|
As if social networking site Facebook wasn't already enough of a titan on the web, it's about to become even more powerful. Why? Because the Redmond gods have just injected it with $240 million bucks. That's right, Microsoft recently purchased a minority stake in Facebook, which accepted the bid over another from search engine giant Google. The deal with Microsoft will lead to an expansion of social networking services (as if Facebook didn't already have enough), and, sigh, more advertising.
For those of you who have yet to dabble in Facebook -- and that number continues to dwindle every day -- it's a mish-mash of MySpace, Microsoft Messenger, and even Classmates. How so? Users will soon find that the site's best qualities are those that allow for personal customization, finding friends, and interaction. All it takes is a search and there's a good chance you can get in touch with that grade six girlfriend or boyfriend (if you want to). So, what does Microsoft have to do with any of this? Facebook is popular. Thus, it only makes sense that Microsoft would want to own a large part of Facebook. Since it's unclear what other services Microsoft will bring to the table, off the bat it'll be the new advertising everyone notices. According to reports, Microsoft plans to expand its existing agreement to provide banner ads to Facebook in the United States. It should also mean that banner ads advertising Facebook will begin to pop up on a greater number of external sites under the sway of almighty Microsoft. (Source: businessweek.com) Unofficially, Facebook is a trophy in Microsoft's web war against Google. According to one analyst, "This is about placing a big bet on the future of Facebook and positioning Microsoft possibly for an outright acquisition later, as well as keeping Facebook away from Google." (Source: pcworld.com) So, is this anything the average Facebook user should be excited about? Probably not. The deal seems almost exclusively an advertising triumph for Microsoft, which has struggled to match Google online in that regard. However, the Redmond-based company's muscle should keep the spammers and perhaps even sickos out, making Facebook a much safer place to surf.
-- Related newsletter articles:
2007/09/20 SpiralFrog Offers Free Music Downloads (advertising)
2007/09/28 Microsoft and Google Battle for Facebook (facebook)
2007/10/03 Microsoft Quadruples Search Power (google)
2007/09/04 Symantec Boss Blasts OneCare Pricing (microsoft)
2007/09/06 Microsoft Hoping To "Cloud" The Competition (microsoft)
2007/09/05 Is Microsoft Dialing A BlackBerry? (microsoft)
2007/09/12 Google Earth: Can it Find You? (google)
2007/09/26 Who'll Take Down MS Office? (google)
2007/09/25 Share your Stuff with Google Shared Stuff (google)
2007/09/27 MySpace Predators Flock to Facebook (facebook)
2007/10/11 Microsoft Patches Itself Up (microsoft)
2007/09/07 Zune Price Zapped (microsoft)
2007/09/19 Security Bug leads to Messenger Upgrades (microsoft)
2007/10/26 Back to the Arcade for Microsoft (microsoft)
2007/09/21 Presenting Google "Presentations" (google)
2007/10/10 Microsoft's "Rock n' Chat" Revolution! (microsoft)
2007/10/15 Console Price Wars Hot, But Not So Heavy (microsoft)
-- Recent articles (from all channels): 2008/05/12 Today in History: for Monday, May 12, 2008
2008/05/12 [ShellX 20080512]: 'Remote Manager', and 'Cyber Bandwidth ...
2008/05/12 Video Gaming Trade Group Struggling
2008/05/12 T-Mobile Finally Joins 3G Phone Race
2008/05/12 Apple Slammed by Environment Watchdog
2008/05/09 [ShellX 20080509]: 'Advanced Run', and 'Diver Windows Manager'
2008/05/09 Texas Refuses Facebook Friend Request
2008/05/09 Photo-Enforcement Technology Replaces Officers On Patrol
2008/05/09 Cuban Government Says 'Ok Computer'
2008/05/09 Excel Can E-Mail Your Weekly Reports For You!
2008/05/08 [ShellX 20080508]: 'Shell Enhancer', and 'Lansweeper'
2008/05/08 Xobni: MS Outlook Social Networking Technology for your Inbox
2008/05/08 Music Companies Jump on GTA IV Bandwagon
2008/05/08 Fascinating: Memristor to replace Binary
2008/05/08 Adobe Hopes To Make Flash Master Of The (Mobile) Universe
2008/05/08 Spiffy Envelopes and Labels in MS Word
2008/05/07 [ShellX 20080507]: 'Winbin2iso', and 'Loop Typer'
2008/05/07 Yahoo Adds Security Warnings To Search Results
2008/05/07 Apple to Lose Money on iTunes Movie Releases
2008/05/07 Amazon.com takes New York Tax to Court
2008/05/07 Need Glasses for the Slide Sorter View in MS PowerPoint?
2008/05/07 After Winning The DVD Format War, Blu-Ray Sales Tank
2008/05/06 [ShellX 20080506]: 'Visual Basic 6.0 Portable', and 'Double-...
2008/05/06 Yahoo Outsources to Jajah
2008/05/06 New HP Circuit Could Change Technology Forever
2008/05/06 Movie Downloads To Match DVD Release Dates
2008/05/06 Microsoft Ends Yahoo Bid
2008/05/05 [ShellX 20080505]: 'Ie7 Pro', and 'Desktop Ok'
2008/05/05 The WB Network Hops Online
2008/05/05 Microsoft Slashes Price of Xbox 360 Overseas
2008/05/05 Google CEO Wants YouTube to Take More of Your Money
|
