Google to Provide Search Technology to Yahoo! Grows Closer to Search Monopoly
Google announced a partnership with Yahoo! that would give Yahoo! properties access to Google Adsense ads. Yahoo! will still have its Yahoo! Search Marketing ad system and the agreement is non-exclusive, so Yahoo! can potentially integrate other ad networks as well.
Still, the agreement between the two largest search properties on the Internet has some worried about monopolistic practices. Many would have rather seen Yahoo! strike a deal with Microsoft than Google.
Google responded in its press release by stating:
- This is not a merger. Rather, we are merely providing access to our advertising technology to Yahoo! through our AdSense program.
- This does not remove a competitor from the playing field. Yahoo! will remain in the business of search and content advertising, which gives the company a continued incentive to keep improving and innovating. Even during this agreement, Yahoo! can use our technology as much or as little as it chooses.
- This does not prevent Yahoo! from making similar arrangements with others. This arrangement is not exclusive, meaning that Yahoo! could enter into similar arrangements with other companies.
- This does not increase Google’s share of search traffic. Yahoo! will continue to run its own search engine and advertising programs, and the agreement will not increase Google’s share of search traffic.
- This does not let Google raise prices for advertisers. Google does not set the prices manually for ads; rather, advertisers themselves determine prices through an ongoing competitive auction. We have found over years of research that an auction is by far the most efficient way to price search advertising and have no intention of changing that.
Only time will tell if this helps Google get one step closer to a true Monopoly.
Real Time NASDAQ Quotes on Google Finance
Real time stock quotes from the NASDAQ index are now available from Google Finance. The service works on Google.com, Google Finance, Google Mobile and Personalized Google.
Google announced in January that it was working on real time quotes, and just announced today that it was complete.
Google Sites Now Available to Everyone
Google Sites, once available only to users of Google Apps, is now open to the public. Google Sites is a collaboration tool for sharing information with a group such as a club, company, organization or team.
Google Sites lets you create a website with several different types of content:
- Web page
- Dashboard
- Announcements
- File cabinet
- List
The interface is very easy to use, and makes it extremely easy to create a public or private website customized for your particular project or company. If you’ve been looking for a low-cost (i.e. free) solution to compete with Backpack or Basecamp, give Google Sites a try.
Google to Offer Free Software to Manage Ad Networks
On the heels of closing it’s acquisition of DoubleClick, Google is privately beta testing Google Ad Manager, a free web-based software to help publishers manage their inventory of paid ads. The new software was developed solely by Google, and will allow publishers to rotate Google Adsense ads in addition to ads from other ad networks. It does not require the user to use Google Adsense.
According to Google, the new software features:
- Inventory management
- Yield optimization
- Ad targeting
- Trafficking, ad delivery, and order booking
- Creatives and rich media management
- Reporting
- User interface navigation
- Account administration
The software is in private beta with select publishers, but you can sign up for the beta and receive product notifications and announcements.
Microsoft to Acquire Yahoo! - Google Stock Plummets
On news that Microsoft was trying to acquire Yahoo! for $44.6 billion, Google’s stock plummeted and closed down 48.40 points (-8.58%). Microsoft’s bid to take a larger slice of the search and online advertising market had a strong impact on Google’s stock as investors grew weary of a combined Microsoft/Yahoo!.
The combined company would still not come close to matching Google Search’s global market share. According to Hitslink, Google’s total marketshare is 77.11%. A combined Microsoft and Yahoo! would only total 15.66%.
Urchin Public Beta Now Available
Google acquired Urchin for their web analytics technology, and quickly re-released the web-based statistics software as Google Analytics. Urchin also offered a server-based analytics software, which was enterprise-level and pricing can get to be thousands of dollars per server.
Since the acquisition, Google has not released a new version of Urchin, even though the last released version (a minor release) was in 2005 with Urchin 5.7. Urchin 5.0 was released in 2003. Even though Urchin was hard at work developing 6.0, and issued a press release that it would be released in 2004.
Finally, Google has released a public beta of Urchin 6. You can download it from Urchin’s website. According to Google, Urchin will come with a 3-month trial.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt Turns Back on iPhone
Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt, a member of Apple’s Board of Directors, recently said that he
. . . now recuses himself from mobile-phone discussions at Apple board meetings.
Sure, with Google’s new mobile operating system Android, he does have a little conflict of interest. My question: If there is enough conflict of interest there to excuse yourself from a board meeting, should you be on the board at all?
Google Releases google.com/ig for iPhone
There is now an optimized version of www.google.com/ig, the customizeable Google home page, for the iPhone. I tried it out on my iPhone and most widgets, including Google Maps, Gmail, Weather and my calendar worked. Google Notebook does not support the iPhone Safari browser. Google Docs gave a “Page not found” error.
The interface shows a single column of widgets (compared to the three-column layout on a typical web browser). The widgets are clear and easy to read, and it doesn’t seem like any of the information was forced to fit in the layout - it works very well as a mobile page.
Google to Announce Q4 2007 Financial Results
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) today announced that it will hold its quarterly conference call to discuss fourth quarter 2007 financial results on Thursday, January 31, 2008 at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time (4:30 p.m. Eastern Time).
The live webcast of Google’s earnings conference call can be accessed at http://investor.google.com/webcast. The webcast version of the conference call will be available through the same link following the conference call.
New Mobile Gmail 1.5
Google released an update to Gmail Mobile today, now at version 1.5. Visit gmail.com/app in your cell phone’s web browser to install.
Some new features include (from Google’s website):
- Faster, more Gmail-like user experience
Gmail for mobile devices is easy to use and now even faster than before, with the same functions and look and feel as Gmail on the web. Once installed on your mobile device, you’re just a click or two away from the messages in your Gmail inbox.- Web and mobile in sync
Your Gmail account stays in sync whether you access it from your PC or your phone. Send an email from your mobile device and you’ll find it in the ‘Sent Mail’ folder on your PC.- Searching
Gmail for mobile devices allows you to search through your entire Gmail archive in seconds. Simply click on the search menu option and input your query.