9 posts tagged “google”
Google's
new frontpage gadget lets you watch MTV content. This gadget, one of
thousands provided for your frontpage, brings in all kinds of tv
programming that's been provided by networks' broadband channels.
So if you'd like to consider this a loophole for Viacom's persistently upset stance on Google playing their content, go right ahead. But I can't imagine that this is much different than finding search results for Viacom--or even video search results for that matter. The content isn't pirated (it shouldn't be, at lease). As a matter of fact, the way in which you can watch MTV using Google's gadget feed is probably what Viacom would prefer over the pirated content that has made YouTube what it is today. Legality. That's all that Viacom wants, right? And maybe some revenue kickback.
At
any rate, many are speculating that this new Google gadget will
increase the strain on the relationship between Google and Viacom. And
maybe it will. It's still easy to find those pirated YouTube clips with
a quick search on Google Video, but I guess all that really will have
to be worked out in the courtroom. Could Viacom get all that upset
about the RSS feed on Google? Would they, in turn, get mad at all the
other companies that are allowing users to make their own program
line-ups based on content provided through these feeds?
There
are several ways in which to expound on our existing semantics
regarding search. When it comes to online discovery of information,
some of us can get flustered. Many companies have found tiny tweaks
that offer better ways of reaching an end goal. the personal, human
touch is what all search models have strove for, from day one. These
two companies have taken the want for the human touch quite literally.
uClue
Founded
by members of the original Google Answers team, uClue will simply find
the information for you. Set your price, leave your request, and
you'll get the information you need from research professionals
stationed around the globe. These pros are good at what they do. They
come from highly regarded academic backgrounds and they know what
they're doing. They choose what questions to answer, so you know
you're getting the quality you deserve.
...
Don't
feel like waiting around for an answer? Search uClue to see if someone
has requested information that's similar to what you need. Most
queries are made public once they've been answered by uClue, and are
readily turned into discussion threads for added perspectives.
ChaCha
Based
in Indianapolis, this search company will start a chat with you online
and actually find the results you need. The concept is interesting,
but the execution is in need of improvement. Anyone that tires of
waiting for the search results to be populated for them could easily
click on a related sponsored link, or trade Google's PageRank relevance
system for their impatience. Or you could simply find something else
to do while ChaCha does the searching for you.
No one's been ragging on Mark Cuban lately, and that's because his prophecy about GooTube being slapped with lawsuits turned out to be right. Viacom, YouTube's worst enemy, is taking the video-sharing site to court to the tune of $1 billion. That's more than half of what the company was purchased for when Google decided to take on the responsibility of the adolecent video hub.
The tension between Viacom and YouTube has become rather thick lately, escalating on a weekly basis. The promises YouTube made to the media industry have yet to pan out, and other video sharing sites are taking note, striving for extra measures to ensure that they do not fall in the same trap as YouTube. Other media companies have perked their ears as well, as the larger networks have taken a tendency to align with Viacom, noting that YouTube's copyright infringement issues have yet to be settled.
While YouTube claims that they have yet to receive the lawsuit from Viacom, the ensuing war is getting bloodier by the day. As long as YouTube remains non-compliant, they will continue to be threatened by established media. This can't be good for Google, which is trying to permeate the old media realm in what seems to be another advertising takeover. They've recently added printed and radio ads to their list of services, and are no doubt anxious to take their simplistic and self-serving model to new heights.
Though YouTube tried to avoid this very consequence by making preemptive deals with several media companies, the walls are now tumbling down around YouTube. Will this end in defeat for YouTube, placing them in the same situation as Napster? Or will this simply be enough to get YouTube's attention and compliance?
Eurekster has raised $5.5 million in a round of venture capital funding, suprising many since they've recently lost their biggest client, Friendster, to Google. The search engine that has dedicated its services to searching communities and social networks has provided value to many, nonetheless, and has become an easy solution for bloggers and niche communities across the board. When it comes to niche search engines, Eurekster has proven to have staying power.
Their swiki feature has proven rather popular and useful to those wanting to add a customized search tag cloud to their website or blog. In terms of the service they provide to communities, it's unique in that they study user behavior in order to provide better search results. This can be monetized, but not as much as a deal with Google, apparantly.
Eurekster's round of venture capital funding was provided by Technology Venture Partners of Australia and Transcosmos Investments of Japan, as well as additional private investors. If their loss of Friendster as a client has hindered them in any way, particularly in closing a deal with another larger company, I'm sure their latest round of funding will help them to further their development and put them in a better position in the long run.
Friendster's got a new friend
Google and Friendster have partnered up for an advertising deal, which is obviously good for the long-forgotten Friendster. Yahoo previously powered their search, but I'm sure Google is offering more money. Friendster, which lost a lot of clout and face value when rival MySpace suprisingly became the poster child for online social networking nearly two years ago, has still managed to hang on to a decent amount of members, consistently improving their service to include the stuff that poular networks are made of.
In following most of the other steps taken by MySpace, signing an advertising deal with Google is among the most lucrative.
It will be most interesting to see if and how Friendster is affected by the advertising deal with Google. The advertising company is always looking for more businesses to partner with. It's Friendster who must now be wary of why they partner with, as Google can appear pretty selfish at times. MySpace, who's very rewarding deal with Google ads left them with smiling faces, is the cause of anguish now that they're seeking a partnership with eBay's PayPal for the creation of online stores for their users. Google's newer online payment system is a direct rival of PayPal.
