Comments on: Poker Time: AOL Is The Flop

By: rakeback

rakeback — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 12:04:44 +0000

For serious online poker players, rakeback needs no explanation, but there are still average players that do not fully understand what rakeback mean. To keep it very simple, rakeback is a way to get some of the money you have gambled on back for free. However, this is not sufficient to enlighten the more confused players, but it does sound like something all players want.

By: Helen

Helen — Tue, 15 Nov 2005 08:51:27 +0000

What the purpose in it for Google? AOL content? Ha! Three times. I would believe anything but this. There is certainly a game, but paying that money for nothing? Don’t think so. At least I hope.

By: Richard

Richard — Sat, 15 Oct 2005 07:05:28 +0000

Perhaps Google have been eyeing AOL for sometime. Is this what the $4 billion secondary offering was for.

By: RichardBrandt

RichardBrandt — Sat, 15 Oct 2005 00:11:02 +0000

Google needs access to AOL's "good content traffic"? Come on, John. There's no way this deal includes Google's ownership of AOL's content. It already has access to the best content in the world. IM, sidebar, keeping Google as the default search engine, yes. But content?

I'll bet you $100 that any deal does not include Google owning AOL content.

By: Jim & Travis

Jim & Travis — Fri, 14 Oct 2005 15:43:14 +0000

I agree with this statement:

"and in its core believes it should win through innovation, not dealmaking"

Let's see if they're able to maintaing that core belief.

In the end, Google may inherit the earth.

By: Vic

Vic — Fri, 14 Oct 2005 03:33:02 +0000

Google will do the deal here with Comcast cause there are bigger implications down the road that you fail to mention John. Namely, Tivo. Tivo becomes Comcast’s partner once the DirecTv deal soon ends. Therefore, Comcast becomes a great partner for Google on that front. Imagine Adwords on Tivo. Also, I expect that Apple will become a very good partner for Google/Tivo/Comcast. That new Front Row product needs Tivo built in. Fortunately for Google, Apple hates Microsoft and Apple is a natural partner for Google. I think Apple is the ace in the hole here. Regarding the AOL deal, Microsoft can only tell AOL what they hope they’ll be able to do while Google can tell AOL how’ll they’ll improve and further compensate AOL based on what they’ve already done. A far cry from the pro-forma stance that Microsoft brings and I think, worth more to AOL than the billions more that Microsoft will pay.

By: Media Curmudgeon

Media Curmudgeon — Thu, 13 Oct 2005 22:12:46 +0000

I agree that Microsoft is the logical investor and AOL’s investor of choice. To use your poker analogy, which is an excellent one, I think there is a big bluff going on here. If, in fact, the meeting between Eric Schmidt of Google and Jon Miller of AOL was about a possible purchase (as reported in the NY Times). I believe it was a meeting between two customers and that Time Warner planted the story to suggest that the meeting was about Google being interested in order to scare MSN into paying more.

I suggested in my blog, http://www.mediacurmudgeon.com, that Time Warner plated the story about the TW/MSN talks in the NY Post several weeks ago for the same reason.

Time Warner is negotiating in press–a familiar pattern.

By: LM

LM — Thu, 13 Oct 2005 20:59:33 +0000

You did not consider that Jon Miller also mentioned in his conversation with you, that AOL considers AIM to be a strong brand unto itself. In which case, I find it hard to believe AOL would allow Google to extends its own IM client to the base currently using AIM. Of course..AOL may not have much choice in the matter although sounds like a potential cultural problem…something AOL is used to I guess.

By: JC

JC — Thu, 13 Oct 2005 19:28:38 +0000

With great valuation, comes great expectations. Google was plenty profitable before going public. For tech companies, though, going public means promising growth to investors. In Google’s case, the promised growth is expected to be great. I hope their reach does not exceed their grasp.

By: Vijaychandran

Vijaychandran — Thu, 13 Oct 2005 18:15:52 +0000

This makes and proves that google is just
like any other company..Mortals..

I thougt google is something else and
make the industry follow them.. The deal
between gtalk and Aim makes utmost sense

As not many people use gtalk and its hard
to get new customers bcos most of the users.
dont want to run 5 types of messangers...

Google down to earth..Let us watch