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My 2 featured articles for the week ending Sep. 8, 2006:

Archived blogs for the week of Sep. 18, 2006

1237 - Sep. 21, 2006 - 9.12 AM EST

MSN expands Windows Live to China

Microsoft' MSN is to provide China Telecom's 25 million high-speed customers with an Internet search feature called 'Live Search' similar to what Microsoft is offering in the US and abroad.

With Google's increasing influence on the Internet and the IT industry, Microsoft has become aware of the great importance of a comprehensive Internet search platform.

Microsoft said it would establish Windows Live soon after Bill Gates' retirement, a sign of the shift in Microsoft's strategy.

Dubbed Windows Live, the new Internet platform will integrate MSN, blog server MySpace, search and various Internet services and some additional software.

Microsoft has been looking for an opportunity to get into the search market since Baidu.com, Yahoo and Google joined the club in China.

The launch of Live Search is undoubtedly strategic for Microsoft. China Telecom is China's largest mobile network operator and Internet service provider, supplying over 210 million customers with voice services and 25 million more users with Internet broadband service.

China has more than 80 million Internet users and over 400 city portals.

Posted on Businessblog™

1236 - Sep. 20, 2006 - 4.35 PM EST

Yahoo dives into email marketing

Now available in nineteen markets, a new beta version of Yahoo Mail with more powerful features has made its debut. Some of the countries where the new Yahoo Mail is available are the United States, Australia, Hong Kong, China and India.

A rather sophisticated email service using Web 2.0 technologies, the new Yahoo Mail can be accessed from any computer connected to the Web.

"This is an important breakthrough to Yahoo Mail in the ten years of its existence," said Ethan Diamond of Yahoo. "It is all about ease of use and making the basic email tasks faster and easier for the layman."

The new Yahoo Mail features mashups, a blending of traditionally separate programs such as calendars and search, complete with additional features such as weather and maps.

Of course, Google, Microsoft MSN and others are also competing for email users, whose visits translate directly into page views and advertising revenue.

Posted on Businessblog™

1235 - Sep. 20, 2006 - 12.27 PM EST

Lower advertising sales expected at Yahoo

Yesterday, Yahoo's board said it expects third-quarter revenue to be at the lower half of its forecast range due to a cooling off period from two of its largest advertising divisions, sending its stock down as much as 12.9 percent.

Yahoo's news sparked worries over other Internet companies that rely mostly on advertising, including Internet search leader Google. The news also helped send U.S. stocks lower as some analysts questioned whether Yahoo's comments signaled a slow-down for consumer demand that could hit the overall economy.

On Sep. 18, Dow Jones & Co. cut its 3rd quarter forecast due to softer advertising at the Wall Street Journal. Yahoo has seen a little bit of weakness in the last few weeks in auto and financial services advertising, CFO Susan Decker told investors at a Goldman Sachs media conference.

"It's now a new trend. It's been two to three weeks and we don't know yet if it's an initial indicator of a broader slowdown," Decker later told reporters at the conference. "We're seeing it enough to say something," she said. "I don't want to overplay it either."

Overall, Yahoo expects to deliver 3rd quarter revenue excluding TAC (traffic acquisition costs) "at the bottom half of the range of financials" previously forecast, Decker said.

Posted on Businessblog™

1234 - Sep. 19, 2006 - 11.53 AM EST

Microsoft wants to beat YouTube at its game

Yesterday, Microsoft launched a new (beta) version of a service that lets people upload videos of their cats jumping, babies doing funny things or teenagers playing a musical instrument.

To be sure, Microsoft's new Soapbox on MSN Video is competing directly against YouTube, which has become an online success for viral and homegrown user-generated video.

Also crowding the online video market are Google Video, Yahoo Video and Revver.

Code-named Warhol, Soapbox on MSN Video will eventually be integrated with Windows Live Messenger to allow users to embed links to videos in instant messages and with Windows Live Spaces so that people can include videos on their blogs.

Users of Soapbox will be able to rate, comment on and tag the videos, create RSS feeds and share links with others via email. They will also be able to embed the Soapbox player directly on to their Web site or blog.

There is a 100 MB upload limit, but no limit on video length or number of videos a user can upload. Users will be able to make the video full screen for better viewing.

Rob Bennett, general manager of entertainment and video services at Microsoft, said MSN's 465 million visitors a month worldwide would help it give YouTube a run for its money, despite the start-up's established leadership.

Posted on Businessblog™

1233 - Sep. 18, 2006 - 5.21 PM EST

Google under fire on Capitol Hill

Google is somewhat trying to increase its political stance by simply creating its first political action group, while at the same time taking certain steps to reach out to the Republican party.

To be sure, Google is trying to join a certain club of corporate titans that have established major political operations in Washington D.C., in hopes of pushing for legislation and muster more votes.

Bob Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies in Los Angeles and an expert on money management in politics says "to be truly successful, Google has probably learned that you have to make some campaign contributions." "I'm almost certain they've been told many times by important decision makers in Washington that 'If you want to play, you will have to play by our rules or you won't play at all.'

According to Alan Davidson, Google's Washington policy counsel, on Sep. 14, Google filed some paperwork to register its political action committee, Google NetPAC, with the Federal Election Commission. The company intends to use the committee "to support candidates who promote an open and free Internet for our users."

Additionally, Google increased its political clout by hiring former Republican Sens. Dan Coats of Indiana and Connie Mack of Florida as outside lobbyists. The political veterans may go a long way in building Google's ties with Republicans, a group widely considered to be the opposition-based on the overwhelming preference by Google employees to make campaign contributions to Democrats.

In 2005, Google has been buffeted by several issues on Capitol Hill. For example, the company has been fighting legislation that would throw out the status quo of network neutrality (Net Neutrality). The controversial new rules would make it a lot easier for cable and telcos to create a tiered Internet and charge Web sites extra to deliver their content more quickly to users.

What's more, a Google executive was treated somewhat like a punching bag in a House hearing on Internet censorship in China. One member even compared Google to Nazi collaborators for removing sensitive material from its search results pages!

Posted on Businessblog™

Copyright © Serge Thibodeau 2006. All rights reserved.

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