Daily Roundup for 2008-02-11

• Would Microsoft-Yahoo! Mean More Competition? - eMarketer
  On the surface, Microsoft's $44 billion offer to acquire Yahoo! seems to simplify the US search market share race. The combined firm would be second in online ad revenues to No.1 Google, and ahead of AOL. In 2007, Google rang up nearly $6 billion, while Yahoo! had about $3.4 billion and MSN had $1.4 billion net revenues.


• McAfee's New Secure Web Platform Steers Millions of Consumers to the Secure Internet
  McAfee, Inc. today announced that it is making the Internet safer for all users by completing the acquisition of privately held ScanAlert, Inc. ScanAlert is the creator of the HACKER SAFE web site security certification service, which protects over 50 million e-commerce transactions per month and proactively advises consumers about which sites are safe for shopping. The ScanAlert technology will be integrated into McAfee's award-winning safe search and surf technology, SiteAdvisor(R), which just reached a significant milestone of its own: It has been downloaded more than 100 million times by consumers who request SiteAdvisor's Web site ratings more than a billion times each day.

• Plus Privacy With TRUSTe, Powered by buySAFE, Increases Consumer Confidence to Boost Conversions and Strengthen Brand - Reuters
  Consumer privacy organization TRUSTe and e-commerce trust and safety company buySAFE today announced the availability of a joint offering designed to bolster consumer confidence and increase conversion rates for Internet retailers and small to medium-sized businesses.  TRUSTe's Plus Privacy program, powered by buySAFE, is the first ecommerce-focused solution from TRUSTe designed to turn more shoppers into buyers by assuring them that they can trust program-certified e-retailers with their most prized possession -- their personal information. Online merchants will reap the benefits of confident shoppers, enjoying a 5-15 percent increase in conversions and an average profit increase of 20 percent.


• Microsoft kicks around ideas for future of Web advertising - Technology Review
  Microsoft Corp.'s online advertising researchers will spend this year teaching computers to be smart about sticking ads into video clips, and to be even smarter about targeting ads to specific Web surfers. Microsoft showed off a handful of early-stage advertising projects at its headquarters Tuesday that may or may not turn up as part of Microsoft's Web advertising platform.


• Beyond Search and Advertising - Technology Review
  Last week, Microsoft made an unsolicited $44.6 billion offer to buy Yahoo. According to its website, Yahoo is still reviewing the bid, and the offer has generated a flurry of speculation about the possible results, including a statement from Google that raises the possibility that a Microsoft purchase of Yahoo could lead to unfair competition. Some experts say that Microsoft is after more than just the obvious--increased market share in online search and advertising--and point to other assets in the Yahoo portfolio.


• For New CEO John Donahoe, 'It's eBay's Game to Lose' - Knowledge@Wharton
  On January 29, online auctioneer eBay unveiled plans to revamp the fees it charges sellers, reduce fraud and increase the volume of transactions. It's the first move by CEO-elect John Donahoe, who will take over the reins of eBay on March 31 in the wake of long-time CEO Meg Whitman's announcement that she plans to step down. Donahoe's mission is to reinvigorate a company that remains dominant in online auctions, but is vulnerable to increased competition from large rivals,


• Yahoo's Joyful, Difficult Journey
  For a company whose very name is a joyous exclamation, it's almost unbelievable that Yahoo! may end up going out with a whimper. Yahoo's possible purchase by Microsoft, which launched an unsolicited $44.6 billion bid on Feb. 1, would end one of the techno


• Could Yahoo thwart Microsoft by outsourcing search? - MarketWatch
  Faced with Microsoft Corp.'s $44.6 billion "bear hug" offer, Yahoo Inc. may be considering a move to hand control of its troubled search-advertising business to Google Inc. in an effort to remain independent. Such an "outsourcing" deal could cut costs at


• eBay Changes to Seller Standards: Read the Fine Print
  eBay announced a number of major changes to its site on January 29, 2008. Much attention has been paid to the fee and feedback changes, and to a lesser extent eBay's changes to search. Getting less attention are the changes around "Seller Standards." eBay


