Originally Posted By jonvn Yahoo is laying off 1000 people to cut costs. At the same time it has announced a $160 million aquisition of some random company that will basically do them no good. This is a stark revealment of how corporate America values its employees. And that is to say, not at all. Combined with their appeasment of China, and its willingness to hand over information on dissidents there, this company is an absolute disgrace to this nation, its people, and its supposed ideals. I hope Microsoft buys them, and erases them from existence. The only problem with this is that the execs will of course get another pack of money, and the average employee will once again get screwed. But it no longer deserves to have the support of the public, nor does it deserve to continue to exist. <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/13/BUFPV15U3.DTL" target="_blank">http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/ article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/13/BUFPV15U3.DTL</a>
Originally Posted By Mr X Microsoft isn't trying to buy them to erase them, they want the brand and the technology Yahoo has in order to compete with Google. As to laying off people, the sad reality is that when companies cut back on the workforce it is almost always seen as a POSITIVE thing on Wall Street, and we all know the CEO's and upper management do what they do to please the shareholders. I've seen worse. MUCH worse. Countrywide, IndyMac, Downey S&L, Tolle Bros., New Century, American Home Mortgage...just to name a few. All of the above told blatant, horrific LIES in order to temporarily boost their stock price while they sold their shares and got the heck out...leaving the shareholders, employees, AND customers in the dirt just a couple of months later. Same story for every company. Pretty terrible.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>they want the brand and the technology Yahoo has in order to compete with Google.<< I think it'll never happen. Microsoft should save their money. Consumers have voted, and Google has won. Yahoo went crazy with ads. Google kept it simple.
Originally Posted By Mr X What, the buyout? Investors seem to think otherwise...so far Yahoo's share price remains inflated and Microsoft's significantly depressed. That's a sign that people are expecting another offer from Mr. Softy. I agree though...what's the point really? I think it's a bad move for Microsoft...seems weird.
Originally Posted By Sport Goofy << Consumers have voted, and Google has won. Yahoo went crazy with ads. Google kept it simple. >> I never understood the whole Google ad thing. I can't think of anytime that I have ever clicked on a Google ad. Does anyone do this? I use Yahoo! services all the time. I think they have the most comprehensive array of online content under any single brand name. I don't necessarily click on their ads, but I do retain some of the information from their ad banners. The Google ads don't draw my attention at all. How does Google become the #1 internet ad company by delivering ads that don't get people's attention and creating a site that generally has no content of any real interest? I just don't get Google. I know they make boatloads of money, but I just don't see how they sustain the business model in an industry that should be all about attracting eyeballs to ads and ultimately getting people to make decisions and purchases based on what those ads are saying.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan Sorry, when I said "it'll never happen" I meant that Microsoft, or anyone, would have a lot of luck beating Google at what they do at this point. They'll probably buy them out, but I am doubtful they'll be able to refresh Yahoo very much. The name "Google" is synonymous with Internet searches, it's a verb. Yahoo had that once, but lost it by mucking up the interface with ad mania and clutter. Some investors will profit a lot more from the buyout than they ever would with Yahoo's basic business, so if I was a big stockholder, I'd love the buyout. But I'm saying that the Yahoo brand is what it is at this point, and it's no Google.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>I just don't see how they sustain the business model in an industry that should be all about attracting eyeballs to ads and ultimately getting people to make decisions and purchases based on what those ads are saying.<< That isn't the kind of advertising that works so much anymore, especially online. Targeted advertising, advertising that appeals to exactly what individual users are interested in, is what works online. Banner ads get attention, but they scream "THIS IS AN AD!!!" Google ads look more like information. It's a whisper vs. a scream: one makes people lean in to hear, the other repels. Check out the book "Meatball Sundae" by Seth Godin.
Originally Posted By Sport Goofy Google ads have just never drawn my attention at all. I'd be interested to know some data on their click-through rates vs. other ad sources. I think Google has built their entire business based on their linking of ads to search and also e-mail keywords. Google collects more data on users than any other online company, and they mine that data incredibly well to generate targeted ads. Every word you type in a Gmail account is used to generate targeted ads. Every word you type in a Google search box is used to generate ads. That is their niche. But it's not something that's particularly proprietary. Anyone can write computer code and collect data to link ads to people's behavior on computers. At some point, Google won't be the big guy on the block anymore and everyone will be in the online ad business.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA I've heard that AOL might make a bid for Yahoo! no joke... Talk about the blind leading the blind.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>At some point, Google won't be the big guy on the block anymore<< Oh, I agree. Times change, something newer, sleeker, faster will come along. But I just don't see Yahoo moving back to the number one position at this point.
Originally Posted By Sport Goofy << But I just don't see Yahoo moving back to the number one position at this point. >> I hear Go.com is on the comeback trail!
