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MSN Launches Pay-Per-Click Search Ads
San writes "ZDNet is reporting that MSN has launched its first paid-search advertising application. The system will first be launched in Singapore and will be followed by France in September and a pilot run in the United States in October."
Um....Why? Isn't this form of ads pretty much dead? I mean, the last time I clicked on a Slashdot ad was.....never!
It's either on the beat or off the beat, it's that easy.
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This sound like a unpleasant invasion of privacy.h nology/2002210022_microsoftads17.html/news article from the Seattle Times,
According to http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstec
"AdCenter uses information from customers who registered for services such as Hotmail or who tailored the MSN home page to their interests. It supplements that with data purchased from the Experian credit bureau."
They announced this in March and said that it would begin testing phase "within six months." For you math whizzes out there, that means they finally released a project on time!
Do marketing executive brains are in the same universe???
At first glance, this would appear to be a direct copy of Google's AdWords style keyword bidding on search result pages. However, whats more suspicious is how information on search users is being used to target the ads. If they choose to mine the profile data available to them through MSN passport (and this seems to be in line with their intentions, given that age and gender are already available to advertisers), Microsoft could try to exploit people's personal information to gain a targetting advantage over Google (at the expense of user's privacy..)
Business Voyeur
Windows 98... "Look Johnny, long filenames" (Macintosh had been there, done that)
M$IE7 Beta... "Look Johnny, Tabbed Browsers" (FireFox had been there, done that)
MSN AdCenter... "Look Johnny, Pay per click advertising" (Google had been there, done that)
What further amazes me is that anything M$ does is still news. Why are the masses constantly amazed by the fact that M$ does not have to form independent thoughts and simply hijack everyone elses. Why not take that black hole of thought hovering over Redmond and channel it into something useful.
A Secure Microsoft Product "Look Johnny, A Secure M$ Product...Make a Wish"
Google agreed to issue 2.7 million shares (~$250 million) of Class A common stock to Yahoo, based in Sunnyvale, Calif. In turn, Yahoo dropped its lawsuit against Google and issued a "fully paid, perpetual license" to Overture patents.
I guess Microsoft thinks its open season on Yahoo! patents now... I hope Microsoft's legal team is ready to open the checkbook as I doubt the two Standford search engines (Yahoo and Google) will allow Microsoft to get in on the action for free!
MS is scared to death over google.
My guess is they are trying to take over their market or they will use monopolistic pressures to "cut off Google's air supply". Certainly that scenario is a classic Microsoft tactic.
Especially after reading yesterday's news about Balmer throwing a chair because someone left to join google. That is just scary.
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"Almost all absurdity of conduct arises from the imitation of those whom we can not resembel"- Dr. Samual Johnson
I don't think I'd ever ad MSN. Who ever searches from there? According to http://www.alexa.com/site/ds/top_500 MSN is hit more than Google. I'd be willing to guess that they have the searchs of the average internet surfer who doesn't have AdBlock and who are probably more likely to click on an Ad than the person running firefox, with google set to their homepage. But Microsoft doesn't even have to do astoundingly well to deal revenue damage to google, since they can take up new customers who really don't care where they get their clicks.
Balan noted that the application helps to "level the playing field" for small and medium-sized businesses
Because nobody knows the "level playing field" concept like Microsoft!
Adsense and their gmail ads. Still only if you have your google cookie set.
...you are right they are not innovative! Grounds for a google counter sue for their advertising style? pteesh.
However this microsoft ploy is what one reader 'predicted', if microsoft offer a 'killer' ad program (lets face it, it isn't a sodding technical marvel) with extra data and sod, and then basically give all the money to the people who operate it (read cheap advertising and high payouts) then they will crush google.
Except they will have to imitate google, and perhaps their arrogance (using credit data) has gone against them.
I for one don't block adsense frames, because I find it interesting to see who can get ads on certain pages.
That is how unobstrusive it is. I choose what I watch, and sod the advertisers, I would rather a cheap and nasty ad free internet than a cheap and nasty adfull internet (which we have now).
I will adblock any flash or video ads that encumber my screen, and no visit websites that have 'interval' ign style ads. 'skip this ad'
'Microsoft' have no class, is a statement being passed around by in the hyperswill - and I think this offering, timely after the whole 'I will bury google' release, will show that despite a mountain of cash, they will not be able to topple google.
Internet has shown that inertia is enough of a force with people to let even shit sites (ebay) win through. Google have been pushing for this, and probably on day 1 they knew this would happen, and worked out their game plan.
Microsoft are such lazy uncoordinated bastards, they sit and wait too much, with worked in googles favour.
They are spending all their time on faux blog sites, shitty 'Microsoft are cute and fun' reaching out to developers and crap. Please develop for our platform only, tie in etc.
Now most download sites and 'open' downloads are for linux, 3 years ago it was windows software, and someone please bring it to linux, and now it is 'Windows Version - someone managed to get this to compile, it is 3 versions old, but good luck'.
File in Java (which Microsoft had a game planon how to trash - and failed) and you see where this is going.
One final point fo rpeople who say Microsoft don't innovate:
According to Eva Balan, MSN's international marketing manager for MSN adCenter, advertisers pay a one-time subscription fee of S$5 (US$3) for MSN Keywords. For each keyword, they bid a minimum of S$0.10 and pay for the number of times search users click on their advertisements, which appear as sponsored links alongside search results. The placement of the links will depend on the bid price, click-through rate as well as the types of user profiles captured by the system. [why is this bold not italic? I hate reading italic on screen]
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Is it just me or do the countries chosen for the launch seem kind of strange. I mean France...
Well, if Microsoft are gonna conquer anybody without firing a shot, I can't think of a better place to start...
Um, was that out loud?
Anyone found one of these adverts yet? I'd like to block them before I ever see one, if possible.
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This thread is old, nobody's gonna read this except maybe you (if you are warned at reply). Anyway...
:P) and I find them amusing, but, damn, you shouldn't be modded insightful. Where is the insight when you just don't know what you're talking about? I don't have anything against you, but more against the stupid moderator who modded you up.
I think we (as in French people) hate MS as much as the next guy may him be American, Polish or Mexican. And no, we haven't anything against Google, we use Google just like everybody else... It's not because some French charged Google (afaik for "legally" good reasons, may I remind you that each country has its own laws?) that French people aren't big fans of Google.
I know Slashdotters like France jokes (haha stop I surrender!! so funny
Oh, and you say "France", I guess you'd find clever if I'd consider "America" as a whole, where everyone is happy about the current administration? Let me tell you : you have ~50% pro Bush ~50% against? Same here with our f*cking Government. You find some court trials to be stupid? So do we, but at least our legal system isn't JUST a weapon to get money and sink competition (at least for now... it's changing unfortunately)
American fantasies about France are ridiculous. Come here for some time and have a look for yourself, but stop giving a whole population ideas because a citizen did something on his own. Hint for you: French companies are just like American companies, they care for themselves before caring for their country. When Louis Vuiton attacked Google for putting ads of counterfeits products in the very result of the search "Louis Vuiton", it is a COMPANY who attacked Google. Not France.
As a matter of fact, we love Google, everybody here knows it, everybody uses it, and we don't have the "it's american so it sux" mentality American people think we have.