Bien Logic
Encyclopedia
Bien Logic, Inc. was one of the first interactive marketing agencies based in San Diego, California
. In the mid-1990s it was also the largest such company. It pioneered several innovations in web development and internet software industry. Throughout the years 1993 to 1997, over 80 professionals worked at Bien Logic in San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles. Many of these designers, programmers, account and sales executives, managers went on to start other companies that continue to exist and thrive today, especially SiteLab and Netrics.
, was the first angel investor
in the company. The initial plan was to create educational software
for handheld digital books and personal digital assistants. As an associate professor of mathematics at UCSD, Frederic Bien was encouraged by Chancellor Dick Atkinson
and by Professor Pat Suppes
at Stanford University; both co-founders of CCC (Computer Curriculum Corporation) then owned by Simon & Schuster
. After a well-received presentation to Simon & Schuster CEO Dick Snyder
who was an early believer in handheld electronic books, CCC's CEO Ron Fortune gave a substantial contract to Bien Logic in 1993 to develop the first educational digital book on the eBook/BOOKMAN platform of Franklin
. Within a few months, Bien Logic delivered two prototype products: MatchCoach (for Simon & Schuster
) and SpanishCoach (for Apple Newton
). However, faced on one hand with the low consumer adoption of these early digital books, and on the other with the acquisition of Simon & Schuster by Viacom
who had a different strategic plan, Bien Logic changed direction in mid-1994, and started developing websites and interactive marketing programs for various clients.
for University Towne Center. This website was inaugurated in May 1995 by San Diego Mayor Susan Golding
, who called it the "largest expansion in history for this major shopping center". On stage, Joan Embery
who then hosted a popular TV show about animals was holding a parrot in her hands, which pressed the Enter key of a computer keyboard, and pulled the UTC home page for the first time on the web. This project won the 1995 Award for Best Overall Marketing Campaign for shopping centers of over 1 million square feet (90,000 m²) from the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC); Stacy Armstrong received the award for UTC.
Following ShopUTC.com were a number of noteworthy websites for Pearl Jam
(rock band), Baker & McKenzie
(law firm) and First Virtual Holdings (email-based secure online payment system). Bien Logic initial key staff were UCSD students and friends: Carlos Madrid, Uyen Nguyen, Marc Northover, Mike ZeMans, Tony Graham, musician/system administrator Trevor Henthorn, designers/programmers Teresa Shaw and Ruby Wong, and the unstoppable Bob Adams in business development. Later joined 4 savvy executives: Kevin McDermott (ops mgt), Charles Gillespie (PR & proposals), Jack Abbott (sales), Jeanric Meller (biz dev). Bien Logic established a well-defined 12-Step Process to design, produce and launch websites and interactive marketing campaigns; this process was at the core of its commercial success.
The firm continued to grow developing larger projects for Trizec-Hahn Company
(shopping centers), San Diego Zoo
, Sempra Energy
(then called SDG&E), Lucent Technologies
, Saturn Cars, CaliforniaMart
, Procopio (large law firm), California Avocado Commission, Apparel News for MnM Publishing and many others.
As the company grew into the premier developer of websites in Southern California, other people joined, including Marlene Matheson (sales), Dana Todd and Joe Eibert (account executives), Lane Sharman (chief technology officer), Victor Spindler (creative director), Victoria Battison (public relations), Becky Savell (editorial management), Marc Koob (former CEO, Chicken of the Sea) and Adrian Stewart (COO), Troy Troxler (project mgt), and more.
:
Besides general web traffic
reports, SurfReport in 1996 provided innovative and strategic marketing information, namely a list of keywords searched by web users in search engines that had led these users to visit the website where SurfReport was installed. At that time, major search engines were Netscape
, Yahoo, Altavista
, InfoSeek
, and Excite
, and none of them offered to buy keywords yet. In 1997, SurfReport was the first web traffic analyzer able to analyze over 1 Gygabyte of data in less than 1 hour. It was used by Netscape
to analyze some of its log files, (which were among the largest at the time). Employees of Bien Logic contributed articles about standardization
of web server
log files
and analysis of their content. Oracle
marketed SurfReport for its network computing architecture. John Logan was sales manager of SurfReport and ProxyReport, with Bob Adams in business development.
