Microsoft tells Yahoo to get married or it's getting out the shotgun. Yahoo says offer a better dowry, and we will. Yahoo tests out Google's ads; Google starts filling out forms to improve search results, Microsoft predicts traffic and more.
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- Microsoft To
Yahoo Board: Agree Within Three Weeks Or Else
Microsoft has had enough, it seems. The company has fired off a written ultimatum to Yahoo's board. Either conclude an agreement to be acquired by Microsoft or Microsoft will engage in a proxy fight to oust the board with one favorable to the deal. Microsoft says that despite what it... - Yahoo To
Microsoft: We're Not Opposed To Your Deal, Just Pay More
On Saturday, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer sent a public ultimatum of sorts to Yahoo's board: accept our offer or we'll force it on you. Today Yahoo responded publicly to Ballmer's letter. In essence it says: we're "not opposed to a transaction" but pay us more.... - News Corp,
Google, AOL, "MicroHoo" The Movie Enters A Surreal, Climactic Sequence
If MicroHoo were a movie we might be in Act III, moving quickly toward an exciting climax. It's a good movie so far because there are equally matched antagonists, unpredictable twists, a concrete deadline and an uncertain outcome. Indeed, that outcome seems to grow increasingly uncertain amid a surreal shifting... - Confirmed:
Yahoo To Test Google AdSense For Search Ads
Yahoo has confirmed a Wall Street Journal report that it will be testing Google's paid search ads alongside its own for the next two weeks and involving no more than 3 percent of Yahoo's search pages in the United States. From the Yahoo statement... - Microsoft:
Forget It On Paid Search Partnership, Google & Yahoo
So Yahoo's going to partner with Google for a test of search ads? Better be only a test, Microsoft seems to be saying. Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith just put out a statement suggesting that any partnership would likely be opposed on regulatory grounds, as Google would get more than... - Report: Yahoo
& AOL Approaching A Deal
Yahoo, AOL Close In on Tie-Up Deal from the Wall Street Journal reports that Yahoo and AOL are close on finalizing a deal that would combine parts of both companies. The deal would bridge Timer Warner's Internet operations with Yahoo by folding the AOL unit into Yahoo. In return, Time... - Microsoft
Still Favored To Win Yahoo, Madison Avenue Contemplates The Consolidated
Online Ad Future And Congress Gets Involved
Just in case you hadn't gotten enough news and speculation about the various, potential deals surrounding MicroHoo, AOL and News Corp. there are a flurry of articles (as one might expect) today about all this. The most interesting is probably the one in the Wall Street Journal that interviews ad... - Yahoo's
Biggest Investor, Capital World Investors, Doubles Stake In Company
Yahoo's largest investor doubles down from News.com reports Capital World Investors has doubled their stake in Yahoo, giving them a 10.1% percent stake in the company. Capital World Investors was Yahoo's largest investor, and obviously still is. They now own owns 135,542,600 shares as of March 31, up 95-percent from... - Major Yahoo
Shareholder: Microsoft "Blundered" With Hostile Tactics
The Wall Street Journal reports this morning that Yahoo's second largest shareholder, investment firm Legg Mason, characterized Microsoft's recent ultimatum letter as a tactical "blunder" and said it would support Yahoo's independence if Microsoft maintained or lowered its current offer.... - Yahoo Rolls
Out More Details About APEX/AMP
In articles on the NY Times and Wall Street Journal sites this morning, more details are surfacing about the intended Q3 rollout of Yahoo's new ambitious, integrated ad platform -- what President Sue Decker previously called "APEX" (advertiser-publisher exchange) and is now apparently being called "AMP."... - Yahoo's
Minimum Bid Change Happening Next Week
As expected Yahoo told me that you can expect some of your minimum bids to change as soon as early next week. So if you are running ad campaigns on Yahoo Search Marketing, and your quality is not up to Yahoo's level, then your minimum bid may spike up. Yahoo... - Yahoo's Senior
VP, Tim Cadogan, Leaves Yahoo For OpenX; Google Ad Manager Competitor
Kara Swisher reports that Yahoo's former senior vice president, Tim Cadogan, is taking the CEO post at OpenX (formerly OpenAds, formerly PHPAdsNew). Cadogan has been with Yahoo for five years and before that was at GoTo.com. He was the senior vice president for ad products and was instrumental in Yahoo... - Yahoo To
Acquire IndexTools Web Analytics Service
