Balmer stating the blindingly obvious about MSN

[temi]

Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer says the software giant has a long way to go to compete with Google, when it comes to search and advertising. Microsoft is attempting to break into online advertising, but Ballmer admitted at the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo here Wednesday that Microsoft is still an "aspirant" in the search and advertising fields.
"In world search and advertising, Google is the leader; we're an aspirant," Ballmer said. "We have a lot of work to do in search and advertising."
Microsoft acquired digital-advertising company Aquantive in May, and it has been in the process of investing $2 billion in its own online-advertising platform.



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[LinkHunter]

It is in my opinion that MSN will be the leader by the end of 09 !!

They never intended on competing in the past but their time is coming and with the greed of Google starting to be very apparent, it will be a sinch I believe if they make it thier goal which it looks like they are!!

My thoughts anyway!

I don't think so.
Before MSN tries to catch up to Google, it has to catch up to Yahoo.
Yahoo search is WAY better than MSN and is closer to catching up to Google.

[LinkHunter]

Originally Posted by ablaye

I don't think so.
Before MSN tries to catch up to Google, it has to catch up to Yahoo.
Yahoo search is WAY better than MSN and is closer to catching up to Google.

You are certainly right about that at the moment and I totally agree with what you said totally, but consider this!

The main element that MSN is going after at the moment is the advertising market, and paying 6 Billion for aQuantive is just a start!

The expected growth in web advertising is expected to go through the roof and that is how MSN will take everything over in my opinion and I will tell you why; Google has convinced their twisted brains that they can capitalize on Localized Search and many other forms of Blatent steering of businesses, and they are spending way too much time trying to shut the webmasters and alike out from advertising in their search engine and that will hurt them in the end because like my Daddy always said, Greed Will Imprison Us All!

So my final point is: If MSN is successful with organizing a way to provide excellent quality traffic to business type sites, and perfect their ad market, and then suddenly come out with a liberal incentive system, it will not be long before people start going to MSN rather than get beat up by the new guidelines that Goog has put out, and if gates and Co. would come out with a little green meter or some way of seeing the strength in MSN, I think that the stock holders would freak and then a weakness would be formed!

I Strongly agree with you about Yahoo being the next as it appears from a logical perspective but my money is on the Company that practically runs the World myself!!

Sorry to bore everyone!!!