Frederic Bien took a breather in 1998 as Chief Scientist of High Technology Solutions, Inc. in San Diego, then incorporated a new company Belamo Corp., publisher of online dating website Flirt.com. Belamo was acquired by Playboy Enterprises in January 1999, spun out in June 1999, partially merged with Bigstar Entertainment in Nov 1999 , then continued on its own a year later. Today Belamo publishes 10 online dating sites, including PlanetEarth.net, Flirt.net, Flirts.com, LiveLoveFlirt.com, LoveCentral.com, SkyBar.com, etc. Flirt.com was sold to Cupid LLC in 2010, while Belamo retained ownership of its "Flirt" trademarks. Frederic Bien is CEO of Ad Buying Network Inc. since 2006, and co-founded BLiNQ Media LLC and in Atlanta in 2008.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. In the mid-1990s it was also the largest such company. It pioneered several innovations in web development and internet software industry. Throughout the years 1993 to 1997, over 80 professionals worked at Bien Logic in San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles. Many of these designers, programmers, account and sales executives, managers went on to start other companies that continue to exist and thrive today, especially SiteLab and Netrics.
Early years: 1993-1994
Bien Logic was founded in February 1993 by Frederic Bien in collaboration with Michel Delory, George Geller and Dina Tsoukas. Peter Yianilos, an inventor of spell-checking products, founder of Proximity Inc. and former President of Franklin Electronic PublishersFranklin Electronic Publishers
Franklin Electronic Publishers, Incorporated is an American consumer electronics manufacturer based in Burlington, New Jersey, founded in 1981. Since the mid-1980s it has primarily created and sold hand-held electronic references, such as spelling correctors, dictionaries, translation devices,...
, was the first angel investor
Angel investor
An angel investor or angel is an affluent individual who provides capital for a business start-up, usually in exchange for convertible debt or ownership equity...
in the company. The initial plan was to create educational software
Educational software
Educational software is computer software, the primary purpose of which is teaching or self-learning.-Early History, 1940s - 1970s:The use of computer hardware and software in education and training dates to the early 1940s, when American researchers developed flight simulators which used analog...
for handheld digital books and personal digital assistants. As an associate professor of mathematics at UCSD, Frederic Bien was encouraged by Chancellor Dick Atkinson
Richard C. Atkinson
Richard Chatham Atkinson is an American professor of psychology and academic administrator. He is the former president and regent of the University of California system, and former chancellor of U.C...
and by Professor Pat Suppes
Patrick Suppes
Patrick Colonel Suppes is an American philosopher who has made significant contributions to philosophy of science, the theory of measurement, the foundations of quantum mechanics, decision theory, psychology, and educational technology...
at Stanford University; both co-founders of CCC (Computer Curriculum Corporation) then owned by Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
. After a well-received presentation to Simon & Schuster CEO Dick Snyder
Richard E. Snyder
Richard Elliot “Dick” Snyder is an American publishing executive best known for his tenures at Simon & Schuster and Western Publishing.-Life and career:...
who was an early believer in handheld electronic books, CCC's CEO Ron Fortune gave a substantial contract to Bien Logic in 1993 to develop the first educational digital book on the eBook/BOOKMAN platform of Franklin
Franklin Electronic Publishers
Franklin Electronic Publishers, Incorporated is an American consumer electronics manufacturer based in Burlington, New Jersey, founded in 1981. Since the mid-1980s it has primarily created and sold hand-held electronic references, such as spelling correctors, dictionaries, translation devices,...
. Within a few months, Bien Logic delivered two prototype products: MatchCoach (for Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
) and SpanishCoach (for Apple Newton
Apple Newton
The MessagePad was the first series of personal digital assistant devices developed by Apple for the Newton platform in 1993. Some electronic engineering and the manufacture of Apple's MessagePad devices was done in Japan by the Sharp Corporation...
). However, faced on one hand with the low consumer adoption of these early digital books, and on the other with the acquisition of Simon & Schuster by Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
who had a different strategic plan, Bien Logic changed direction in mid-1994, and started developing websites and interactive marketing programs for various clients.
Web development 1994-1997
The first commercial success was the launch of the websiteWebsite
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
for University Towne Center. This website was inaugurated in May 1995 by San Diego Mayor Susan Golding
Susan Golding
Susan G. Golding is an American Republican politician from California, best known as the former two-term mayor of San Diego. She is currently president and CEO of the Child Abuse Prevention Foundation in San Diego...
