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.

[KwasiOwusu]

"but I just can't resist hammering you while you're down and out"

Unn in case you still can't see it, you are the one getting hammered here. By me. )
Haven't had so much fun in days.

[Arthalion]

MSN and Yahoo have already started gaining share in Internet search ,according to this very article.

According to this very article, Google has seen a user base decline of .03% in the past year, which isn't so bad when you realize that the US Internet userbase as a whole declined by 1.1% last year, indicating that Googles percentage of marketshare was still increasing even while their userbase was shrinking. The market share increase seen by Yahoo and MSN has been ongoing for a few years now, and comes at the expense of portals like Lycos, Altavista, and Netscape.Com, which have ceased to be major players but users are still gradually drifting away from.

In other words, they're gaining users who are LOOKING for the "search portal" type systems that Yahoo, MSN, and other competitors have traditionally offered. Google users, for the most part, use their system because they want to avoid that clutter and the new MSN search won't appeal on those grounds.

As I said before, the new MSN search may be real competition for Yahoo, Ask Jeeves, and the userbase interested in that type of site, but it isn't a direct threat to Google.

[JoJo Gunn]

Then you can have even more craps and giggles by addressing the questions posed to you by me and others. Or do you care that you have a reputation for seeming like a mindless hippie?

This whole thread is about MSN's glorious new and improved search engine, and I have provided proof that they don't even have it firmly in place, enhancing my assertions that being number 2 isn't honest. I mean, how are you going to be able to make those claims of your paymaster ranking so high when nobody can access such orgiastic superbness???

Will you address it superbly? All I seem to hear is muffled sounds from a knee padder.

[HighWheeler]

Take it easy on ol' KwasiOwusu, he is having a great time with his head way up between Gates' cheeks.

He is talking and pushing and shilling as much as any used car salesman selling a POS, but in this case MS is just trying to play catch-up using a 90% perfect mirror of what Google already provides.

So who is going to switch when they already have Google?

Google took over the leadership position because it was orders of magnitude FAR AHEAD of every other search option, especially the at-the-time standing leader Yahoo. MS is nothing new, just a refonted, outright theft of Google's creation in nearly every way.

The longer time delay of every MSN search is due to the additional repackaging and refonting time that MSN needs after it goes out to fetch Google's results first.

[Smartaleck]

"The point isn't that they haven't had successess"

I just don't choose to short change and dismiss them so quickly.

In the world of data bases the ongoing quest for suprmacy among IBM's DB, SQL and Oracle has only been cause for improvement in all three competitors.

Competition is good. :-)

[KwasiOwusu]

"indicating that Googles percentage of marketshare was still increasing even while their userbase was shrinking"

Yahoo market share went up a solid 4.9%,while MSN share went up 09.9%, with Google down 0.3%.
No matter how you twist it, both Yahoo and MSN made solid gains against Google, and Yahoo hasn't even had their new engine on for that long, while MSN's new search engine is just going live.

With share of 31.9% to Google's 34.7% the gap between even Yahoo and Google has closed right up, with Yahoo's share growing much faster than Google's.
Even a year from now,market share figures could be considerably different from today.

[KwasiOwusu]

"I have provided proof that they don't even have it firmly in place"

You wouldn't know what proof is if it hit you in the face.
I already told ya, I couldn't give 2 hoots what search engine you used, open source or whatever, seeing that you wouldn't be bringing much revenue to msn anyway.

[JoJo Gunn]

Yo, FruitLoop! I just changed my home page to MSN, hallowed be their name, but....but....but.... where's my image search? Where's my desktop search? I'm superbly ticked right now. I wuz gonna leap from lowly trailer trash to number 2 with only 5 seconds worth of work. You PROMISED!

[KwasiOwusu]

"Take it easy on ol' KwasiOwusu, he is having a great time with his head way up between Gates' cheeks"

Hey, how does it feel being permanently glued to Linus Torvald's Old European backside.
All those old European gases have done something funny to your our head, resulting in you making incoherent bizarre statements,like this one.

[KwasiOwusu]

" just changed my home page to MSN, hallowed be their name"

Oh no!
Quick change it back to where you came from.

[JoJo Gunn]

Excuse me, sugah, but what difference does it make what search engine I use?

Either that wunnerful #2 ranked MSN search you've been hawking like a carnival barker exists, or it doesn't.

It is painfully obvious to all but you that you're not able to back up anything you say.

Oh, and just for the record, I have FF 1.0 and 1.7.3 Suite and IE5.5sp2. You know what's really strange about all this? I get into my Hotmail account with Microsoft Virus Carrier - oops, I meant IE, but when I click on My MSN it's dead. With "MSN Home" I can get in, and lo and behold that new search that'll give Viagra a run for it's money is there. Oh well, 2 outta 3 ain't bad.

Point is, this doesn't make Brother Bill look good, or you, for that matter.

[amigatec]

I seen some kneepaders in my time by this KwasiOwusu guy sure sounds like Steve Barkto to me.

http://lists.essential.org/1998/am-info/msg01529.html


http://members.aol.com/intwg/trolls.htm

[HighWheeler]

Anyone who would push such a copycat website that hard is a pathetic loser.

[streetpreacher]

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.

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

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Free Republic ^ | Jim Robinson
 

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[JoJo Gunn]

Thanks for that link. I'm pretty sure I read that a couple of years ago. It reminds me of some guy that used to, (and perhaps still does), hang around ZDnet under the name of "Tim Taylor". It might be who Quasi/Bush2000 is, reckon? Would be interesting to see where he/they come from.

As far as the troll page, I can't say "too" much, since I've been having so much fun yanking his chain. He's so easy. But he likes it, and we know it. He's a masochist, coming around now and again for his thrashing.

Beat me, whup me, show me that you care!

[amigatec]

Try the guy on ZDNet called Mike Cox, he makes this troll look like an amateur.

[JoJo Gunn]

The longer time delay of every MSN search is due to the additional repackaging and refonting time that MSN needs after it goes out to fetch Google's results first.

[JoJo Gunn]

You know, I haven't been there in over two years. I never did like how you have to click "next" to read every reply. So archaic.

I see it's not much improved, which isn't saying much for such a place. You think they could spend a couple of bucks for something better? Isn't there something open source floating around? hehe

http://news.zdnet.com/5208-3513-0.html?forumID=1&threadID=7850&messageID=158234&start=19

[streetpreacher]

You wouldn't know what proof is if it hit you in the face.
I already told ya, I couldn't give 2 hoots what search engine you used, open source or whatever, seeing that you wouldn't be bringing much revenue to msn anyway.

So you're saying that this thread is not to discuss the "news" and pros and cons about Microsoft's new search engine but is only designed to attract revenue for MSN?  You've just admitted that you're not interested in discussion but that you have a personal interest in seeing MSN's revenue increase and thus the reason for this thread with all of your "oohs" and "ahhs".

And for what it's worth, I have no dog in this debate. I use Microsoft products and run Windows.  I'm not geeky enough (unfortunately) to care about open source/closed source (more concerned about closing open borders and abortion clinics) but I know an infomercial when I see one and that is why you are not taken seriously here and why you look so ridiculous.

That said, this thread is an unpaid advertisement at JimRob's expense, a violation of FR's rules and should be pulled.  You want to advertise: First find a forum that allows for that and then PAY for it!

This is a forum for FReepers, not FReeloaders!