Microsoft Announces MSN Distribution Deal with Java

Microsoft Announces MSN Distribution Deal with Java

As of 8 am today, users who will download or upgrade Java for Internet Explorer will be prompted to install a MSN search bar that will set Microsoft’s search engine as the predefined one. The deal, announced earlier today by Microsoft and limited to US surfers only, has the potential to make a very large number of users switch from Google in a matter of just a few days.

The Advantages of SEO Manual Directory Submission

The Advantages of SEO Manual Directory Submission

The art of directory submission involves submitting a page or a website to numerous different online directories; examples of online directories include the yellow pages and Google directory. Th…

Senator Dorgan Prepares Net Neutrality Bill

Senator Dorgan Prepares Net Neutrality Bill

Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) is planning to introduce a net neutrality bill in January, according to Reuters. President-elect Barack Obama has said he supports net neutrality, though it is not yet clear whether he backs Dorgan’s bill.

The bill would prevent Internet Service Providers (ISPs) from blocking web content. Net neutrality supporters say some ISPs have blocked content because of concerns over the amount of bandwidth used by customers. Others have slowed downloading activities for the same reason.

Internet service provider AT&T told Reuters it would be crazy to block content because the customers would just jump ship to an ISP that doesn’t. Blocking content would be akin to shooting themselves in the foot.

Indeed, the bill would pit ISPs such as AT&T, Verizon Wireless and cable companies against content providers such as Google and Microsoft.

Yes, in Washington, enemies make the strangest bedfellows.

Related Reading:
Uncle Sam Says: Thumbs Down on Net Neutrality
Without Neutrality, What Happens to Search?

Yang Willing to Resume Microsoft Buyout Talks

Yang Willing to Resume Microsoft Buyout Talks

After Google pulled out of the advertising deal with Yahoo! yesterday because of seemingly unresolvable conflicts with the U.S. Department of Justice, Yahoo! CEO Jerry Yang announced today at the Web 2.0 summit in San Francisco that the company will now consider future offers of a Microsoft buyout.

Google Adds Voice Search to iPhone Search Application

Google Adds Voice Search to iPhone Search Application

Google is updating its iPhone search application with a new voice search feature, according to the New York Times. The update is expected to be available in the iTunes app store sometime today.

Users will be able to speak their questions into the phone. The speech is recorded and sent to Google servers which will try to understand the recording and find the answer via Google’s search engine.

One of the cool parts of the app is that it will use the iPhone accelerometer to know when a user has raised the phone to their ear. For the iPhone-less, the accelerometer senses motion. There’s a bunch of games that use this feature for their apps. So if you ever see an iPhone user making weird motions, that’s why.

The update wasn’t yet available in my iTunes, but I’m looking forward to checking it out when it is.

Oh, I should mention that Google isn’t the first to bring voice search to mobile. Microsoft and Yahoo already have brought voice search to some devices. But a search in the iTunes store didn’t reveal anything else that was a solid voice search app (not that Apple’s iTunes search is the best).

Related Reading:
Google Updates Search Results for iPhone
Google’s My Location Now with WiFi
Google Prepares iPhone Ad Options

Google Earth Gets “4D” Capabilities And Revives Ancient Rome

Google Earth Gets “4D” Capabilities And Revives Ancient Rome

Google Earth, the popular globe rendering software that was downloaded over 400 million times since its release in June 2005, just got a new and very exciting feature: the Google Earth team announced earlier today that when looking at Rome, Italy it is now possible to see a number of historic places as archaeologist thought they looked like thousands of years ago.

YouTube Rolls Out Sponsored Videos

YouTube Rolls Out Sponsored Videos

Paid search has come to YouTube. Users can pay to have their videos appear in a right hand sidebar called “Sponsored Videos” in the results of desired search terms.

It works pretty much exactly like AdWords. You bid on terms, set daily limits, etc. You only pay when someone clicks to watch.

Check out YouTube’s YouTube video for more details:

Related Reading:
YouTube Adds Search to Embeddable Videos
Yellowbook and YouTube Enter Content Distribution Partnership
Link to a Point of Time Within a YouTube Video

Microsoft Tries to Steal Verizon Deal from Google

Microsoft Tries to Steal Verizon Deal from Google

Verizon, soon to become the biggest mobile phone carrier in the U.S., was about to close a search/advertising deal with Google back in June that would have put a Google search bar on the home screen of its phones and made it the default search engine in exchange for a share of the revenue generated by their users. Now, Microsoft tries to “steal” the deal from the Mountain View-based search engine by offering the company better conditions that Google did.

Google Adds Video Chat to Gmail

Google Adds Video Chat to Gmail

Google just announced new, exciting features added to its e-mail platform: starting today, Gmail users will be able to make voice and video calls with each other and even hosting conference calls, allowing for a potentially much faster way of communicating and connecting with others. The feature is built on the pre-existing chat functionality embedded in Gmail and, even if not quite as sophisticated as other tools such as Skype or Meebo, it is fairly easy to install and use, and should make a welcome addition to Gmail.

Incentives Work: Microsoft Seeing Positive Results from Cashback Program; Partners with Shopping Cart Providers

Incentives Work: Microsoft Seeing Positive Results from Cashback Program; Partners with Shopping Cart Providers

It’s easy to pick on Microsoft. It’s practically a national pastime at this point. So when they announced their Cashback program to help grow Live Search, the snears came fast and furious.

“You have to pay people to search?” they said.

Turn your laughter into claps, people. It turns out that Cashback is working. Microsoft is seeing positive results on three goals it said it would report. They are:

• Number of offers in the system
• Advertiser return on investment (ROI)
• Percentage of commercial search queries as measured by comScore

There’s been a 30% increase in the number of products offered via Cashback. 4.5 million unique users per month are generating 68 million commercial queries. eBay has seen an increase of 50% on their ROI.

“We believe this early traction speaks to the differentiated and unique value proposition of Microsoft Live Search cashback for both consumers and advertisers, especially in these tough economic times,” said Brad Goldberg, general manager of Microsoft Live Search.

Is it really any surprise that incentives work? No. Have you ever been listening to the radio and they’re having a $1,000 giveaway? You have to be listening at the right times to call in.

Incentives are nothing new. Microsoft was smart to implement them into Live Search. People don’t necessarily use Google because it’s any better but because it’s familiar. Live Search needs a way to get people searching, and Cashback is working to help accomplish those goals.

That may be why Microsoft is expanding Cashback by partnering with shopping cart providers Miva Merchant, Early Impact Inc. (ProductCart) and 3DCart. Through the agreement, merchants who use the shopping carts are eligible for Cashback.

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