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 of course you are, Little Precious, since you're a paid shill"

Look who's talking.

[HamiltonJay]

And I'll bet you that Google is still the number 1 search engine a year from now.

MS and MSN have tried their darndest online to become anything other than a periferal player, in both ISP and SEARCH and have never managed to be.

MS has not offered any new technologies or better performance than what others have offered at all in this area, and there is no expectation they will be any time soon.

MSMoney still can't take out Quicken... and I don't think MS Search is going to do any better. You don't have to like it, but a decade of track record online shows MS is not a serious threat to anyone.

[KwasiOwusu]

"And I'll bet you that Google is still the number 1 search engine a year from now"

I am not that worried about that.
Important thing is: Microsoft will have a higher market share a year from today than they have today.
That will be the beginning of catching up with and eventually overtaking Google in the years to come.
It took Microsoft over 6 years to overtake Palm in the PDA market.
Microsoft has plenty of money, and lots of patience.
This is am marathon, not a sprint.
We are not talking a year, but years from now.
I like Microsoft's chances.

[Doohickey]

The problem with MSN search is the same problem Microsoft has had in many of its products...over-reliance on the mouse.

Now, with Google I can define my search terms, get a definition, search for results for a certain OS, etc. just by entering the correct syntax into the search box, or by going to the correct subpage.

MSN does most of the same things, but it requires too many mouse clicks. The URL is also too long.

[KwasiOwusu]

"MS and MSN have tried their darndest online to become anything other than a periferal player, in both ISP and SEARCH and have never managed to be"

Msn portal is currently the # 2 web portal on the planet in terms of traffic generated, only challenged by Yahoo and to some extent AOL. And msn is solidly profitable, and has registered sales increases every single quarter for the past 3 years.

http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=483

I don't call that a "peripheral player".
As for Msn ISP, I already stated above that Microsoft should et out of that business.
Its a low profit commodity business, not beneficial to Microsoft's long term strategic interests.
Even AOL, the biggest ISP has been suffering financially for years now.

[KwasiOwusu]

"MSN does most of the same things, but it requires too many mouse clicks. The URL is also too long."

Is Google better today? Probably.
Will Microsoft catch up as they usually do and have done lots of times in the past? Again, probably.

[JoJo Gunn]

"But of course you are, Little Precious, since you're a paid shill"

Look who's talking.

You make absolutely no sense, as usual.

But we'll give you the benefit of the doubt. If you're not a paid shill, you're the most mindless groupie I've ever encountered on any forum.

Its not relevant to my msn search from msn.com.

You impress me as a moron, who actually talks like people in advertisements.

I can't wait for you to regale us with your woes of constipation and feminine itching.

[KwasiOwusu]

"You make absolutely no sense, as usual"

Coming from you, I take that as a compliment.
I'd be really worried if I made any sense to you, seeing that you have an empty coconut for a brain.

[KwasiOwusu]

"If you're not a paid shill, you're the most mindless groupie I've ever encountered on any forum"

The real "groupies" are you open source crazies.
You are like a pack of wild dogs, hunting in packs and carried away with blood lust.

[ShadowAce]

[JoJo Gunn]

Even your retorts on on par with the adolescents at the indymedias.

Please, impress us with more of your yawn inducing shouts of "open sourcers' are pinkos", et al.

I'm fresh out of Sominex.

[KwasiOwusu]

"Even your retorts on on par with the adolescents at the indymedias"

As usual, your pathetic, increasingly weak,desperate retorts are a source of merriment and amusement rather than anything to be taken seriously.

You are clearly taking on something well outside your rather meagre mental capabilities.
Go play with your toys, boy.

[HamiltonJay]

20 Years or whatever now and MS Money is still a joke.. you can keep shilling MS all you want, but in the internet arena... they are a joke.

[JoJo Gunn]

You are clearly taking on something well outside your rather meagre mental capabilities.

I sincerely doubt you're the intellectual Krakatoa you think you are. And don't forget you're so easy, seeing as how you're already on your knees, know what I mean?

[HamiltonJay]

Take HOTMAIL out of those MSN Numbers and you see how attractive a non portal they really are.

[Arthalion]

Meh, I noticed the new MSN yesterday. The search results do seem to have improved a bit, but they're still mired in the late 90's dotcom mentality that says every square inch of screen space needs to be covered by some kind of revenue generating clutter. On a dialup, it's still substantially slower to load than Google, it's interface is too busy, and to be entirely honest (speaking as a software usability specialist) the search almost seems like an afterthought on what is otherwise a news and content page.

Even though my desktops are all on a 45Mbit DS3, MSN wont be bumping Google as our desktops default start page anytime soon. If MS is serious about taking on Google for web searching, they need to FOCUS on searching and build their site around it. Getting the user to the information they seek should be the ONLY goal of the website...when I go to the web to search for a Java code snippet, or a parts distributor for my '69 Firebird, it's because I need to find those things, and those things only. The last thing I need is to be distracted by feel good articles about "Baby Blogs", gossip about some actresses latest fling, or annoying Flash animations.

If you talk to people who fled Yahoo, Altavista, and Lycos for Google so many years ago, you'll find that most switched because they liked Google's combination of accuracy and simplicity. While everyone else was piling on this feature and that, Google went simple, and because of that won the search wars. MS still hasn't learned their lesson, and is merely continuing on down the same path with a slightly modified backend.

They aren't competing with Google, they're competing with Yahoo.

[KwasiOwusu]

"20 Years or whatever now and MS Money is still a joke.. you can keep shilling MS all you want, but in the internet arena... they are a joke."

That the only example you can find to desperately cling on to?
For every MS Money I can give ya at least 2 examples where Microsoft clobbered the competition, by coming in from behind.

Plus of course MS Money is every bit as good as Quicken.

Reputable PC magazines have had MS Money ahead in certain years.

Ms Money a joke? I don't think so.

[KwasiOwusu]

"I sincerely doubt you're the intellectual Krakatoa you think you are"

Against you, any 10 year old can be what you call "intellectual Krakatoa"

You really ARE that bad.
So sorry.

[HamiltonJay]

MS had complete access to every ounce of Quicken Info and still couldn't beat them.. your Microsoft is God is just shilling and nothing more....

MS has tried to be a player in search for 10 years... and NADA.. after numberous tries.

I'm still waiting for SQL Server to live up to Gates promises about it.. what now, close to 10 years ago now?

You are clearly a shill, and I hope you get paid well for your shilling... but blind belief that everything MS touches turns to gold is nonsense.

You wish to believe MS wins every time, you aren't paying attention.

MS has a nice OS.. typical joe can word process, browse the internet and download and watch porn... that's great. Hardly though is the history of MS without failure... I suppose you're next gonna tell me X-Box dominates the gaming arena now too?

In the realm of search MS's repeated attempts have all been failures.. and there is absolutely no reason to believe this one is going to be any different.

[KwasiOwusu]

"Take HOTMAIL out of those MSN Numbers and you see how attractive a non portal they really are"

# 1, Hotmail IS part of Microsoft.

And # 2, most new PC's have msn.com as their homepage, so msn.com has very hight traffic. Msn is not just relying on Hotmail alone for traffic.