Microsoft kicks off search effort (Microsoft throws down gauntlet to Google)

CNET ^ | 2/1/2005 | Stefanie Olsen

[KwasiOwusu]

Microsoft on Monday replaced Yahoo's search technology with its own homespun software and will kick off a huge advertising campaign to supplant Google in consumers' hearts.

As expected, MSN, a unit of the software giant, has taken its Web search technology out of the laboratory, and placed it on MSN's newly redesigned home page in 25 countries. Two and a half years in the making, MSN Search will now be the focal point of the updated, lighter-weight site; and it is the subject of Microsoft's newest ad campaign, which includes television, print, Internet and outdoor promotions.

MSN Search Vice President Christopher Payne would not disclose ad spending, but he estimated that 90 percent of Americans, as well as U.K. and Japanese residents, will encounter the campaign. television ads, for example, will run during the Super Bowl, the Oscars and the Grammys. "Oh, you're going to notice it," he said.
....................................
Google is still at the top of the heap, but its lead is shrinking. In December 2004, Google served about 34.7 percent of the market, down 0.3 percent from the previous period in 2003, according to ComScore Networks. During the same period, Yahoo jumped from serving 27 percent of the market to 31.9 percent. And MSN added a point to its position, going from 15.4 percent to 16.3 percent from December to December.

Key to MSN's strategy to win over the Web population is providing "answers" to queries, rather than millions of links, Payne said. While Yahoo, Ask Jeeves, Google and smaller sites like Answers.com have sought to fill in search requests with answers to questions on the weather, entertainment and package tracking, MSN believes it can do one better with its encyclopedia software Encarta.

[streetpreacher]

How old are you, Little Precious?

Answer (thanks to FR's non-encyclopedic search):

KwasiOwusu

Since Oct 1, 2004

[Banjoguy]

Hey, hey...are youse guys gangin' up on me?

[palmer]

Everyone can and will use whatever search engine they want, and the market is going to decide the eventual winner, like most things. Naturally I am going to bet on Microsoft.

Is that you Bush2000?

[streetpreacher]

making the "I feel lucky" link for "moron" to a biography of George Bush

Google has no control over that whatsoever. Internet = Freedom. Why don't you try googling your inquiry to learn about this user-controlled conspiracy? Obviously, some DUers hatched this thing and there's no reason why FReepers can't do it either (in fact, we have).

And for what it's worth, I don't by the one-arm man story either. You're as guilty as sin.

[JoJo Gunn]

In your own words, Little Precious:

"No amount of angst and anguish and bitterness and pain from you is going to change the facts. :)
All you are going to get is take your blood pressure right up.
Not good for you."

[HamiltonJay]

Smartaleck,

The point isn't that they haven't had successess (some of them even being convicted of illegal activity in them).. the point is that not everything MS has touched has been a success. The idea that because its "microsoft" its going to win, is foolishness at best.

MS has launched big net and search initiatives over the past 10 years, and more of them have flopped than succeeded, particularly in its search arena. MSN is about 15% of search right now... Google is more than twice that, and there is nothing in the new MSN search that is going to leapfrog Google.

MS's net initiatives have been far less than stellar, and this latest "our search is going to rock" is no more than the same PR lines from the last time they tried a new search. Will they hype it yea? Will they market? Yea. Will that get folks to try it? Sure... but will they change from Google... sorry, haven't seen anything in their new search that gives the typical user any reason to change search providers.... You gotta offer more than, hey, we have that too.

[JoJo Gunn]

Yeah, it's been shilling in it's same old Leftist like fashion since it first hit the Freep.

I wonder how nay pairs of knee pads it goes through in a week?

[HamiltonJay]

#1, yes it was beta and folks knew where it was, I used it months ago... and as I said, when something "killer" comes out on the net and its publicly available it doesn't need marketing.. word of mouth makes it get its own attention.. if it offers something better.

Google never MARKETED their search with superbowl ads, they put out a search engine that kicked ass, and word of mouth grew the business.

A killer net application like SEARCH doesn't need super bowl ads to get traffic.. if it offers serious improvement over the competitors folks find it! Happened with Altavista (hell that was a skunk works project, and happened with Google).

If MSN had a silver bullet the word of mouth alone would have built up traffic to their search... it hasn't because its just "more of the same".

Search is a fundamental action of the net, if you have the better mousetrap, you get the users.. just try and keep something secret if its killer and publicly available.

Trust me, I know the search industry, what MSN is offering is nothing that has or will excite the masses.

