Google and eBay Partner for Click-to-Call Ads 63
bart_scriv writes "A new joint venture between Google and Ebay will expand the advertising reach of both companies and integrate free phone service with web ads. The partnership also puts rumors of a Yahoo/eBay merger to rest. From the article: 'A deal announced Aug. 28 by eBay and Google now appears to put the kibosh on the notion of an "ehoo" or "Ybay" to challenge Google. Instead, eBay signed up Google to provide Web search advertising outside the U.S. And the pair will cooperate on developing so-called click-to-call ads — which let potential buyers click on a link and talk directly to sellers or their call centers — throughout the world. Tests of the ads in the multiyear agreement will begin in early 2007, though neither side revealed specific terms.'"
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Further information (Score:5, Interesting)
Starting in the near future, Skype will offer its users the option to download the Google Toolbar, to which Skype will add a custom button. The companies will also explore interoperability between Skype and Google Talk via open standards to enable text chat and online presence.
So this collaboration seems like more than just click-to-call. The Skype/Google Talk interoperability sounds intriguing, and might give the low-market-share Google Talk some more standing in the IM world; perhaps this is a reaction to Yahoo and Microsoft, who are getting their IM clients to interoperate.