Month: May 2008

Microsoft Signals…Something

Seems talks are on again and it's either required or in Microsoft's interest to release this statement today: MICROSOFT ISSUES STATEMENT REGARDING YAHOO! REDMOND, Wash. — May 18, 2008 — Microsoft Corp. today issued the following statement: “In light of developments since the withdrawal of the Microsoft proposal to…

Seems talks are on again and it’s either required or in Microsoft’s interest to release this statement today:

MICROSOFT ISSUES STATEMENT REGARDING YAHOO!

REDMOND, Wash. — May 18, 2008 — Microsoft Corp. today issued the following statement:

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The Green Web

FM has partnered with Chevy to create a site that pulls together the best of sites on the web covering all things green. I've found it a nice way to stay in touch with a subject I'm increasingly interested in. I use the feed to monitor stuff, and then…

Header Tag Line

FM has partnered with Chevy to create a site that pulls together the best of sites on the web covering all things green. I’ve found it a nice way to stay in touch with a subject I’m increasingly interested in. I use the feed to monitor stuff, and then click through when there’s a story I want to engage in. Sure, it’s an FM project, so all the regular caveats apply. But judge for yourself. And if you don’t like it, well, tell me what we can do to make it better.

This is part of an ongoing trend I’m seeing, both at FM and certainly across the web, where marketers are providing a service to their potential customers in the form of supporting authentic media, as opposed to creating their own content and hoping it takes off. I like the trend.

3 Comments on The Green Web

Seems Dumb To Me

Apparently there are all sorts of unofficial brand fan pages on Facebook. This story talks about how one of them, a fan page for Ralph Lauren, was disabled and transferred from the individual who started it to an "official" brand page on Facebook. As far as I can tell,…

Apparently there are all sorts of unofficial brand fan pages on Facebook. This story talks about how one of them, a fan page for Ralph Lauren, was disabled and transferred from the individual who started it to an “official” brand page on Facebook. As far as I can tell, this was done by Facebook at the behest of the brand. To Laruen’s credit, it wrote a nice note to the owner (duplicated in the post) and offered him money for his troubles. But I don’t think this is a very good idea. A brand should encourage fans to evangelize their brand, not buy them off and shut them down with a $200 gift certificate.

5 Comments on Seems Dumb To Me

Facebook and Google: True Social Networking Friends

From News.com: A post Thursday on Facebook's developer blog explains that the social network has suspended participation in Google's "Friend Connect" project, citing a violation of its internal terms of service. "Now that Google has launched Friend Connect, we've had a chance to evaluate the technology," the post by…

From News.com:

A post Thursday on Facebook’s developer blog explains that the social network has suspended participation in Google’s “Friend Connect” project, citing a violation of its internal terms of service.

“Now that Google has launched Friend Connect, we’ve had a chance to evaluate the technology,” the post by Facebook employee Charlie Cheever read. “We’ve found that it redistributes user information from Facebook to other developers without users’ knowledge, which doesn’t respect the privacy standards our users have come to expect and is a violation of our Terms of Service.”

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Yahoo At AT&T

Yahoo 404 was a clever idea back when it debuted (more). I was at the game with Jason Weisberger, our COO, who is a great photographer, and after this post, he pinged me with this image: "How the Giants view the Yahoo Reorg" This was a year ago. When…

Yahoo 404 was a clever idea back when it debuted (more). I was at the game with Jason Weisberger, our COO, who is a great photographer, and after this post, he pinged me with this image:

Yahoo Goes Upside Down

“How the Giants view the Yahoo Reorg”

This was a year ago. When Yahoo was figuring it out…before…Microsoft and Ichan…

2 Comments on Yahoo At AT&T

Google. Does. Not Market. Except When It Does.

Over the years I have often pondered the connundrum of Google as a marketing driven company. On the one hand, this company is entirely driven by marketing – hundreds of thousands of businesses, small and large, marketing themselves through the global platform that is Google AdWords and Adsense. Let's…


http://mobileposts.federatedmedia.net/top_icon.js

Over the years I have often pondered the connundrum of Google as a marketing driven company. On the one hand, this company is entirely driven by marketing – hundreds of thousands of businesses, small and large, marketing themselves through the global platform that is Google AdWords and Adsense. Let’s not kid ourselves, Google is the most impressive and important development in the history of marketing since the invention of television. And I’m not overstating it.

On the other hand, Google has made a point of how it grew without traditional marketing, how it never spends on marketing, how it’s unique that way. And yet, it’s become the most admired brand in the world! Witness: David Lawee, VP Marketing, last year in BizWeek:

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It’s Really. Freakin. Hot.

I dunno if you believe in global warming. But it's MAY 15TH fergoodness sakes. Look at the outside temp indicator on my car. Which is parked IN THE SHADE….


http://mobileposts.federatedmedia.net/top_icon.js

Local Global Warming
I dunno if you believe in global warming. But it’s MAY 15TH fergoodness sakes. Look at the outside temp indicator on my car. Which is parked IN THE SHADE.


http://mobileposts.federatedmedia.net/searchblog/821/mobile_post.js

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Can Yahoo Get the Search Monkey Off Its Back?

(image) Yahoo's Search Monkey is released today. Not a moment too soon. My one word summary of what Yahoo needs to do to win: Open. Nothing new there, this is the rallying cry of Yahoo's senior leaders. But perhaps I should add another word: Open faster. Today Search Monkey,…

Monkey(image)

Yahoo’s Search Monkey is released today. Not a moment too soon. My one word summary of what Yahoo needs to do to win: Open. Nothing new there, this is the rallying cry of Yahoo’s senior leaders. But perhaps I should add another word: Open faster.

Today Search Monkey, where developers can take Yahoo results and rejigger ’em, opens to the world. It’s a good idea. But it’s not enough.

I think Yahoo should be far more radical. Yahoo should let folks play behind the curtain. It’s one thing to give folks a feed of results and let them mash it up. It’s quite a different thing to let folks play with the machinery that produces the results.

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Boing Boing, Google, China, Art, Commerce

BBtv has a thought-provoking piece on some guerilla art with regard to Google and its China policy. I've written extensively on the background (for more, here). if you want to get to the good stuff quickly (I understand folks are busy,) the piece is long-ish, head to 4.45 min…

BBtv has a thought-provoking piece on some guerilla art with regard to Google and its China policy. I’ve written extensively on the background (for more, here). if you want to get to the good stuff quickly (I understand folks are busy,) the piece is long-ish, head to 4.45 min or so.

http://p.castfire.com/Xu7m0/video/12366/bbtv_2008-05-15-022046.flv

Discussion can be found here.

1 Comment on Boing Boing, Google, China, Art, Commerce