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My 2 featured articles for the week ending Oct. 28, 2005:

Archived blogs for the week of October 24, 2005

1025 - October 27, 2005 - 2.01 PM EST

More on the Google Base initiative

Google is testing Google Base, a new search service that will allow users to search any type of content, a Google spokeswoman confirmed earlier this week. A screenshot of a page for "Google Base" gives as examples of items that can be posted to Google's server: "description of your party planning service," "articles on current events from your Web site," "listing of your used car for sale," and "database of protein structures."

"This is an early stage test of a product that enables content owners to easily send their content to Google," a Google spokeswoman wrote in an e-mail. "Like our Web crawl and the recently released Google Sitemaps program, we are working to provide content owners an easy way to give us access to their content.

We're continually exploring new opportunities to expand our offerings, but we don't have anything to announce at this time."

Other screenshots show sample pages, including an entry for a Thai Glazed Chicken Lettuce Wrap recipe.

One page includes policies including "posting is not permitted for the promotion of body parts or human remains" and terms of service that give Google the right to "reproduce, modify, adapt, publish and otherwise use, with or without attribution" the content on the site for promotional purposes.

It also says the Google Base interface is currently available only in English, U.K. English and German.

Posted on Businessblog™

1024 - October 26, 2005 - 1.49 PM EST

"Google Base" leaked to the media

According to a Google spokeswoman, Google Base is designed to be "a preliminary test of an application that will enable content owners to easily send their content to Google".

Many observers are noting that "Google Base" may be a very good indication of the wide range of scope of Google's ultimate intent in this new venture.

In the short term, the accidentally discovered Google Base test page is being interpreted by some, according to CNET, as the search giant's challenge - in the form of a combination classifieds listings and e-commerce site - to eBay and Craigslist. Google terms it a service that would allow people to post and make searchable any type of content.

A screenshot (click here) of a page for Google Base gives examples of what can be posted: "description of your party planning service," "articles on current events from your Web site," "listing of your used car for sale" and "database of protein structures."

Posted on Businessblog™

1023 - October 26, 2005 - 10.49 AM EST

Google is doing it, so will MSN now!

If Google can do it, so can MSN. At least that's what the people over at Microsoft are contemplating doing. Like Google, MSN Search is to start book scanning and indexing them with Google Print, Yahoo and a few other European groups with MSN Book Search.

MSN Search will soon be launching MSN Book Search, digitizing the content from books, academic materials, periodicals and other print resources.

MSN Search is planning to launch an initial beta of MSN Book Search next year, when MSN will be joining the Open Content Alliance.

Along with Yahoo, MSN will work with the Open Content Alliance to scan and digitize publicly available print materials, as well as work with copyright owners to legally scan protected materials.

MSN will first make available books that are in the public domain and is working with the Internet Archive to digitize the material. MSN will then work to extend its offering to other types of offline content.

Posted on Businessblog™

1022 - October 25, 2005 - 6.31 PM EST

Google launches its classified ads service

Today, Google has confirmed a test service called Google Base, which allows users to submit information to a searchable Google database.

This could put Google in direct competition with eBay and could slowly take away from eBay, especially in international markets.

"It's going to slowly take away from eBay's growth and opportunities, especially in global markets where there is a tremendous amount of growth at Google," said Brian Blair, principal at Wedge Partners LLC, a New York research firm.

Some analysts believe it will be paired with a Google online payments service, which Google confirmed plans for earlier this year but has yet to release.

Posted on Businessblog™

1021 - October 24, 2005 - 1.59 PM EST

MSN Messenger serving sponsored text links

When Google launched it's GMail email service, it's AdSense advertising banners matched the personal email content of users, and that created a lot of controversy among users.

In reality, it was the first time that such advertisements were actually targeted to the text of a private discussion, and not behavioral, local or profile targeting, as other web mail services have done in the past.

Now MSN has blown away Google GMail privacy concerns by placing sponsored text links on the MSN Messenger Instant Messaging application. Are these ads targeted to the conversations of users? Or the behavior of such registered MSN members and their web surfing history?

Just imagine the timeliness and relevancy (this is a fantasy scenario); text ads which are contextually targeted to your secure conversation, reloading every 15-30 seconds, depending on the speed and involvment of the messaging.

Posted on Businessblog™

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