, who called it the "largest expansion in history for this major shopping center". On stage, Joan Embery
Joan Embery
Joan Embery is an animal and environmental advocate. A Trustee of the , a professional Fellow of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and a member of the Advisory Board of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine's , she founded the American Association of Zoo Keepers...
who then hosted a popular TV show about animals was holding a parrot in her hands, which pressed the Enter key of a computer keyboard, and pulled the UTC home page for the first time on the web. This project won the 1995 Award for Best Overall Marketing Campaign for shopping centers of over 1 million square feet (90,000 m²) from the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC); Stacy Armstrong received the award for UTC.
Following ShopUTC.com were a number of noteworthy websites for Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
(rock band), Baker & McKenzie
Baker & McKenzie
Baker & McKenzie is an international law firm, founded in Chicago in 1949 by Russell Baker and John McKenzie. It is home to more than 3,800 lawyers spread over 70 offices in 42 different countries....
(law firm) and First Virtual Holdings (email-based secure online payment system). Bien Logic initial key staff were UCSD students and friends: Carlos Madrid, Uyen Nguyen, Marc Northover, Mike ZeMans, Tony Graham, musician/system administrator Trevor Henthorn, designers/programmers Teresa Shaw and Ruby Wong, and the unstoppable Bob Adams in business development. Later joined 4 savvy executives: Kevin McDermott (ops mgt), Charles Gillespie (PR & proposals), Jack Abbott (sales), Jeanric Meller (biz dev). Bien Logic established a well-defined 12-Step Process to design, produce and launch websites and interactive marketing campaigns; this process was at the core of its commercial success.
The firm continued to grow developing larger projects for Trizec-Hahn Company
The Hahn Company
The Hahn Company, San Diego, California, alternately known as Ernest W. Hahn, Inc., was a major American shopping center owner and developer from the 1950s to the 1980s. It is now defunct....
(shopping centers), San Diego Zoo
San Diego Zoo
The San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, is one of the most progressive zoos in the world, with over 4,000 animals of more than 800 species...
, Sempra Energy
Sempra Energy
Sempra Energy is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in San Diego, California. It divides its interests into two broad categories: Sempra Utilities, including Pacific Enterprises/Southern California Gas Company and San Diego Gas & Electric; and Sempra Global, a holding company for...
(then called SDG&E), Lucent Technologies
Lucent Technologies
Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc., originally Lucent Technologies, Inc. is a French-owned technology company composed of what was formerly AT&T Technologies, which included Western Electric and Bell Labs...
, Saturn Cars, CaliforniaMart
Fashion District, Los Angeles, California
The Fashion District is a design, warehouse, and distribution nexus of the clothing, accessories and fabric industry in Downtown Los Angeles. The Fashion District spans 90 blocks and is the hub of the apparel industry on the West Coast of the United States....
, Procopio (large law firm), California Avocado Commission, Apparel News for MnM Publishing and many others.
As the company grew into the premier developer of websites in Southern California, other people joined, including Marlene Matheson (sales), Dana Todd and Joe Eibert (account executives), Lane Sharman (chief technology officer), Victor Spindler (creative director), Victoria Battison (public relations), Becky Savell (editorial management), Marc Koob (former CEO, Chicken of the Sea) and Adrian Stewart (COO), Troy Troxler (project mgt), and more.
Traffic analysis software 1996-97
Bien Logic developed and marketed two software applications that were among the first commercial-grade web traffic analyzersWeb log analysis software
Web log analysis software is a simple kind of Web analytics software that parses a log file from a web server, and based on the values contained in the log file, derives indicators about who, when, and how a web server is visited...
:
- SurfReport (programming started by Rick McGillis, then led by Michel Delory based on his graphics routines for MatchCoach),
- ProxyReport (developed mainly by Michel Delory).
Besides general web traffic
Web traffic
Web traffic is the amount of data sent and received by visitors to a web site. It is a large portion of Internet traffic. This is determined by the number of visitors and the number of pages they visit...
reports, SurfReport in 1996 provided innovative and strategic marketing information, namely a list of keywords searched by web users in search engines that had led these users to visit the website where SurfReport was installed. At that time, major search engines were Netscape
Netscape
Netscape Communications is a US computer services company, best known for Netscape Navigator, its web browser. When it was an independent company, its headquarters were in Mountain View, California...
, Yahoo, Altavista
AltaVista
AltaVista is a web search engine owned by Yahoo!. AltaVista was once one of the most popular search engines but its popularity declined with the rise of Google...
