from black firms or black tech companies. I'm optimistic about RushmoreDrive.com. They are a young company and have a compelling product. I thought their popular searches were interesting, and I was also surprised to see Britney Spears was more searched than Obama. They are making changes although small, but they are changes in the right direction. I believe 2009 we'll see great things from RushmoreDrive.com. I will use their search engine more so we can get BS (Britney Spears) off RushmoreDrive's popular searches for 2009. BW20 should do the same.

Markus Robinson

@Blaqlist I too like the popular searches page. It's cool to see the contrast between black searches and mainstream searches, though i would like to see this data updated on a more frequent basis. As for 2009, I have high expectations and there's no doubt we will continue to watch and report on Rushmore Drive's developments.

Thanks for the love.

WhiteShadow

Markus, Thanks for the tough love, but I think it is important to examine RushmoreDrive's email with the right perspective. I don't remember reading anywhere that they were content with their current offering, so I suspect that they had to make a business choice of product features versus time to market. The email service RushmoreDrive gave us is no way mediocre, nor is it inferior to Yahoo or Google for most people's emailing needs. I think that the interface is clean and my new account has 5GB, not the 1GB you mentioned in your post, of storage space. It's always fair to demand more from those around us and those that we do business with, but for the moment RushmoreDrive should be commended for a job well done. Tomorrow we can take a que from Janet and ask RushmoreDrive, "What have you done for me lately?"

Johnny Taylor, RushmoreDrive C

First, I want to thank all of you have taken time to comment on RushmoreDrive.com and the new Email and Top Searches for 2008. We, at RushmoreDrive.com, always value constructive feedback because it'll only make us better over time.

Secondly, I'd like to explain briefly why we launched our Email product. Initially, I did not want to introduce Email because I wanted to focus on making our search product the best identity search product on the market. But, after receiving almost weekly requests for email from our user community, our team decided to investigate if any of the other Black-targeted web properties were offering a quality, free Email product; we determined they weren't and thus it made sense to offer a quality FREE product to satisfy an underserved community.

Based upon feedback from our community and general qualitative research about Email user behavior, we know most people, Black online users in particular, want a basic email tool that is aesthetically pleasing, easy to navigate, provides ample storage, gives them a way to send and receive personal messages from friends and family, and allows them to easily upload their contacts. We did that.

And while there are lots of other bells and whistles that we could've invested time and money creating for launch product, we concluded these features would not likely be perceived as value-add by most of our community -- keeping in mind that most members of our user community are not the BlackWeb2.0 tech-savvy user.

So, we launched an Email product we're proud of -- one that gives a significant number of Black online users exactly what they want plus a few extras like calendaring and task tools.

We ask each of you to help us spread the word about RushmoreDrive.com and it's new Email servive. As a new offering, we give you the chance to tell your friends, family and colleagues to get the email address of your choice (no need to add a number after your name because it's already taken) from the first-of-its-kind search engine built FOR and BY the Black community.

We really appreciate you all covering RushmoreDrive.com and welcome all feedback.

Happy Holidays,

Johnny C. Taylor, Jr.
President & CEO
RushmoreDrive.com