[streetpreacher]

Stop talking nonsense dude. You are one of the biggest shills I have ever seen here, and that is saying a lot. How much is Red Hat paying you to spew out nonsense and attack people? Or is it Google?

You accuse someone of shilling, but you can't say for sure who he's shilling for? Dude.

[JoJo Gunn]

I stand corrected, sort of. I said there was no image search with MSN anymore, or I missed it.

If you enter a search term from your "My MSN" page, you won't have a choice for images, but will if you enter the term on the search line in Hotmail.

The top image is from coming through Hotmail, and notice the amount of search results. Which is the new and improved version? Must I sit through Quasi's mindless drivel and the Super Bowl to find out?

[KwasiOwusu]

"You accuse someone of shilling, but you can't say for sure who he's shilling for? Dude."

Don't have to.
He won't be the first shill with 2 or more paymasters, nor will he be the last.

[KwasiOwusu]

"yes it was beta and folks knew where it was, I used it months ago"

Most folks did not have any idea where it was.
You couldn't even easily find it on Microsoft's own web site.
When I mentioned msn search beta to some ladies at my office, they hadn't even heard of it.
You knew and I knew. That doesn't mean lost men in the street knew.
This is precisely why Microsoft is launching a huge marketing campaign to make the man in the street familiar with Microsoft's superb new search engine.

"and as I said, when something "killer" comes out on the net and its publicly available it doesn't need marketing.. word of mouth makes it get its own attention.. if it offers something better."

How long do these "killer" thingys last for?

ICQ used to dominate chat, now yahoo does.
Alta vista used dominate search, now google does.

Will Microsoft's marketing (and superb search technologies)take share away from Google by a year's time? I'll bet that on that.


"A killer net application like SEARCH doesn't need super bowl ads to get traffic"

I'll bet you right here, that Microsoft search traffic has a big spike when its advertised on the Super Bowl.
How much you wanna bet? (money will be given to charity of course)

"If MSN had a silver bullet the word of mouth alone would have built up traffic to their search... it hasn't because its just "more of the same"

The new MSN search just went live yesterday.
Again I'll bet you that msn search will have a bigger share a year from now than it does today.
How about that?

"Trust me, I know the search industry, what MSN is offering is nothing that has or will excite the masses."

Wouldn't trust you even if my enemy's life depended on it. :)

Even he deserves better than that.

[KwasiOwusu]

"but I have to place odds on the company with the proven track record in this area, and not on the company who's search track record is so punctuated by failure that they actually gave up and leased their competitors technology for years."

MSN and Yahoo have already started gaining share in Internet search ,according to this very article.
And that is even before the real fight starts.

[JoJo Gunn]

....to make the man in the street familiar with Microsoft's superb new search engine.

You're a babbling and drooling cliche' of ad copy.

We're still waiting for when you have hemorrhoids or halitosis, Little Precious.

[KwasiOwusu]

"In your own words, Little Precious: "

Best thing that happened to Microsoft was President Bush getting elected.
We had a DOJ that clearly had a new attitude to succesfulAmericamn companies.

I still remember the howling, gnashing of teeth and the curses that emanated from the open source crazies, Scot NcNealy, Larry Elision and all the Microsoft haters when the terms of the settlement between the Ashcrosft DOJ and Microsoft, was announced.
Hehehehehehehehehehehehe.
I was just so much fun to watch.
Naturally, we Microsoft supporters were very very pleased. :)
Microsoft has grown from strength to strength since then.

[KwasiOwusu]

"Is that you Bush2000?"

Algore.
He invented the Internet too.

[KwasiOwusu]

"Answer (thanks to FR's non-encyclopedic search):
KwasiOwusu
Since Oct 1, 2004"

A very bad day indeed for the open source crazies and their lies, propaganda, disinformation and dirty tricks.
So sorry.

[KwasiOwusu]

"You're a babbling and drooling cliche' of ad copy"

I told ya before,you still have the mind of a retarded 5 year old.
No amount of trying to use "grown up" words is going to change that.

[KwasiOwusu]

BTW, has daddy given you your meds yet?
You are sounding even more insane than usual today, boy.

[JoJo Gunn]

Yo, Queasy! I realize I'm only wormy trailer trash that'll never approach your level of....whtatever, but I just can't resist hammering you while you're down and out.

Did you see my post 150 with the image? Remember how you said that "superb" MSN home page was shipped as default nowadays?

Well, I just checked again and still MSN appears to have two different search engines, depending on how you access them. So which is the superb one?

Would it be wise to change my home page now?