If you’ve been paying attention to the Internet world lately, it has likely come to your attention that there is a new player in the search game called Bing and the Microsoft and Yahoo deal which has been discussed ad-nauseum since Microsoft offered Yahoo $45 billion in early 2008 has finally come to a close. What does it all mean? It is going to take time to sort it all out. Whatever the effects of the merger, the effects it has on user experience and advertisers are most significant, and much can be said in that regard. As resident PPC expert and VP of Client Relations, Mike Block, says in his recent blog, Tues News: 8/4 (Big Deals Edition): Anyone who has spoken to me about my opinions regarding the Big Three (Google, Yahoo and Microsoft) in search knows that I rank the user experience with Google at the top, … Continue reading
Category Archives: Microsoft
Will Bing Give Google A Run For Its Money?
Did anyone expect Bing to have an impact? The question is becoming moot as studies show Bing users are more likely than Google users to click on an ad. The new question is how and to what extent. According to a study done by online advertising network Chitika, who analyzed 32 million ad impressions across a network of 50,000 websites, users of Microsoft’s new search engine may be more receptive to advertisements, based on a 1.5% click-through rate for Bing compared to. 97% for Google and 1.24% for Yahoo. The ‘why’ behind Chitika’s findings can be speculated at length, although it seems a bit early in the game to come to any real conclusion. It has been nearly 2 months since Bing’s official June 3rd launch, and heavy promotion to the tune of 100 million ad dollars is likely to have made an impact in driving users to the site. … Continue reading
I Have Interests Volume 1: Typography
Not long ago, my little sister asked me if American Apparel and Crate & Barrel were “the same company.” She was hesitant and skeptical as she asked, but confused that both stores shared a nearly identical design aesthetic. I interpreted the question in a much broader context: my sister was having her first brush with the rich and fascinating world of typography. In 2007, the ubiquitous Helvetica typeface celebrated it’s 50th birthday. Those who would consider this trivial probably missed the exhibit held at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, the documentary “Helvetica” by Gary Hustwit, or the numerous books on this “official typeface of the 20th century.” Moreover, those who find it silly that museums, writers, and movie directors would spend time showcasing a “font” probably aren’t as observant as my little sister. (Aside from American Apparel and Crate & Barrel) Perhaps you’ve heard of: Microsoft, Panasonic, BMW, Jeep, … Continue reading
Why you should join LinkedIn today
The MySpace/Fox deal of 2005 took some users by surprise, but MySpace’s 580 billion dollar payday was instrumental in quantifying your identity and setting a price tag on your virtual identity. Three years later, LinkedIn has taken that valuation to heart. Although you may have missed the news amidst the excitement of the last two weeks, the social network boasting over 30 million professionals and a user base that represents every company on the Fortune 500 list unveiled its new and presumably fruitful business model: social surveys. How social networks make money (for now) Ever since sites like Facebook and MySpace became the relative norm, social networks have been trying to make money in a variety of ways – from market research to advertising, the longterm value of which has been hotly debated, due to the thinking that people don’t login to Facebook to shop. While recent reports show that … Continue reading
Microsoft Going Stallone on Yahoo
If the Yahoo/Microsoft saga followed the storyline of the classic movie “Over the Top,” this latest move by Microsoft would be most analogous to the moment when Stallone switches his grip, puts on his “Rambo” face, lets out a boorish groan and turns the tide on the poor sap on the other side of the arm wrestling table. At this moment in “Over the Top,” the audience remembers that Lincoln Hawk isn’t just a down-on-his-luck big rig driver, he’s Sylvester freakin’ Stallone! We’re talking about the man that took on Mr. T and Hulk Hogan in a single movie, the guy who single-handedly blew up half of the US military. At this moment, we all know that Stallone isn’t going to lose and that the new big rig and, for some weird reason, custody of his estranged son, would be his very shortly. Just when you counted him out, he … Continue reading
Anything You Can Do, Icahn Do Better
Amid the ongoing tumult in the saga of the potential buyout of Yahoo by Microsoft, Carl Icahn has done his best to make sure that his opinions do not go unnoticed. The multi-billion dollar man who has made it his business to seemingly bully struggling companies into succeeding –all while making a hefty profit for himself in the process–has made Yahoo his most recent and most newsworthy project to date. What still remains uncertain is whether Icahn’s efforts are helping or hurting not only a potential merger between the two behemoths but also the general welfare of Yahoo, of which Icahn owns 4.3% in stock. Since purchasing his stake, Icahn has vocally undermined current CEO Jerry Yang, criticized the handling of the Microsoft buyout offer and generally disagreed with the direction that Yahoo has been taking as a company in a series of bilious open letters to the Yahoo board … Continue reading