Google offers Google Analytics. Microsoft has its "Gatineau" or recently renamed Microsoft adCenter Analytics service in beta. So I suppose it was inevitable that Yahoo get in on the web analytics action. The company announced today that it is acquiring Tensa Kit, which produces the IndexTools analytics service.... - Google Now
Fills Out Forms & Crawls Results
One of the biggest search challenges has long been that the major search engines like Google cannot crawl material that can only be retrieved through the use of forms. Now Google is filling out those form to obtain the information previously hidden, the company has announced.... - "Previous
Query" Refinement Coming To Hit Google Results
Yesterday (technically still today my time), I did a keynote interview with Google vice president of search products & user experience Marissa Mayer during our SMX Sydney show. We covered a wide range of topics, including how "Previous Query" refinement will soon come to natural listings on Google, plus how... - Four Year
Effort Culiminates In "ClearFlow" Traffic On Microsoft Live Search Maps
Today in 72 US cities, Microsoft is introducing what it calls "ClearFlow" on Live Search Maps. It's an improved traffic and routing service that relies on machine learning and predictive modeling to offer better traffic and routing information to consumers across the US. Microsoft employee and artificial intelligence expert Eric... - New Microsoft
Live Maps Rolls Out With Boatload Of Upgrades
A new version of Microsoft's Live Search Maps has rolled out (after yesterday's major traffic and routing upgrade). There's an enormous range of feature and functionality upgrades, which are explained in some detail on the Virtual Earth blog. There's also a discussion at CNET. At a crude level, what it... - Yahoo Adds
Much More Imagery To Maps
Yahoo has largely opted out of the mapping arms race between Microsoft and Google that has seen both invest millions in their mapping platforms. While it was the early pioneer of dynamic mapping and use of maps as a local search tool, the company decided to focus on more "practical"... - Real Estate
Engine Trulia Adds Google StreetView Imagery
When Google launched StreetView it was widely discussed (and in some cases disparaged because of the privacy implications), but few people regarded it as a practical tool. However, in what appears to be the first implementation of StreetView on a third-party site, Trulia has incorporated its imagery and functionality in... - Study:
80-Percent Of Searches Are Informational, 20% Are Navigational Or
Transactional
A Penn State research study showed that about 80-percent of searches are informational in nature, whereas 10-percent are navigational and another 10-percent are transactional. The researchers reviewed over 1.5 million queries from hundreds of thousands of search engines users to prove the "the 80/20 rule that 80 percent of the... - YouTube Adds
"Discovery" Stats & Updates Page Design; Barry's Search Video Podcast
YouTube has announced the addition of a new statistic that can be found in your video "YouTube Insights" section named "Discovery." Discovery is basically a report showing you how people discovered and viewed your video, a form of referral reporting. In addition, as TechCrunch reports, YouTube has redesigned their video... - Flickr
Launches Video; It's Not A YouTube Clone
Flickr is arguably the jewel in Yahoo's crown -- a great site that in many ways has no peer. Now, after a long wait, video has been added. One might imagine that this is intended to compete with Google's YouTube, but as the Flickr blog explains the new capabilities have... - SphinnCon
Comes To North Carolina On May 2, 2008
SphinnCon, the smaller, informal SEM networking events, is now coming to North Carolina with SphinnCon North Carolina. The North Carolina event is taking place on May 2, 2008 at Kress Terrace in Greensboro, NC. Max attendance for this event is 150, so register quickly! Oh and the price is only... - SMX Social
Media Marketing In Two Weeks! Register Now
Are you responsible for driving traffic to your web site? Or building awareness with the difficult-to-reach demographic groups like teens and "20 somethings"? Then don't miss Search Marketing Expo - SMX Social Media Marketing in Long Beach, CA, April 22-23. Register today to reserve your place. SMX Social Media Marketing... - Track The
Olympic Torch Relay Via Google Maps
Trying to keep up with where the Olympic Torch is headed to next? Google's launched a nifty custom map showing you where it is, has been and is going to, along with information about each place. A custom add for Google Earth is also available, and you can embed the...
