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It's Yahoo Plus eBay vs. Google
Octagon Most writes "Yahoo and eBay have announced a broad partnership in their efforts to compete against Google and Microsoft." From the article: "In addition, Yahoo Web search features will be integrated into a co-branded version of the eBay toolbar, and the companies said they would explore developing 'click-to-call' ad technologies on their respective Web sites. 'Click-to-call' provides a link inside an advertisement that allows consumers to directly call the advertiser to pursue a transaction."
It's all pretty irrelevant to me how hard these companies are working for my eyeballs. I don't even use the internet.
This begs the question: have eBay now stopped (or stemmed at least) their ubiquitous Google search ad campaign? I did a few quick searches and didn't see as many eBay links as usual...
If eBay dies and they decide to auction off the assets, how would they do it without themselves? Juast another paradox...
If brevity is the soul of wit, then how does one explain Twitter?
When news like this hits and people start selling their GOOG shares, scoop them up because the price has solid support in the fundamentals.
...they can stop trying to install toolbars into my frickin' web browser. No, I don't want another upteenth widget that reduces my vertical viewing area, I don't want your special Yahoo! browser bundled with Internet service, and I don't want you to install your toolbar when all I want is desktop search! Someone stop the insanity!
That's my opinion, anyway. I'm sure there are those people out there who looooove their toolbars.
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
Yabay or eHoo?
TFA: Yahoo and eBay said they do not expect the partnership to have a material impact on their financial results this year.
:-)
Expect a statement soon from Google saying they agree
And do they plan to continue confusing ebay users into sticking with Internet Explorer and leaving them more at risk than users without the false sense of security offered by the Ebay toolbar?
Software Freedom Day!.
Google is one of the good guys (along with Apple and Nintendo). Always will root for the good guys over evil such as Microsoft, Sony, Yahoo et al.
(Yes, I know I see the world in black and white)
Reality has a liberal bias
"Partnership" means flashing ebay ads in the Yahoo toolbar. Phuleeze!
http://www.maxineudall.com/2010/02/should-economists-be-sued-for-malpractice.html
Click-to-call' provides a link inside an advertisement that allows consumers to directly call the advertiser to pursue a transaction."
As opposed to, say, providing a phone number right in the ad that people could call, which an actual human will then answer?
Oh, No! I'd much rather give them my phone number and have them call me back, thereby establishing a "relationship" and exempting them from the DNC list.
Riiiiiight...
Another fun bar to add to my bro... oh wait, I use Firefox (not to mention I'm not a case of PEBKAC). I rarely see the situation where this could be remotely helpful (as in, I would rather take the few seconds to look up the number via the hundreds of online phonebooks then to have an ugly bar clunking up my interface). E-bay and Yahoo, please dispose of bars in the proper location, your... well... you know.
A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing.
Does this mean Google and Microsoft will now form a broad partnership to take on their new, consolidated, streamlined enemies?
Does this mean that Yahoo! will start raising it's fees every 3 months and making its sites work better if you have an Intel processor?
This is reminding me of some DBZ style stuff now. Everytime someone gets extremely powerful towards the later episodes, it comes down to two of the other characters merging together into one being who is all their power combined. YahBay is the internet business equivalent to Gogeta (Goku + Vegeta)
T-X-I
interesting comment would buy form agian A++++++++++
Oh, No! I'd much rather give them my phone number and have them call me back, thereby establishing a "relationship" and exempting them from the DNC list.
What the hell are you talking about? Why would you not prefer to click on any ad that comes up through Yahoo, or a listing you've looked up through Yahoo yellow pages, and call a business through skype with no number that be traced or ID'ed back to you and thus provides no means to form a business relationship with your "real" number?
The situation and use for this is exactly the opposite of what you fear.
With this partnership the eBay purchase of Skype makes way more sense.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Unless the toolbar offers me remote service to my refrigerator, it is useless.
jappleng.com - News best served with breakfast.
Just put this on your home page.
You do have a home page, as a file on your desktop?
<form action=http://www.google.com/search>
Google: <input name=as_q >
<input type=hidden name=num value=50 >
<input type=hidden name=hl value=en >
<input type=submit value=Google>:
</form>
Well, Google is censoring its own output, but Yahoo is actually sending people to jail. While Google's crime is not fighting the power and keeping its own mouth shut to abuses, Yahoo shows a more active collaboration, and so is more evil.
In Godwinny terms, Google represents the ordinary Germans who turned a blind eye to the Nazi regime, while Yahoo represents the slimeballs who reported their neighbours for hiding Jews, or being disloyal to the regime.
Then I can use Yahooglebay, which will possibly be up against by WalMicramazaolsoft. Maybe Apple could join in and then we can all use Yapplhooglebay - all the best bits together as one happy family of fun...
If only it was this simple...
Doesn't really seem like too bad an idea to me. There are plenty of times where calling is much faster and more effective than web or email based requests. Since ebay own skype it might be handy to be able to instantly call businesses through skype. You could talk to ebay sellers (If they want to include that option) to sort out product details and shipping etc. quickly. Another option would be yellow pages style ads where a local restaurent would have a facility to call and make a reservation from their website or ad. Many restaurants aren't bothered with web based reservation systems (and rightly so). Sure I can order a pizza online or check if a DVD is in stock but sometimes a phone call is just easier. It's usually much faster.
the more they over-think the plumbing the easier it is to stop up the pipe
I know reporters don't have the time or energy to research and just cut-and-paste press releases, but why would they 'write' this article without even *mentioning* yahoo auctions? Is it staying? Going? Yahoo auctions have less restrictions than eBay - For example I can buy cigars on Yahoo, which I can't do on eBay.