• eBay Changes Criteria for Sellers 'Buyer Dissatisfaction' Rate
  eBay has changed the way it determines a seller's Buyer Dissatisfaction Rate (BDR) used to measure seller performance. When a seller's BDR goes above 5 percent, eBay imposes a number of restrictions, including a new requirement that the seller accept PayP


• Five Easy Ways to Build Sustainable Word-of-Mouth - Marketing Profs Daily Fix Blog
  Joan Stewart recently posted to her WomenCorp site a list of top 10 tips for free publicity. I definitely applaud Joan for creating this list, because the tips are terrific and entirely valid methods of building short-term Word-of-Mouth (WOM). But free pu


• Is Your Reputation Worth $15 Billion? - Forbes.com
  We wouldn't sell our reputation for $15 billion. Would you? Tempting though it is, it raises the question: What is the value of your personal reputation? If we could figure that out, we might know whether Facebook is actually worth $15 billion.


• A Secret to Finding New Subscribers for Your Blog
  This question hits my inbox so regularly that I that I’d answer it publicly rather than retyping my answer to each person who asks - it’s a topic that is on the mind of many bloggers these days so lets tackle it head on. I’ve written an extended ent


• Microsoft and Yahoo: Does It Make Sense (and Will It Work)? - Knowledge@Wharton
  On Friday, February 1, Microsoft announced it was making an unsolicited bid to acquire Yahoo for $44.6 billion in cash and stock, a 62% premium over Yahoo's stock price at the time. If the deal is completed, it would be the largest acquisition in Microsof


• David Rubenstein: Private Equity's 'Purgatory' Phase and the 'Combat Sport' of Capitalism - Knowledge@Wharton
  Private Equity has passed through a Golden Age, but will now spend a year or so in "purgatory" before entering an even greater period of expansion, or "Platinum Age," according to David Rubenstein, co-founder and managing director of The Carlyle Group, th


• Green Technology Offers Opportunities for Discerning Investors and Entrepreneurs - Knowledge@Wharton
  Most energy experts agree that global warming is a serious threat, and they also agree that green technology has the power to fundamentally reshape how business gets done. But at this early stage, these experts -- including investors -- are finding it har


• Time Warner's CEO Spells Out Changes - WSJ.com
  Taking a hard-charging tone in his first address to investors, Time Warner Inc. Chief Executive Jeff Bewkes laid out his blueprint for shaking up the sleepy company, confirming for the first time his intention to cut costs and explore changes in the compa


• AOL buys online marketing network buy.at - washingtonpost.com
  Time Warner Inc's (TWX.N) AOL said on Tuesday it has purchased buy.at, an online affiliate marketing network, as part of a strategy to bolster its Internet advertising operations. AOL did not disclose financial terms.


• Search marketing click fraud up 15% in 2007 - InternetRetailer.com
  The rate of click fraud in online pay-per-click advertising rose to 16.6% in 2007’s fourth quarter, up from 14.2% a year earlier and 16.2% in the third quarter, according to the quarterly Click Fraud Index. It’s the highest level since the index start


• Microsoft eyes web search, online video and m-commerce with bid for Yahoo - InternetRetailer.com
  Microsoft Corp. said today it has offered to buy Yahoo Inc. in a deal valued at about $44.6 billion, and projected the merger would pose a strong search marketing challenge to Google Inc. It also said the merger would generate at least $1 billion a year i


• Consumer frustration leads to lost sales for Great Britain’s e-retailers - InternetRetailer.com
  Online retailers in Great Britain lost sales during the 2007 Christmas shopping season because consumers had difficulty in finding product and delivery information, according to a study sponsored by RightNow Technologies Inc.


• Net Ad Growth to Continue, Deal or Not - The Associated Press
  Microsoft's unsolicited bid for Yahoo underscores the strength of online advertising — and the confidence the market has that the relatively new industry can withstand an economic downturn. Originally valued at $44.6 billion and worth about $40 billion


• Reputation Management for New Media | Marketing Profs Daily Fix Blog
  A strong brand helps to communicate that a company and its offerings are relevant and uniquely able to meet customer needs. Most companies today pour millions into brand-building campaigns to generate that external awareness, which in theory can speed up