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Google to step up its display ad business, exec says

Display advertising may be only a fraction of Google's advertising business now, but wait until later this year and next, a top Google executive says.

Google will have a "very significant position" in the online display ad market by 2008-2009, Tim Armstrong, Google's North American president for advertising and commerce, said at a Bear Stearns Media Conference in Palm Beach, Fla., on Monday, according to Dow Jones.

His prediction was only strengthened by news on Tuesday that the European Commission approved Google's acquisition of DoubleClick, which is a leader in display advertising.

Eventually, Google's … Read more

Google CEO warns of possible job cuts after DoubleClick merger

Google may cut its workforce as it integrates online ad firm DoubleClick into its operations, Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt warned in a blog posting after the acquisition was approved by the European Commission on Tuesday.

"As with most mergers, there may be reductions in headcount. We expect these to take place in the U.S. and possibly in other regions as well," he wrote. The process of determining the right staffing levels in the U.S. is expected to be completed in the U.S. by early April, and could take longer for offices outside the country, … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 678: Buzzkill Tuesday

EPISODE 678

It's Official: Hulu Opens Up on Wednesday http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/03/10/ its-official-hulu-opens-up-on-wednesday/

Ars: Buzzkill http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/ 20080311-restrictions-distribution-rifts-may-hamstring-hulus-launch.html

Kentucky lawmaker wants to make anonymous Internet posting illegal (thanks, Jim!) http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/ 20080310-lawmakers-attempt-to-criminalize-anonymous-posting-doomed.html http://www.wtvq.com/content/midatlantic/tvq/ video.apx.-content-articles-TVQ-2008-03-05-0011.html

Michael Jackson’s company denies Beatles coming to iTunes http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9890124-7.html

Lionsgate adding iTunes digital copy to some DVDs http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/03/11/ lionsgate-adding-itunes-digital-copy-to-some-dvds

EU clears Google-DoubleClick’s $3.1 billion merger http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/ 20080311-eu-clears-googledoubleclicks-3-1-merger.html… Read more

Why do we fall for bubbles?

It can happen at any time: market bubbles burst, companies crash and burn, investment portfolios become worthless overnight. The common denominator in these events is overconfidence, irrational exuberance, call it what you want, it all comes down to lots and lots of people taking risks they shouldn't take.

Why do we do this to ourselves, in spite of all logic to the contrary?

We even have age-old sayings we choose to ignore all the time: What goes up, must come down; the bigger they are, the harder they fall; don't put all your eggs in one basket. Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead sang, "'Cause when life looks like easy street there is danger at your door."

Do we listen? Nope.… Read more

With Europe's OK, Google closes DoubleClick acquisition

Updated on March 11 at 8:52 a.m.

European antitrust regulators on Tuesday approved Google's $3.1 billion merger with DoubleClick, paving the way for a blockbuster deal in Internet search and publisher-based advertising tools.

Approval by the European Commission, which came without conditions, had largely been expected to occur this week. The Commission's announcement comes three weeks before its April 2 deadline, in which it had to determine whether to nix the deal.

With the Commission's decision in place, Google announced on Tuesday that it has formally closed its merger with DoubleClick.

"We are … Read more

Google on data security: You can trust us, really

Google described on Tuesday how it secures the mountains of data that it handles every day, saying that it has highly automated processes and employs the best and brightest in Web security.

On the Official Google Blog, Douglas Merrill, a vice president of engineering, spelled out the company's philosophy, processes, and technology that the company employs for security.

He said that the company is developing its own security software, particularly to address areas such as large-scale computing and automation.

Google's processes are set up so that sensitive personal information can only be viewed by exception, Merrill said.

"… Read more

Google's drop in paid clicks: Part of the grand plan

After ComScore reported a recent decline in Google's paid clicks, the Net ratings service followed up, noting evidence that the drop was due to "Google's own quality initiatives that result in a reduction in the number of paid listings and, therefore, the opportunity for paid clicks to occur."

The reduction in listings, ComScore noted, was "offset by paid revenue per click."

On Monday, at a Bear Stearns media conference in Palm Beach, Fla., Tim Armstrong, Google's president of advertising and commerce in North America, offered essentially the same view on the matter.

As … Read more

Google: Model citizen of community development?

John Mark Walker, Hyperic's community lead, has an interesting take on whether Google deserves to be loved or loathed for its open-source community outreach.

John Mark is in the former camp and, increasingly, so am I. Google is the Teflon open-source company, contributing selectively and strategically...and winning kudos across the board.

Self-interested Google? Absolutely. But then, how many companies do you know that aren't self-interested contributors to open source? Walker notes:

I didn't say they were altruistic, but rather that they knew what they were doing with respect to community development. They invest in communities, many … Read more

How Google's counterculture changes everything

In the world of online services and editorial content, a term known as "stickiness" becomes the rallying cry of Webmasters and marketers alike. In essence, these people are fearful that if they lose visitors on the site, they'll never get them back. But for some reason, Google doesn't feel that way. In fact, it's more than happy to send you out in the wild.

Why is that? Why has Google always been a company that has single-handedly taken the tried and true mentality of Web site owners for years and turned it upside down. On top of that, why has the company been able to succeed if conventional wisdom suggests that should never happen?

Maybe because the old idea of keeping people on the site isn't necessarily the best way to go. Perhaps users want to use a service that acts as a means to an end instead of a vehicle of infinite knowledge. Maybe users are sick and tired of sticky services and want nothing more than to bounce around the Web in search of the very best content no matter where it is.… Read more