Are You Afraid Of Google? A Video Explanation Of Why Some Fear The Giant
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None of the major engines are focusing on how to monetize real-time search results, at least not yet. Casey mentioned that at Google there is a “solid separation between church and state,” i.e., product development and monetization.
Monetization is an angle that one real-time search startup, OneRiot, has tackled with some success. In the following conference session, Tobias Peggs, General Manager at OneRiot, explained how with RiotWise, OneRiot is showing ads from the Huffington Post for articles that match real-time search queries. OneRiot also has a wide distribution network, saying that 97% of search volume comes through partner sites via its API.
Using data to grow
Google wants to help publishers use web technology to grow, Mr. Varian said. "I think papers could better exploit the data they have. They need better contextual targeting and ad-effectiveness measurement."Mr. Varian said Google advises some publishers from the Google News roster on ad targeting and engagement. But not all of the newspaper world sees the search giant as a friend; last spring, News Corp. boss Rupert Murdoch accused the company of trampling copyrights by displaying snippets of new stories and selling advertising against them, taking money out of publishers' pockets. And last week, digital marketing firm Outsell released a report claiming that 44% of Google News users don't click through to the original sites.
We’re hearing that the cuts are part of a restructuring of technology and product that’s being conducted by Chief Product Officer Jason Hirschhorn and Chief Technology Officer Alex Maghen. Both are still fairly new to the company — Hirschhorn joined last April as part of the massive MySpace top management reshuffle, and Maghen joined in September. Hirschhorn, in particular, has made no secret of his desire to kill off products that no longer fit with MySpace’s core strategy.
It's easy to dismiss MySpace when folks discuss the big social portals but with the music biz in upheaval and with MySpace's leverage there, the next six to twelve months could be telling. As streaming takes hold, [video, music] it looks like MySpace is pretty well positioned with iLike and iMeem already in the acquisition hopper.
What's more interesting will be how the ramifications of Facebook Connect play out as millions of users look to it as the de facto "roving profile" if you will. I did see MySpace is letting users use Facebook Connect, which is smart, but how it handles overlapping apps and services will be challenging. And don't forget, Murdoch owns MySpace and there's some big battles brewing over pay walls and monetization.
Think of the implications if Murdoch had some success circumventing Google and yanking his content out from under the Google algorithm. That would make MySpace way more attractive to other media companies and even Bing.
"because most teams at Microsoft are not willing to comment officially on policies/products from their competitors".

"Five months after its debut, the service has been added to the bottom of the Google News home page, so that readers can quickly browse through groups of stories, including those that are “most viewed” and most “recent.”