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july 2008 search engine news
What's New in Search - July 2008
Yahoo! Rejects Latest Microsoft/Icahn Proposal
Earlier this month, Yahoo received a proposal from Microsoft and Carl Icahn that included the acquisition of Yahoo!'s search capabilities and a complete restructuring of the company itself. After being given only 24 hours to accept or reject the offer, Yahoo! executives rejected the proposal on the grounds that they would not agree to give up the recently-signed commercial agreement with Google nor would they agree with Microsoft's desire to replace the entire board of Yahoo! Furthermore, Yahoo!'s chairman, Roy Bostock, stated that accepting Microsoft's proposal would cause Yahoo! to lose a great deal of its financial stock, forcing the company to be completely integrated into Microsoft. Yahoo! executives' counter-offer to Microsoft included the sale of only its search technology or a complete sale of the company for a raised price-per-share, but Microsoft declined.
Yahoo Opens up Search Technology
Yahoo announced this month that it will be opening up its search technology to the public through its new web platform, Yahoo! BOSS (Build Your Own Search Service). The new program allows users to control search results and to re-rank them if necessary. In addition to being able to enhance search results, site owners and web developers also have the ability to customize searches. Users now have an unheard of capability to access Yahoo!'s algorithmic search infrastructure and to blend search results from anywhere on the Web. The platform is currently available in beta and is only available to certain partners but will be made more widely available in the future.
Yahoo! and Microsoft Both in Talks with AOL
Soon after negotiations between Microsoft and Yahoo! went under, talk of one of the two companies acquiring AOL began. If Microsoft does not take over Yahoo! as they planned, there is talk that Microsoft will purchase AOL in order to strengthen its web advertising platform and its traffic, perhaps undermining the success of both Google and Yahoo!. From Yahoo!'s standpoint, acquiring AOL for itself would help to prove to its current shareholders that the engine can remain strong without striking a deal with Microsoft. It doesn't appear that Microsoft has actually made an offer to AOL yet, and the company will likely wait to see how things unfold with Yahoo! before making any decisions.
Ask Partners with PhotoBucket
Search engine Ask.com and video-sharing site PhotoBucket have announced a mutually beneficial, multi-year partnership in which Ask.com's search box will be found on the home page of the PhotoBucket home page. Ask.com hopes to drive millions of PhotoBucket users to its own search engines, answering any questions they may have. In return, PhotoBucket will receive Ask's display advertising as well as the syndication of sponsored listings. The two companies hope to increase awareness of each other's businesses by combining the video-sharing and search technologies that each has to offer.
Microsoft Knows a Monopoly When It Sees One
It appears that Microsoft has a huge objection to a potential search deal between Google and Yahoo! The senior vice president of Microsoft testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Antitrust and the House Judiciary Committee Antitrust Task Force recently, voicing his concerns about a monopoly should Google combine Yahoo!'s search technology with its own. Microsoft worries that if the partnership between Yahoo! and Google is approved, that Google will control 90 percent of the Web's search advertising market, driving up prices for advertisers and compromise privacy. Company executives are worried the agreement will cause a monopoly, forcing other engines (MSN) into obscurity. As of yet, no ruling has been made.
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