if you recall a few weeks ago, Jeremy Zawodny wrote a post about his thoughts on Google ripping off a certain Yahoo page design. Steve Bryant over at GoogleWatch thought it would be fun to create a Google start page that looked exactly like Yahoo’s current theme.

I guess this would be what Google ‘could’ look like if they we’re purchased by Yahoo!, instead of Overture…

In a recent BusinessWeek article, Google and Yahoo we’re compared. More specifically Yahoo’s Panama project was compared to Googles recent innovations. According to the article:

Using data on total search queries, released by comScore, Caris & Co. analyst Tim Boyd estimates that Yahoo made on average between 10¢ and 11¢ per search in 2006, bringing in a total of $1.61 billion for the first nine months of the year. Google, meanwhile, makes between 19¢ and 21¢ per search. As a result, it made an estimated $4.99 billion during the same period.

This is incredible data (even if extrapolated), directionally it means Google is approx 200% better at monetizing search queries vs. Yahoo. The ironic part is, Yahoo! has more experience at this game, and the scenarios imho should be flipped. Let’s see who wins in the end, or who acquires Yahoo! first - Microsoft, or a Media Giant like ClearChannel.

I wanted to dedicate a complete post to this oddity. When I got home last evening, from a long days work; naturally I decided to open the iPod.

To our surprise my Wife noticed the new Shuffle from Google has a misprint in it’s intended engraving message. Looks like Google is “mispelled” in the actual engraving, it reads “ooGleg thanks you!” - how strange.

UPDATE: Reader asmmisc helped to figure this riddle out: “ooGleg = Google Shuffled” Get it? Google Shuffle(d), awesome play on words…

I walked into my office this morning, and was delighted to see a gift from Google all wrapped up. Once I opened the package, to my suprise there was a neatly wrapped iPod Shuffle and a Xmas card…honestly this is the best Gift any vendor has ever given us.

Kudos, to the Agency Marketing group at Google for selecting such a great gift!

UPDATE: I just got home (from a long days work) naturally I decided to open the iPod, and noticed the new Shuffle from Google has a misprint engraving message. Google is “mispelled” in the engraving, it reads “ooGleg thanks you!” - how strange.

*Do you think this is a just a accident, coincidence or is it a hidden message.

With Google breaking away from the pack does Microsoft have any chance to compete? Well if Microsoft acquires Yahoo they do. Here are ten reasons why they will acquire Yahoo in 2007.

Here are ShoeMoney’s Top 10 reasons why:

1. The search algorithm… duh… Microsoft’s horrid search algo is by far the single biggest problem that Microsoft has right now. The problem is that when there is no users using the search engine then there is a ton of ads that never are shown. If Microsoft were to acquire Yahoos search algorithm this would be a GIANT step in getting users back.

2. Overture Yahoo Search Marketing. Microsoft used to broker every through the company formally known as overture. for showing ads on msn.com search. They are now trying there own company but its chugging along at a very slow pace. Most advertisers like Microsofts Adcenter but agree there is just not enough volume from its search engine (see #1).

3. Yahoo Publisher Network - YPN IMO is the best contextual advertising network there is. They have a great quality control team and also a REAL PHONE NUMBER THAT REAL PEOPLE ANSWER if you have contextual questions. Nobody provides the level of customer support in regards to contextual advertising that Yahoo Publisher Network does.

4. Flikr - Again Microsoft may have a similar product but the volume is here. Boom another zillion people to market to.

5. del.icio.us - While Google is signing up or buying all the 2.0 advertising space Microsoft can acquire a huge name right here.

6. The People - Microsoft has tons of stale old people who do not understand this new industry. They are starting to just now contribute to rival open source projects like Zend and Mysql. Acquiring Yahoo people like Jeremy Zawodny (who wrote a book on Mysql and also contributed tools to the project). Microsoft realizes that they are not only loosing ground in the search industry fast but they also lost market share in server technology to zend (PHP) and other opensource products. If they want to keep there market share with Windows Server I think bringing in a lot of these brilliant Yahoo developers would keep them on the right track in making sure they integrate well with the open source items.

7. Video - Between Yahoo Video and Microsoft’s Soapbox They might be able to combine for a decent share of the video market. Why is the video market important - 2 words - video advertising. I took part in the beta test when Google did a trial run of video ads and then 2 months later they buy out utube… ya… video advertising. Ad Volume ++

8. Community properties - Yahoo has yahoo groups which numbers rival close to Myspace. Never heard of groups.yahoo.com ? Ohh yea you forgot about that huh? Instantly you have millions of people to show more ads to! Ad Volume++

9. Business Directory - Microsoft Just gave up there Business Directory efforts. Yahoo has always rocked it with there paid inclusion directory. Its by far the most respected business directory on the internet. Even at 300$ per year fee webmasters line up all day to submit there websites. Mean while Google’s Business directory is a laughing stock being powered by the corrupt DMOZ.

10. Yahoo Just cleaned house. It seems to me this makes a merger that much easier with less chiefs to merge.

Our money is on Q2 2007 for the hostile takeover to occurr, maybe Q3 depending on the growth curve of Vista and Adcenter advertiser scalability needs.


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Google Adwords added ‘tree’ and ‘candle’ borders to their sponsored listings that appeared for the three top Holiday search terms: Christmas = Trees, Hanukkah = One type of candle, Kwanzaa = Colored alternating candles. How cute and festive - we just wonder if it improved CTR? That was the goal right? Leave it up to a bunch of PHD’s to celebrate the holidays quantitatively and qualitatively on top - LOL.

Thanks KB for the tip!


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Growing strife inside Yahoo! has erupted into a sweeping management and organizational shakeup. CEO Terry Semel announced yesterday that the company will be reordered into three groups: one to focus on advertisers and publishers, another to focus on Yahoo!’s base of over 500 million users, and a third on technology and development.

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