NY Times: Deal That May Create More, Not Less, Competition

By Louise Story, NY Times  Published: February 2, 2008

Advertising and media executives said that Google has become so dominant in the online advertising market that a combined Microsoft and Yahoo might be the only way to produce a legitimate competitor.

<a href=”http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/02/technology/02google.html? ex=1359694800&en=55702671c708bfef&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink“>Link to full article</a>

YahooLive or MyYahooSpace?

With all the speculation and News Corp’s takeover offer, I thought I’d take a humorous look at some possible new “identities”.

YahooLive and LiveYahoo are obvious choices. Yahoogle to taunt the competition, or HooYa as a web 2.0 type name? Microhoo may have too many vowels and I’ve already heard MicroHo used too many times in the past.

News Corp opens up other humorous possibilities. MyYahooSpace nicely reduces to MYSpace. If using Two Capital letters for MY instead of My in MySpace. TomHoo has been asked and TomHo answered when he pretends to be 12 years younger. HoSpace is repetitive. My best thought is MySpace.Yahoo. MySpace.TV set that naming precedent.

What would you name the resulting company? The most humorous response will win applause from some and jeers from many. The prize of a lifetime.

Microsoft – Yahoo: My Viewpoint

Consolidation in an over-valued industry is business and economics rolled into a “not when, but how” situation.

It’s not the first company Microsoft has acquired. Nor the last I suspect. This time it certainly does not matter how much they end up paying to complete the merger. Google’s Ad Sense management team isn’t sleeping very well after hearing this.

I was with Wang as they acquired two companies in succession before being bought by Getronics. The biggest problems there, as in most such acquisitions is consolidating duplicate functions and dealing with the human relations nightmares of layoffs, job shuffling and terminations.

I don’t see Microsoft having any problems with Yahoo other than the expected media barbs and criticisms.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer seemed very optomistic in an internal email to Microsoft employees. Bill Gates will be missed when he leaves Microsoft later this year, however make no mistake, SteveB makes the financial engine run.

No matter what anyone says this will change the SEO industry and give Google something to think more seriously about. Microsoft usually enters the field last and in 2-3 years and revisions the product becomes popular. That is their history from my viewpoint.

Google Social Ads: Security Issues?

Big Brother had nothing on Google. Ever wonder what they do with all the data that flows thru their system? Even more about the security of all the personal data they capture and analyze?

Just saw this video in a post on TechCrunch  http://www.techcrunch.com and I must admit it does nothing to allay my fears. How many security holes can there possibly into your data now that Google turns the world loose with the keys? Recent experience with Facebook, their API, and the sensitive information that was available does nothing to boost my confidence.

Take a look. What do you think? I’m not sure we can trust technology like that. Doesn’t Google have some moral and ethical obligation to protect our private and confidential data?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LabCylbapuM