Microsoft Moves On, Signs New Search and Ad Deal with Facebook

For now, Microsoft may have gave up on acquiring Yahoo and lost its only hope of catching up with Google in the search and online ad department. But it wouldn’t just rest that easy and so it has to turn to a new ally in its quest to boost its search and online ad business - Facebook.


Although Microsoft and Facebook already has an existing agreement with Microsoft serving graphic display ads on Facebook pages, it is only now that Microsoft is exploring the Facebook environment as an avenue for beefing up the clout of its Windows Live Search and expanding the coverage of its search advertising service.


The new deal is to be carried out next month and would seem a viable option for Microsoft. But the question is, would this deal bring some good tidings to Microsoft’s underlying goal of catching up with Google in this business? Microsoft wants to establish its online search service as the starting point for consumers to locate a range of digital media and e-commerce services and at the same time be able to deliver ads that would direct consumers to what they are looking for. Now there lies the problem with this deal. Users don’t go to Facebook to do their search. Facebook is not a web portal but a community platform for socializing, checking up on friends and meeting new people. If Facebook users will use a search box, they will use it to explore the Facebook universe and not the whole of the web. Facebook users don’t visit Facebook to click on Ads, they go click on Facebook friends’ updates.


How could Microsoft’s Search and Online Advertising business gain from this new deal then? And how much was the financial terms of this new agreement? Nobody would disclose, as it might prove the old adage “the end justifies the means”, wrong.



[img]http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/ads?format=468x30_aff_img&client=ca-pub-0480218654872773&output=png&cuid=8KpwgFQF8A6PErQ3Vt0oMJuRm4s_&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.searchenginejournal.com%2Fmicrosoft-moves-on-signs-new-search-and-ad-deal-with-facebook%2F7366%2F[/img]


[img]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/SearchEngineJournal?i=NVcgaJ[/img]</img> [img]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/SearchEngineJournal?i=ur6O4j[/img]</img> [img]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/SearchEngineJournal?i=9OLxWj[/img]</img> [img]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/SearchEngineJournal?i=K1Zh7j[/img]</img>


View the full article

Google Maps’ Latest Addition: Walking Directions

Google Maps is a great tool for finding driving directions, as well as for getting a general overview of an area.  Now they’ve added another great feature for those who like to get around by foot: walking directions.  So what’s the difference between driving directions and walking directions?  Walking directions ignore things like one-way streets that don’t apply to foot traffic, and give you the fastest route from point a to point b.


The service is still a work-in-progress, and as of right now it only contains walking directions by road.  It does not include shortcuts through traffic circles, parks, or any other off-road features such as pedestrian paths.  For those cities where Google has already mapped out public transport, they’ve now included walking directions automatically from your subway/bus/train stop.


The walking directions are also limited to Google Maps on your computer, and hasn’t yet gone mobile.  Perhaps once this project graduates from beta, mobile service will be added.



[img]http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/ads?format=468x30_aff_img&client=ca-pub-0480218654872773&output=png&cuid=j6gMoGEtoVYlye0d7gASh2aZbn4_&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.searchenginejournal.com%2Fgoogle-maps-latest-addition-walking-directions%2F7365%2F[/img]


[img]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/SearchEngineJournal?i=A8g0bJ[/img]</img> [img]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/SearchEngineJournal?i=cP4zDj[/img]</img> [img]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/SearchEngineJournal?i=qc4hpj[/img]</img> [img]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/SearchEngineJournal?i=jdhqHj[/img]</img>


View the full article

How to Combat Complaints Sites in Google : Open Discussion

Combatting complaints sites in Google results has become an ongoing issue for many companies, as consumer complaints from years ago can appear on the front page of Google results when a brand name is searched upon.


Sites like RipOffReport, Pissedconsumer.com and Complaints.com are also no slouches when it comes to SEO and public relations, which pair organized and optimized site structure with organic linking via press coverage; into a deadly combination.



Why Are Complaints Sites So Popular?

From the consumer point of view, reputation management is a slippery slope in the search engines, as complaints sites are generally a reaction to poor service and give the consumers the effective channel to be heard, and possibly even effect the business of the company that they feel ripped them off. (more…)



[img]http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/ads?format=468x30_aff_img&client=ca-pub-0480218654872773&output=png&cuid=OFPayTnz3jpDzfQQ09H.VuTXMus_&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.searchenginejournal.com%2Fhow-to-combat-complaints-sites-in-google-open-discussion%2F7360%2F[/img]


[img]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/SearchEngineJournal?i=awFyIJ[/img]</img> [img]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/SearchEngineJournal?i=fhkWbj[/img]</img> [img]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/SearchEngineJournal?i=3Byzuj[/img]</img> [img]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/SearchEngineJournal?i=7LTK4j[/img]</img>


View the full article

Green Google Invests in Environmentally Friendly Plug-in Cars

Google has invested an undisclosed sum in two U.S. companies developing technologies for plug-in electric vehicles. The investment is a part of the company’s “RechargeIT” initiative begun in 2007 to help speed up the adoption of electric transportation. (more…)



[img]http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/ads?format=468x30_aff_img&client=ca-pub-0480218654872773&output=png&cuid=GXWe43tPdhHyMqvEMnZAnYDQqD8_&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.searchenginejournal.com%2Fgreen-google-invests-in-environmentally-friendly-plug-in-cars%2F7359%2F[/img]


[img]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/SearchEngineJournal?i=3yrkHJ[/img]</img> [img]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/SearchEngineJournal?i=a7iIKj[/img]</img> [img]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/SearchEngineJournal?i=cUK67j[/img]</img> [img]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/SearchEngineJournal?i=Rfh4Mj[/img]</img>


View the full article

Microsoft’s Kevin Johnson - Casualty of the Failed Yahoo Deal?

As Microsoft announced a major reorganization, more particularly the splitting up of its Platforms and Services Division (PSD) into the Windows/Windows Live and Online Services, it also announced the departure of Kevin Johnson as the Division’s President. This might mean just your usual senior management shake-up but for those who have been following the Microsoft-Yahoo merger saga, Mr. Johnson’s exit is a direct casualty of the said failed deal. (more…)



[img]http://imageads.googleadservices.com/pagead/ads?format=468x30_aff_img&client=ca-pub-0480218654872773&output=png&cuid=qJVbh-lcjCs6k0fqj42JkZ7U4HY_&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.searchenginejournal.com%2Fmicrosofts-kevin-johnson-casualty-of-the-failed-yahoo-deal%2F7358%2F[/img]


[img]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/SearchEngineJournal?i=ZbjDkJ[/img]</img> [img]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/SearchEngineJournal?i=OFpPJj[/img]</img> [img]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/SearchEngineJournal?i=bSTYCj[/img]</img> [img]http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/SearchEngineJournal?i=fwJapj[/img]</img>


View the full article