Category: Business

This page talks about anything related to business, economy, and money.

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Business Internet

Google serioulsy pisses me off

What I think of Google is no secret. They are evil. Very little people realize it yet but I can tell you that in a few years from now, we will see more and more anti-Google groups popping up.

I just read an article on CNN.com about the Yahoo/Google ad deal, and here is what pissed me off:

Schmidt said he wanted to keep Yahoo out of Microsoft’s hands largely because he was concerned the world’s largest software maker would abuse the added power it would acquire in e-mail and instant messaging to limit consumer choices.

Ohhhhh, Google was “concerned” people wouldn’t have much choice…. Well, Google doesn’t seem to be much “concerned” about dominating the ad market. They don’t seem much concerned about not leaving web publishers much choice about generating revenues (Adsense is pretty much your only choice).

Google actually shit their pants! They knew if Microsoft was gonna get Yahoo, Google would have taken a huge slap in the face (and a huge drop in ad revenues).

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Business Internet Tech

Free Conference Call Service

I totally endorse InstantConference.com for their free conference call services. Here is why I think they’re the best:

  • It’s free
  • Free individual call recordings (my favorite feature)
  • Up to 150 participants for 6 hours each call
  • No reservation required
  • Multiple accounts for each dial-in number
  • Customer service support
  • Convenient online account management tools
  • Post conference summary reports
  • Use anytime 24/7
Categories
Business Internet

MySpace disappointing results

MySpace has missed its financial targets, showing that social networking is struggling to earn its keep – even as part of Rupert Murdoch’s globe-spanning media empire.

News Corp said yesterday that the site will fall short of its annual revenue target of $1bn by 10 per cent. Third quarter revenues actually fell to $210m from $233m in the preceding three months.

About a third of MySpace revenues come from a guaranteed three year deal with Google, signed in 2006. The search giant has already started complaining that it’s not seeing a decent return on its end of the tie-up, however.

What News Corp has in MySpace is an endless supply of page impressions. Despite the magical life-affirming properties of social networking, the laws of supply and demand still apply, and so those pages are worth little more to advertisers than the web’s bottomless midden of spam blogs.

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Business Internet

Microsoft online branding issue

LiveSide took a look today at all the different bits of Microsoft’s Live.com search universe and found that it doesn’t provide a common, unified experience. LiveSide found four different search boxes, two different Live.com “orb” logos (in four different sizes), and six different header backgrounds. While the slight differences in design may not be a very substantial issue, it is indicative of the confusion Microsoft has created around their Live brand.

MSN Hotmail vs. Windows Live Mail vs. Windows Live Hotmail…. Many names for the same service. It seems they have settled on Windows Live Hotmail, but there is still a lot of overlap in the Windows Live family that makes it confusing for consumers.

The design differences across the Live Search sites highlighted today on the LiveSide blog may be minor, but taken as a whole they’re a good metaphor for the branding confusion that Microsoft has created across its collection of online sites and services.

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Business Franchising Internet

The multi-billion dollar online pizza order business

In the past seven years, Papa John’s has made a lot of dough from online ordering — more than $1 billion to be exact.

Other chains in the fiercely competitive pizza industry are tapping into the technology craze to give customers ways to order pies other than through the standard phone call or trip to a restaurant.

Dominos Pizza put its own twist on online ordering early this year by introducing a “Pizza Tracker,” which lets customers keep tabs on the progress of their orders. Consumers can find out when their pies are in the oven, when they’re on the way, and even the first name of their delivery person.

Pizza Hut, the nation’s biggest pizza chain, also allows customers to order via text messaging and mobile Web. The unit of Yum Brands Inc. soon will unveil a new method for ordering pizzas, dubbed “Pizza Hut Shortcut,” that it says will be the fastest in the industry. Customers will be able to download a “widget” onto their computers that will let them place their favorite pizza orders with just one click.

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Business iPhone

Sprint’s $100 Million Anti-iPhone Ad Campaign… Stupid!

Sprint is launching a $100 million advertising campaign for the Sprint Instinct, their attempt at an iPhone competitor. Gizmodo has two of the spots, and I suggest you watch them.

The ads put the Instinct and iPhone side by side for comparison, with overly-loud and abrasive music and narration. It looks like they tried to make them amusing, but they failed rather miserably.

Sprint is spending $100 million on pointing out the Instinct’s faster network and GPS-integration, while the iPhone will have at least 3G, and most likely GPS as well, in a few weeks.

Does Sprint have a VP of Marketing?

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Business Internet

Microsoft feeling FaceBook!

Microsoft gauged Facebook’s interest in a possible acquisition after the software giant’s failed takeover attempt of Yahoo, the Wall Street Journal reported today.

The newspaper reported on its Web site that Microsoft’s bankers put out subtle signals to Facebook, the social networking Web site, to see if it would be open to a full acquisition.

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Business

Hard Copies Of Wikipedia To Be Printed. Should Writers Earn Royalties?

wikipediaGerman publishing company Bertelsmann has made plans to publish a hard copy of Wikipedia, leaving many wondering if the content’s writers are being scammed out of royalties to which they are due.

“The One-Volume Wikipedia Encyclopedia,” goes on sale this September for 19.95 euros (around $32 U.S.).

Is this legal? Yes. Apparently, the material on the Wikipedia site is free for use given that you cite Wikipedia as the source. In addition, Bertelsmann will pay the foundation one euro for every copy sold.

Mark O’Neill of Now Sourcing believes he knows exactly where this leaves those writers: ripped off. He writes:

Wikipedia is ripping them off big-time. No, in fact, let’s not beat around the bush here. Let’s say it for what it really is. Wikipedia is SHAFTING THEM….Had they known that Wikipedia would then use their work in a commercial printed venture, I’m sure they would have had second thoughts about writing those articles. At the very least they would have demanded a contract and perhaps a guarantee of financial compensation later.

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Business

Microsoft going the independent way…. Really?

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said Wednesday the company isn’t pursuing other deals following the withdrawal of its $47.5 billion takeover bid for Yahoo.

He said in Tokyo that the company put “a lot of effort” in the talks with Yahoo and has decided the two should pursue “independent paths.”

Microsoft’s intense pursuit of Yahoo was widely seen as an acknowledgment of weaknesses in Microsoft’s solo Web search and advertising strategy, and the software maker now needs to prove it can innovate without Yahoo as a partner.

Possible partners for Microsoft in the future might include large Internet companies such as Time Warner Inc.’s AOL and News Corp.’s MySpace and promising startups such as Facebook Inc. (Microsoft already owns a 1.6 percent stake in Facebook) and LinkedIn Corp.

Categories
Business Internet

Google Adsense For Search

adsense for searchYesterday, Google officially announced the availability of AdSense for Search for use in combination with the powerful Google Custom Search service, something not possible until now and potentially very welcome to both small and large professional web publishers looking for further ways to optimize their content monetization opportunities while helping their readers find more easily the information they are looking for.

Overview of AdSense for Search Integration With Custom Search:

  • Create a custom, personalized search engine in no time at all
  • Customize the appearance of search results and ads
  • Tune results and ads to your site’s content and audience
  • Get more comprehensive site search results with improved indexing
  • Earn revenue while helping your users find what they’re looking for

Here is a short video that tell you all about it…