, InfoSeek
Infoseek
Infoseek was a popular search engine founded in 1994 by Steve Kirsch.Infoseek was originally operated by the Infoseek Corporation, headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. Infoseek was bought by The Walt Disney Company in 1998, and the technology was merged with that of the Disney-acquired Starwave...
, and Excite
Excite
Excite is a collection of Internet sites and services owned by IAC Search & Media, which is a subsidiary of InterActive Corporation . Launched in 1994, it is an online service offering a variety of content, including an Internet portal, a search engine, a web-based email, instant messaging, stock...
, and none of them offered to buy keywords yet. In 1997, SurfReport was the first web traffic analyzer able to analyze over 1 Gygabyte of data in less than 1 hour. It was used by Netscape
Netscape
Netscape Communications is a US computer services company, best known for Netscape Navigator, its web browser. When it was an independent company, its headquarters were in Mountain View, California...
to analyze some of its log files, (which were among the largest at the time). Employees of Bien Logic contributed articles about standardization
Standardization
Standardization is the process of developing and implementing technical standards.The goals of standardization can be to help with independence of single suppliers , compatibility, interoperability, safety, repeatability, or quality....
of web server
Web server
Web server can refer to either the hardware or the software that helps to deliver content that can be accessed through the Internet....
log files
Server log
A server log is a log file automatically created and maintained by a server of activity performed by it.A typical example is a web server log which maintains a history of page requests. The W3C maintains a standard format for web server log files, but other proprietary formats exist...
and analysis of their content. Oracle
Oracle Corporation
Oracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation that specializes in developing and marketing hardware systems and enterprise software products – particularly database management systems...
marketed SurfReport for its network computing architecture. John Logan was sales manager of SurfReport and ProxyReport, with Bob Adams in business development.
Web publishing 1994-98
In addition, Bien Logic developed and published original websites that continue to exist today:- an early web directory Planet Earth Pages, originally started by Richard Bocher from the San Diego US NavySpace and Naval Warfare Systems Center San DiegoSpace and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific is the U.S. Navy's research, development, test and evaluation, engineering and fleet support center for command, control and communication systems and ocean surveillance. SSC Pacific provides information resources to support the joint warfighter in...
. In 1994, it was the 14th most visited website on the internet according to a Wired magazine published ranking. Project managed by Troy Troxler. - one of the first online dating sites: Flirt.com launched in February 1995 (expanding a webpage titled Flirt Online published in Dec 1994 in a website created by Bien Logic for Revolt magazine in San Diego). Flirt.com was also one of the first social networking sites. It included member profiles, relationship advice, astrology, news and reviews about fashion and style by staff editors and users themselves, photo novels, discussion forums, digital postcards, 2-D chat rooms (based on The Palace), an online store of books, CDs and clothing, and a fairly complete online community platform. Development was led by Lane Sharman, with key contributions by Jim Hall, Marc Northover and many others.
Other key team members
Besides Peter Yianilos, additional angel investors in Bien Logic were Lenny and Julia Baum and Sandor Straus. Jacob Reinbolt was general counsel, and became a prolific writer on the subject of intellectual property protection on the internet. Ken King (CFO), Nazanin Berenjian (controller) and Eric Boldt (taxes) handled Bien Logic finances.Company sale: SiteLab and Netrics
Bien Logic was sold at the end of 1997 to form SiteLab LLC and Netrics Inc. SiteLab is now a Top 50 Interactive Ad Agency, led by former Bien Logic employees: Marlene Matheson, Dana Todd (President of Board of SEMPO, 2005 & 2006), and Mike ZeMans. Netrics was a company providing high-end search software for enterprise databases. Netrics was acquired by TIBCO in 2010.Frederic Bien took a breather in 1998 as Chief Scientist of High Technology Solutions, Inc. in San Diego, then incorporated a new company Belamo Corp., publisher of online dating website Flirt.com. Belamo was acquired by Playboy Enterprises in January 1999, spun out in June 1999, partially merged with Bigstar Entertainment in Nov 1999 , then continued on its own a year later. Today Belamo publishes 10 online dating sites, including PlanetEarth.net, Flirt.net, Flirts.com, LiveLoveFlirt.com, LoveCentral.com, SkyBar.com, etc. Flirt.com was sold to Cupid LLC in 2010, while Belamo retained ownership of its "Flirt" trademarks. Frederic Bien is CEO of Ad Buying Network Inc. since 2006, and co-founded BLiNQ Media LLC and in Atlanta in 2008.