And in response Google will be teaming up with Amazon.com.
Yahoo plus eBay vs Google = Zombo.
Where does the school board find them and why do they keep sending them to ME?
What the hell are you talking about?
How they actually implement this. As in, I read more than the FP summary and discovered how it really works.
You click the link. It asks for your phone number. You enter your phone number. Someone calls you. As the basic premise, you don't need to go through a menu system to get to a human (admittedly good), and don't need to pay LD charges for the call (does anyone not have unlimited LD these days?).
Why would you not prefer to [...] call a business through skype with no number that be traced or ID'ed back to you
First, consider what percentage of people use VOIP, nevermind Skype specifically (yeah, like EBay would support Vonage for this?). Do you really think they plan to spend a good bit of PR-allocated money to target less than one percent of their market?
Second, if you consider VOIP even remotely "anonymous", I have a bridge to sell to you.
And Yahoo can keep eBay for all I care. eBay's ads are irrelevant bullshit, and don't fit in with Google's stricter relevancy for other companies. I posted this image a while back (so if you must mod this up, make it Funny so I don't get karma from the same thing twice) , though it's not exclusively eBay.
One thing though - I can see it being a loss for Google. I bet that it's a pretty sweet deal they have there, using eBay links as filler when no more relevant ads are available.
I think just shortening it as eHo would be better. Soudns like a porn site!
Zhrodague.net - I do projects and stuff too.
Yahoo sucks! They deleted all my mail! Then said I would have to pay a monthly fee if I wanted to protect it from deletion in the future. Word of warning: you have 90 days to check your email or they delete it. And logging into YAHOO itself doesn't count --you have to actually go into your email (appearently that was my "mistake").
I would like to sue them. I had very important emails backed up their and I purposfully made an effort to log into Yahoo every so often to ensure they stayed there. Now there gone for ever! *very mad*
:T:R:A:N:S:
Mod parent up (no, not my post, the AC). He's right. I'm a big moron. I yield to his incredible knowledge of TFA.
Weeeelcome to Zombocaahmmm.
Achieve the impossible...at Zombocaahmmm.
You click the link. It asks for your phone number. You enter your phone number. Someone calls you. As the basic premise, you don't need to go through a menu system to get to a human (admittedly good), and don't need to pay LD charges for the call (does anyone not have unlimited LD these days?).
What is the source for those details, the article used the phrase "Click to Call" which that would not be (it would be more like "click to be called"). I am not doubting you read it, I just can't see any further references from the story.
First, consider what percentage of people use VOIP, nevermind Skype specifically (yeah, like EBay would support Vonage for this?). Do you really think they plan to spend a good bit of PR-allocated money to target less than one percent of their market?
Yes but part of the appeal of the arrangemnet would be to grow the base of skype users if people could start using skype to call advertisers (or at least that would be the theory, I have doubts on how many people would do so).
I do kind of like the idea of using Skype to call businesses though instead of using a real phone.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Honestly, does this really matter for the consumer? The amount of times I have clicked on an advertisement by choice compared to the amount of advertisements I have viewed are about 1 for every 100,000. Then again, I am an experienced computer nerd who isn't the average consumer.
Truth resides in every human heart, and one has to search for it there, and to be guided by truth as one sees it. But no
Man, I really hate toolbars.
Slashdot = -1 Redundant, Asperger, kdawson FUD, Libertarian, and Linux
I can't believe these companies think I'm going to evidence any sort of loyalty to their brand when it comes to the Internet. When I want to buy one gross of used underpants, I don't care which infomediary points me to the merchant. This is good for eBay I guess, but it looks like a tradeoff for Yahoo. It's great for Google because now when I google for "one gross used underpants" I'll get more results. Soon I'll be able to discriminate between Fruit of the Loom and BVDs. And then... something. And THEN- profit!
So it is a callback, but from this link:
...
"But Google has published a FAQ. According to it, when searchers click on the phone icon, they get a prompt to enter their phone numbers, then click a "Connect For Free" button. Google calls the number provided, then, when the searcher picks up, connects the searcher with the advertiser."
"Google said the advertiser can't see the searcher's phone number, and it promised to delete the number from its servers after a short period of time. However, the phone number is stored in an encrypted cookie placed on the searcher's computer, so that next time, he or she won't need to re-enter the phone number. The company suggested that users who don't want their phone numbers stored should refuse the cookie."
So it's kind of in-between - you are giving up your phone number, but only to Google and only for a short time. The advertiser still does not see it as it's Google calling them and you.
I still really like the idea of direct Skype links though.
Thanks for pushing me to read further, I assumed too much from the name.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
On the website, the mighty website,
The auction ends toniiight....
I hate toolbars.
From Google, Yahoo, eBay, SaveNow or anyone else.
If I am fixing a spywared infected computer, then part of my cleanup is to remove the toolbars.
They take up screen realestate, provide rarely used features.
A crap search engine that prefaces each result with L@@@@@@@K!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't much of a problem with Yahoo, they have brought services which I find useful and try to solve problems I have incountered. I am not saying it is the best out there, but it works well.
eBay I can't stand! they have an attitude problem. They have screwed up too many times and said too bad. we don't care!
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't yahoo USE google for their search data? How can you be at war with something when you are using their service? Oh wait, isn't that what the US is doing with Iraq's Oil?