Yet this will no doubt increase the value of Friendster. If their still looking to sell, having an exclusive ad deal with Google will definitely improve their sticker price. The Google ads are scheduled to appear on Friendster's pages this spring.
Microsoft has released a few words about Google, and they're not nice. Microsoft has accused Google of disregarding copyright law, saying that their biggest rival's stance on copyrighted material as "we'll take it until we're told otherwise" is unlawful. Google has heard this from many content owners since day one, and is currently facing several legal battles in Europe that pertain to this very attitude. Google's search technique is superior, and some are uncomfortable with that. Google's displaying of copyrighted content for their news page and other forms of search results is gaining a lot of flack right now.
Microsoft is especially displeased with Google's moving into new media markets, especially their purchase of YouTube, only adds fuel to the fire. The general thought towards Google is that they aren't respecting copyright laws, and are taking no measures to protect content owners.
So will a case of bad press bring harm upon Google's head? Is this, on some level, an attempt to deflect attention from the constant criticism Microsoft has received for their Vista woes?
It's almost pointless for Microsoft to spread bad press about Google, as it's nearly ineffectual. But one does wonder why they're even bothering.
The BBC has struck a deal with YouTube, showcasing three channels for the UK-based television network. One for news, the others for entertainment, the three channels each have a different advertising model. One will not have any associated ads at all.
The deal is a precedent, especially for BBC, which is stringent on their ad models and have faced a lot of scrutiny regarding their decisions when it comes to online ads or not. It is because of this strict view of ad-share that only those outside of the UK will have access to the BBC's content on YouTube.
The BBC is admittedly utilizing the popular video-sharing site as a vehicle to promote their own content, and is taking a slightly different angle on how to do just that with YouTube. While deals with big networks such as NBC and CBS are beginning to go sour, YouTube's deals with sports teams and the BBC are emerging. The BBC's attitude of joining in instead of fighting back will hopefully pay off.
Others, such as Viacom and more recently The Academy for the Oscars, have vehemently demanded that pirated clips be removed from YouTube. Several have chimed in on how this relationship with YouTube should be handled; notedly Mark Cuban suggests that the Oscars be more like BBC. After all, there's no such thing as bad press, right?
Dada.net, an Itialian-based social networking provider, has teamed up with Google Ad-Sense to allow Dada users to include text ads on their profile and blog pages. From the reports, it doesn't seem as though users will be able to choose the ad content that is displayed, but Dada probably will. What they're calling the friend$ program is another way of incentivising online social networking in order to gain more ad revenue.
I'm sure social network creators will be all over this.
And so will the bots.
Existing Controversy
There is already discomfort regarding ads that are shown beside user-generated content, as the advertisers have no control over what those users display or promote on their personal profiles. In this regard, it is sometimes better to avoid placing ads on personal profile pages than garner any confusion as to an ad being associated with material on that page.
In the case of Ad-Sense, pretty much anybody can get into this text-ad program anyway. It makes little difference what a user's content is.
Potential Problems
Every MySpace user has gotten some sort of Spam in their message box, a fake friend request for a profile that's really a portal to a porn site, and luring comments that are the same genre. With the ability to earn money from a popular profile page, the bots are sure to get their hands in this pot.
Resulting Implications
Could this model become a social networking standard? This could be a viable option for those social networks looking to create traction by offering users a way to earn money from their content--especially video-hosting sites. For some reason, online video distribution has been a front runner for ad-revenue sharing models that wish to pay users for their content.
Does the success of the Italian-based program decide the fate of whether or not this model comes to the U.S.?
JotSpot users offer feedback regarding the company's recent buy-out from Google last October. Few changes have been made to JotSpot, the wiki-based hosting service, and that is both unsettling and comforting to several JotSpot users.
One change Google did make was offering all users the same service for free. This levels the playing field for businesses and users that are member to JotSpot. It's great for some, and disruptive for others.
And while this is one of the few changes that has already taken place since the acquisition, few other decisions regarding JotSpot have been relayed to their customers. When you have a business utilizing JotSpot services and you don't know what the knew owners plan on doing with it, that can be a real cause of discomfort when making vital business decisions. On the other end of the spectrum, some users are worse off for having stuck with JotSpot after the acquisition, citing downtime for their sites.
These are all valid concerns for existing customers, and potential new customers as well. It demonstrates what happens when a smaller company gets bought out by a larger one, and what happens when your business model relies on someone else's. It's a dangerous field to play. And by Google making JotSpot services free, it makes some customers even more wary of using JotSpot for their businesses. You never know what will happen if that company decides to charge for services again, or increase prices every year.
There are high levels of uncertainty when it comes to taking advantage of free or cheap services, especially when it comes to the Internet and its web-based business solutions. Yes, the cost is dropping dramatically for things such as bandwidth, enabling even more businesses to sprout up on the web. But it's also shaky ground when you depend on someone else for the stability of your company. This is made even more clear when that which you depend on falls under new ownership.
- When it comes to starting your own business online, it's best to avoid free or cheap hosting services. In this case, you get what you pay for.
- Always back up all your files.
- Have a Plan B. If something ever does happen, whether your hosting service goes bust or dramatically changes their service, know what your next steps will be.
