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Happy birthday to Lifehacker, one of my favorite blogs.
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A review some mobile email applications
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A new online publication tracking the Web 2.0 world.
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A new version of My Yahoo may be imminent.Both Paul and I saw links in our referral log.
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macs seem to have about 40% of marketshare among people presenting at marketing conferences.
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What if Darth Vader gave a formal presentation?
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Google's earnings call podcasted.
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January 2006
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
ESPN Wipes Ad Fees, Bad Reviews from iTunes
An update to my earlier post on the ESPN ads on iTunes. A reader points out that the “This is SportsCenter” ads that were sold on iTunes are now completely free (iTunes link). ESPN has waived the $1.99 fee it had been previously charging. However, they also appear to have wiped out all of the initial negative reviews over the fees!
Technorati Tags: Advercasting, Advertising, ESPN, iPod, iTunes
Monday, January 30, 2006
GooRSS Streams Google Results via RSS
Miel Van Opstal has posted an awesome array of RSS tools. Some of these I have written about before. However, one in particular - GooRSS - stands out as a true gem. GooRSS enables you to create RSS feeds for any Google Web search. Simply enter your search term and GooRSS gives you not only the latest results, but an RSS feed for your search. Yahoo and MSN web search already have an RSS feature built in, but GooRSS fills a void for Google.
Sunday, January 29, 2006
ESPN Finds Selling Ads on iTunes is a Bad Idea
It's only been a day since ESPN started selling their cute “This is Sports Center” Ads on iTunes, but already they are getting a big thumbs down from consumers. So far 23 reviewers have weighed in and the collection has amassed a piddly one-star rating out of a possible five.
Honestly, I don't blame them. Are they fun? Yes, when you watch them on TV. But they are certainly not worth $1.99 each. Worst of all, most of these ads are 30 seconds in length. This means you can more or less watch the entire ad by simply previewing it for free in the store! Save your money! The only value in buying the ad is that you gain ability to take them with you.
Advertisers better think twice before selling TV ads on iTunes. Instead, go outside the box. Create innovative free video podcasts that take us behind the scenes of an ad campaign or, even better, release branded entertainment shorts.
Technorati Tags: Ads, Advercasting, Advertising, ESPN, iTunes, Television, TV
The FeedButler Digged It
Someone better update that News 2.0 matrix because here comes FeedButler. The site is an RSS reader with social bookmarking and “non-hierarchical editorial control.” All stories are automatically added if the feeds are submitted by the users. When enough users has marked a new item as “cool' it is promoted to the front page. Hmmm, sounds familliar.
Technorati Tags: News 2.0
DOJ May One Day Try to Break Up Google
In chapter eight John Battelle's incredible book, The Search, he astutely predicted that Google would increasingly fall under the watchful eye of the US government. As we saw earlier this month, John was right. The US government requested aggregate search data not only from Google, but from all of the major search engines. Only Google didn't comply.
Years from now we will remark that this was the beginning of the end of Google as we know it. The reason is one day - maybe sooner than we think - the government will try to break up Google. This may accelerate depending on the outcome of the 2008 election.
Whether DOJ would succeed here is entirely an open question. However, if this does indeed happen, it will certainly slow down the search giant and the Web economy overall, much as DOJ did for Microsoft and the PC economy.
Over the past two years we've all watched as Google's image has transitioned from a once post-dot-com era darling into a Big Brother that many industries - from retailing to media to advertisers and more - fear. This trepidation isn't rooted really in Google's web search prowess, but more in its increasingly far-reaching tentacles. This fear only rises as Google moves into new industries beyond its core. Notably these include online and offline advertising, book and video distribution, commerce, and possibly music too if the rumors are correct.
As Google launches new services and begins to disrupt other industries (almost always with the consumer in mind), it will succeed wildly in some arenas and fail in others. However, where it succeeds Google will become the most powerful intermediary on the planet. Every business - including airlines, advertisers, media companies, retailers and more - will rise or fall depending on how they are positioned on Google's services. As this power (which to some degree already is present) gets larger, Google will be tempted to give its paying customers all kinds of breaks. The question is will they be able to resist this urge as competitors pour on the heat.
Let's look at a conceivable example of how a bigger Google might lead to unfair competition. Let's say you're a book publisher. Google's growing sales force convinces you to purchase Adwords that lead searchers to your book samples on Google Books. Carefully placed links on Google Books take browsers to Froogle where consumers can buy the book. This doesn't sound unfair so far. However, imagine Google sweetens the deal and gives you special incentives if you pull out of MSN Shopping. What might this include? Perhaps they will offer radio airtime or print ad space. Or, maybe they will happily feature your latest CNN PR hit right on the Google Video home page.
Think this won't happen? Think again. With power comes corruption. Revisit DOJ vs. Microsoft. In this landmark case Microsoft was accused of cutting off partners who did business with competitors. This was back in the day when Windows was our core entryway to the Web. Now that Google is becoming the Web dial tone, it may tie all of its ever-expanding tentacles together in ways that cut off competitors. And if that happens then you can bet the Feds will step in.
Unfortunately, my fear is that this will happen one day. Why? Perhaps Google will need to substantiate its burgeoning market cap with fresh earnings and it will cut corners. Or maybe less scrupulous employees will join the company as it grows. Or maybe Google's ego will go to its head. Who knows? However, what we all saw these last few weeks is that the Feds are watching this space. One slip-up will land Google in a courtroom not unlike Judge Penfield Jackson's. And if or when this happens, then it could have a chilling effect on all of the industries that thrive on the search economy - including PR and marketing.
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An AdAge Power 150 Blog 
Steve Rubel works at Edelman. Everything posted on this blog is his personal opinion and does not necessarily represent the views of his employer or its clients.
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