Tension Rises Between Google and eBay
Online auction site eBay has recently decided to remove all of its sponsored ads from Google's search results, investing its marketing funds in other avenues, including Yahoo, Google's biggest competitor. Executives at Google are upset because eBay had previously refused to use Google Checkout in lieu of its own PayPal system, and eBay's recent \"reallocation of funds\" closes the door to this partnership. eBay asserts that its withdrawal of ad words from Google is unrelated to the conflict over Google Checkout and that they are simply exploring other marketing options to see which is the most lucrative. Many of eBay's current sellers are upset at the decision as well, afraid that cutting Google out of eBay's current marketing plan will greatly reduce the number of visitors to their online stores. eBay executives maintain that this move will \"optimize the traffic to eBay.\" There has been no comment on whether eBay will eventually allow Google's checkout system and advertisements back into its good graces.

Ask.com Introduces Ask3D
Earlier this month, Ask.com revealed Ask3D, its new program for search. The new technology features three separate panels, each designed to bring search visitors the information they are looking for in less time and with fewer queries. Instead of requiring users to enter several queries and sift through several pages of results to find what they are looking for, Morph, Ask3D's powerful new algorithm, sifts through all of the content matches before delivering the final page of results. All of the possible results for a given user's query are pared down and consolidated into one page so that users are not faced with having to enter search after search to find what they are looking for. In addition, the search results displayed on the single page include several different forms of content, including video and music clips. Morph works together with Ask's existing ExpertRank algorithm, which chooses search results based on expert Internet communities instead of on popularity. Ask3D represents Ask.com's attempt to compete with similar initiatives from the larger search engines, such as Google's Universal Search.

Yahoo's CEO Steps Down, Is Replaced
On Monday, June 18, 2007, Terry Semel unexpectedly announced that he was stepping down as Yahoo's acting chief executive officer. Many suspect that Semel's unsuccessful attempts to catch up to Google's search marketing pursuits were behind the resignation; Semel will still work for Yahoo in a non-executive capacity. Semel had been involved in a heated confrontation a week earlier with shareholders demanding an explanation for the 30 percent drop in Yahoo's stock prices over the last year. Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang will replace Semel as CEO and will attempt to increase the company's advertising network capabilities in order to close in on Google. Panama, Yahoo's most recent advertising upgrade, is the first stage of the search engine's plan to revamp the company and help it overcome its recent losses. Yang also asserts that contrary to the popular fear at Yahoo that the company will be bought by Microsoft, he is confident that Yahoo will remain an independent company with competitive search and advertising platforms.

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