Google Has Some Competition...Just Ask
Good morning:
ASK.COM Google now has a credible challenger in the simple search field called Ask.com. I’ve been using it for two weeks, switching between Ask.com and Google, and I’m thinking of switching permenantly.
It used to be called “Ask Jeeves,” but they lost the “butler” branding, and improved the nuts and bolts. The quality of search seems even between the two, but Ask.com has one big improvement. On the right hand side of your results, rather than displaying pay-per-click ads, Ask.com provides you with two lists of additional terms; one list to “narrow” the search and one list to “expand” the search.
For example, if you search for “snowmobiles,” the “narrow list” will include links to searches for Arctic Cat snowmobiles, used snowmobiles, snowmobile parts, etc. The “expand” list includes terms like “sleds,” “ATVs,” “Trail conditions,” etc.
I think it shows how quickly Google has to move to become an indepensible brand like Yahoo: http://www.ask.com
POLITICS ONLINE: Howard Dean and Joe Trippi ambushed the Democratic field in 2004 through strong grass-roots organization that used the Internet as its primary communications and fund-raising tool. An article in last week’s New York Times cited several leading political conultants who say this year the Internet will play an even bigger role, especially in raising money within new campaign finance laws.
Politics Online is one of the leading political consulting firms that spcializes in online channels, and their site has become something of a collection point for news, conference reports, and interviews with people who use online for political purposes. If you want to get a flavor for how the Internet is affecting this year’s crittical off-year election, here’s a good place to start: http://www.politicsonline.com
DAILY KOS: And here’s the biggest political blog, Daily Kos. It’s the biggest gathering place for people of the liberal persuasion---in fact there’s metrics that say it’s the biggest blog on the Internet, period.
“Kos” is Markos Moulitsas Zúniga,” a lawyer in Berkeley, California who started the blog from his home three years ago. It’s now his full-time job. He was born in El Salvador and grew up in Chicago after his family fled during the civil war. He served in the Army, then moved to the Bay Area when he became a lawyer in the high-tech industry. (And just last week he made an appearence on “West Wing” as himself, meeting with democratic presidential candidate Matt Santos)
Daily Kos boasts 20 million visits per month. (and I would bet 15 million are from 200,000 political junkies visiting 10X a day): http://www.dailykos.com
RENAULT “STILL SHAKING IT.COM” Three years ago Renault introduced the Megane, an entry-level sporty auto aimed at 20 and 30-somethings. Loud, aggressive ads across Europe featured the song “I See You Baby,” by Groove Armada, which is sampled in a new viral interactive site from Publicis Dialogue, a tres hip interactive arm of the Publicis network in Europe.
It’s all got something to do with “shaking your donkey” or something like that. The song has become an anthem repeated throughout the campaign, and now the catchy chourus is all you need to hear to think “Megane.” Anyway, the object of this e-game is to grab a taunting, obnoxious donkey and then...well, whatever: http://www.stillshakingit.com/
BONUS: Mis-use of the Internet: http://www.catsinsinks.com/
Keep asking questions—RJ
Google Has Some Competition...Just Ask
Good morning:
ASK.COM Google now has a credible challenger in the simple search field called Ask.com. I’ve been using it for two weeks, switching between Ask.com and Google, and I’m thinking of switching permenantly.
It used to be called “Ask Jeeves,” but they lost the “butler” branding, and improved the nuts and bolts. The quality of search seems even between the two, but Ask.com has one big improvement. On the right hand side of your results, rather than displaying pay-per-click ads, Ask.com provides you with two lists of additional terms; one list to “narrow” the search and one list to “expand” the search.
For example, if you search for “snowmobiles,” the “narrow list” will include links to searches for Arctic Cat snowmobiles, used snowmobiles, snowmobile parts, etc. The “expand” list includes terms like “sleds,” “ATVs,” “Trail conditions,” etc.
I think it shows how quickly Google has to move to become an indepensible brand like Yahoo: http://www.ask.com
POLITICS ONLINE: Howard Dean and Joe Trippi ambushed the Democratic field in 2004 through strong grass-roots organization that used the Internet as its primary communications and fund-raising tool. An article in last week’s New York Times cited several leading political conultants who say this year the Internet will play an even bigger role, especially in raising money within new campaign finance laws.
Politics Online is one of the leading political consulting firms that spcializes in online channels, and their site has become something of a collection point for news, conference reports, and interviews with people who use online for political purposes. If you want to get a flavor for how the Internet is affecting this year’s crittical off-year election, here’s a good place to start: http://www.politicsonline.com
DAILY KOS: And here’s the biggest political blog, Daily Kos. It’s the biggest gathering place for people of the liberal persuasion---in fact there’s metrics that say it’s the biggest blog on the Internet, period.
“Kos” is Markos Moulitsas Zúniga,” a lawyer in Berkeley, California who started the blog from his home three years ago. It’s now his full-time job. He was born in El Salvador and grew up in Chicago after his family fled during the civil war. He served in the Army, then moved to the Bay Area when he became a lawyer in the high-tech industry. (And just last week he made an appearence on “West Wing” as himself, meeting with democratic presidential candidate Matt Santos)
Daily Kos boasts 20 million visits per month. (and I would bet 15 million are from 200,000 political junkies visiting 10X a day): http://www.dailykos.com
RENAULT “STILL SHAKING IT.COM” Three years ago Renault introduced the Megane, an entry-level sporty auto aimed at 20 and 30-somethings. Loud, aggressive ads across Europe featured the song “I See You Baby,” by Groove Armada, which is sampled in a new viral interactive site from Publicis Dialogue, a tres hip interactive arm of the Publicis network in Europe.
It’s all got something to do with “shaking your donkey” or something like that. The song has become an anthem repeated throughout the campaign, and now the catchy chourus is all you need to hear to think “Megane.” Anyway, the object of this e-game is to grab a taunting, obnoxious donkey and then...well, whatever: http://www.stillshakingit.com/
BONUS: Mis-use of the Internet: http://www.catsinsinks.com/
Keep asking questions—RJ
0 comments: