It's Yahoo Plus eBay vs. Google 113
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."
Ad wars, shmad wars (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Ad wars, shmad wars (Score:1)
Re:Ad wars, shmad wars (Score:1)
Re:Ad wars, shmad wars (Score:2, Funny)
eBay on Google (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:eBay on Google (Score:1, Troll)
No, it is still there. [google.com]
Re:eBay on Google (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:eBay on Google (Score:2)
Or Nigerian scams [google.com].
My old theory [hyperborea.org] was that they had a blanket deal on two-word combinations, until I found some combos that didn't show an ebay ad.
Now I think they dumped the contents of a spellcheck dictionary, removed the obvious bad ideas, and submitted it as their keyword list.
Re:eBay on Google (Score:1, Informative)
http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/begs.html [wsu.edu]
Re:eBay on Google (Score:3, Informative)
AN interesting question... (Score:5, Funny)
mod parent up (Score:1)
attn bargain hunters (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:attn bargain hunters (Score:1)
Uh... shush... don't give everyone the same idea!
Besides, it is Yahoo and eBay teaming up... Microsoft is doing their own thing as usual, since Yahoo rejected their offer to partner up a while back. So the new word in the dictionary will either be Yahbay or eHoo... I'm voting on eHoo... that could totally be a verb. Go eHoo it!
Yahbay sounds like something a yak would say...
Re:attn bargain hunters (Score:1)
But you may want to think about this [wikipedia.org]
A high P/E ratio may *reflect* a company's good fundamentals (e.g. high expected revenue gr
Re:attn bargain hunters (Score:5, Informative)
Keep in mind that Google's fundamentals include a 65 price to earnings ratio, the improvement of which has exceeded their market cap's growth........Even more impressive, GOOG's earnings-per-share is almost five times that of MSFT's
OK, first about the P/E ratio. The above makes it sound like a high P/E ratio is a quality you should look for in attractive investments. DON'T DO THAT!!!!! The P/E ratio is basically how much you have to pay for $1 in earnings. Its price per share over earnings per share. So a high P/E means your paying more for each $1 in earnings. The next confusing part is about Goggle's earnings-per-share being almost 5x's what MS has. While that is true, it is completly meaningless by itself. To put it in perspective Google's earnings-per-share (eps) IS just over 4.5x MS's (eps). However, since Google's stock price is over 16x what MS's is you are paying over 16x the price to earn 4.5x more per share.
I am not here to make any recommendations on any stock, but the above is just complete non-sense. A stock with a high P/E ratio could be a great investment (as could a stock with a low P/E). The thing to remember a high P/E ratio generally relates to higher risk. The higher the the P/E ratio the higher expectations the market has for the stock. Now its easy to see that and think "well if the market has that high of expectations, it must be a good investment!" but you must remember (as the P/E ratio points out) those expectations are already factored into the stocks current price. So for the stock to raise, the company has to surpass those already high expectations. However, if the company has completely amazing results but still don't quite match expectations then the stock will dip (or fall).
Another MAJOR thing to consider when looking at any stock in the internet search sector is the expectations (and thus current stock price and P/E ratio) aren't completly based on "who will win" type questions between Google, MS, Yahoo, etc. A large portion of those expectations for each company is based on the forcasted growth of the entire sector. The forcasts are really amazing and that points for good times for companies in that sector but again introduces risk for an investment in any company in that sector. I forget the exact numbers but just for an example lets say its forcasted that spending on on-line advertising has 10x todays number being spent annually by 2010. Now lets say Google wipes everyone else off the board and is the lone on-line ad provider by 2008. Now thats great news, but if in the interm the forcasted growth for the sector just isn't meeting expectations you could still see a drop in Googles price because expecations as a whole aren't being met.
OK the sample scenerio is a bit ridiculous, but it does hopefully show the complexity of the market and the types of things which must be considered in contrast of the original posters wacked out ideas about the market
Re:attn bargain hunters (Score:2)
Just another paradox.
If Yahoo and Google want to make me happy... (Score:5, Insightful)
That's my opinion, anyway. I'm sure there are those people out there who looooove their toolbars.
Amen! (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:If Yahoo and Google want to make me happy... (Score:2)
I guess my days of purchasing off Ebay may be just about over.
Re:If Yahoo and Google want to make me happy... (Score:3, Insightful)
Why? Who says you need an eBay or Yahoo toolbar to buy (or sell) stuff on eBay? Unless eBay or Yahoo absolutely require the installation of such software (not likely, since requiring such software usually prevents some class of users from being able to use the service) there's nothing that says you have to accept their spyware.
Re:If Yahoo and Google want to make me happy... (Score:4, Insightful)
I doubt it. I think it's people who don't understand computers that well, and wait on the genius computer experts to give them the next great computer thing that will make their lives happier. Right now the answer is the toolbar.
Most people don't understand computers well enough to apprehend the potential. They can't fully understand the UI problems they face, and therefore they also can't think of creative solutions to those problems.
So the management of companies like Yahoo! and eBay, in the effort to increase marketshare and make more money, tell their developers to create newer and better toolbars, which are just devices to improve the marketshare of the toolbar owners. Mom & Pop computer users hear about the great new toolbars that are in the pipeline, and think all their problems will be solved in short order.
We are still in the glow of the vast communications improvements that computers have afforded the average person -- email, websites, online banking. That revolution hasn't yet been fully co-opted by marketers who aren't making new revolutionary technology, but instead just fight for existing marketshare. So people still see computers as having the potential to revolutionize their life, and haven't yet become jaded to the constant barrage of marketing and sales pitches that will eventually take over computers, too.
Re:If Yahoo and Google want to make me happy... (Score:2)
Re:If Yahoo and Google want to make me happy... (Score:2)
Re:If Yahoo and Google want to make me happy... (Score:1)
Re:If Yahoo and Google want to make me happy... (Score:1)
What will they name it? (Score:4, Funny)
Re:What will they name it? (Score:3)
Re:What will they name it? (Score:1, Funny)
It'll be "Eoo", pronounced "You". Because the internet is all about you.
Then Livejournal will want to get in on the action, and they'll merge and call it "Eoola", pronounced "EULA". Then Sony will sue, claiming theft of brand identity and loss of profits.
eHo is better! (Score:3, Funny)
Re:What will they name it? (Score:1)
Re:What will they name it? (Score:1)
Re:What will they name it? (Score:1)
=Spike=
Re:What will they name it? (Score:1)
Re:What will they name it? (Score:1)
Yaheebooay (Score:2)
The auction ends toniiight....
Heh.. (Score:5, Funny)
Expect a statement soon from Google saying they agree
Re:Heh.. (Score:2)
Expect a statement soon from Google saying they agree
Translation: Aww goog, just buy us, it's better than rolling your own. Please?
Goog: We only buy things that work. Go away.
IE Only? (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:IE Only? (Score:2)
Not to mention IE loses a lot of points for its utter failure to comply to web standards.
Re:IE Only? (Score:2)
I'm rooting for Google (Score:1, Funny)
(Yes, I know I see the world in black and white)
Re:I'm rooting for Google (Score:3, Insightful)
It's a matter of degree (Score:2)
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.
Re:It's a matter of degree (Score:2)
One of them (google) attempts to aggregate my life and store it indefinitely. The other does not. I'll let you gues which one I think is evil.
Re:I'm rooting for Google (Score:4, Insightful)
They have "Don't be Evil" in their corporate manifesto. The rest is mostly idealization by their fans. Google has been smart with their PR not doing too much blatant (Chinese censorship was their lone misstep here) to violate the image built up by some.
Re:I'm rooting for Google (Score:2)
Their Charters.
http://www.google.com/corporate/tenthings.html [google.com]
http://yhoo.client.shareholder.com/governance/guid elines.cfm [shareholder.com]
Re:I'm rooting for Google (Score:2)
Re:I'm rooting for Google (Score:2)
Click-to-call... Hmm... (Score:5, Interesting)
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...
Re:Click-to-call... Hmm... (Score:2)
What do you mean? Giving them nothing (Score:2)
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
Re:What do you mean? Giving them nothing (Score:4, Informative)
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.
Where did you read that from? (Score:2)
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 refe
Re:Where did you read that from? (Score:2)
Your friend and mine, [google.com]
I just can't see any further references from the story.
Actually, the linked article didn't say anything more about it, which prompted me to do a search of my own for info.
I do agree with you that it seems like a very misleading name, though. I too originally expected something like a link that activates your VOIP - which made me really curious of how they did that without bringing "autodialer" malware back with a vengeance. But it appe
Re:Where did you read that from? (Score:1)
Aha, but the advertiser still sees no data... (Score:2)
"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
Re:Click-to-call... Hmm... (Score:1)
Re:Click-to-call... Hmm... (Score:3, Funny)
I'm surprised no one has tried implementing such a "hot link"-based system yet.
Re:Click-to-call... Hmm... (Score:2)
I certainly don't miss the endless "Is that C as in Charlie, or E as in Echo?" bullshit I have to go through every time I have to do some phone transaction with a business that hasn't made it to the 90's yet.
Re:yahoo!!! no, really, yahoo!!! (Score:1)
Re:yahoo!!! no, really, yahoo!!! (Score:1)
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.
does this mean... (Score:1)
Does this mean Google and Microsoft will now form a broad partnership to take on their new, consolidated, streamlined enemies?
Fees? (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:YahBay vs. Microsoft vs. Google (Score:2)
Re:YahBay vs. Microsoft vs. Google (Score:1)
Re:YahBay vs. Microsoft vs. Google (Score:2)
Click to call (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Click to call (Score:2)
What about yahoo auctions? (Score:2, Interesting)
Googlezon (Score:1)
If my math is correct... (Score:1, Offtopic)
Join the queue (Score:5, Funny)
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 [linuxvirus.net] 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.
Re:Join the queue (Score:1, Informative)
MOD AC PARENT UP (Score:2)
Re:TO HELL WITH YAHOO! (Score:1, Redundant)
Come to think of it, I don't see how this post will help you or cheer you up at all.
Re:TO HELL WITH YAHOO! (Score:1)
Does It Really Matter? (Score:1)
I hate toolbars. (Score:1)
Its about time (Score:2)
Oh, goody. (Score:2)