Google (GOOG) just picked up another promising startup in its effort to gain some ground in the online visual advertising market. Teracent, which was formed three years ago, is becoming part of the search engine giant.

Yahoo! (YHOO) currently leads the market in display advertising sales, and Google has been trying push into the space. Last year, this led to its acquisition of online ad service DoubleClick, but that was a first step rather than a total solution to Google's display ad ambitions.

Continue reading Teracent: Display ad biz joins the Google family

Teracent: Display ad biz joins the Google family originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Twitter calls Google (GOOG) a "good role model," but says it isn't ready to rush down the road to advertising.

Nonetheless, an ad-based revenue model is something that cofounder Biz Stone says they "will be looking to do down the line." But, for now, he continues, Twitter is focused on "creating value for our users." For now, revenue generation ideas are being put on paper, "and we're definitely going to get to them," Stone says.

Continue reading Twitter finally reveals revenue ambition, wants to be Google -- but not yet

Twitter finally reveals revenue ambition, wants to be Google -- but not yet originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Yahoo! (YHOO) is the latest company that wants to optimize its search results for Twitter. This follows moves by Microsoft (MSFT) and Google (GOOG) to integrate Twitter data into their search results. Unlike its competitors, however, Yahoo! wants to do this without spending a dime (well, without giving a dime to the hot new social media platform).

Twitter's microblogging service has become famous not only for its rapid growth but also because it's found no way to turn it into revenue. Its recent discussions with Microsoft and Google demonstrated that Twitter can indeed bring in some cash -- by licensing its data for use in fine-tuning search engines. With two of the top search engines now optimizing for Twitter, it was only a matter of time before Yahoo! would rush to join the party.

Continue reading Yahoo! wants in on Twitter: No money involved

Yahoo! wants in on Twitter: No money involved originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Once upon a time, Mac users could brag they were much safer from malicious electronic attacks. After all, in the days before Google (GOOG), when Microsoft (MSFT) was the only uber-player in town, Windows was the perpetual malware target. Phishers, however, aren't discriminating; they're just looking for an account to plunge. So, both Apple (AAPL) and Microsoft users are threatened. Virus writers do tend to focus on the Windows operating system, which owns 90% of the OS market, but phishers are platform independent.

Phishing involves attempts to get a user to reveal information about their accounts. Once the soon-to-be victim clicks that link or fills out a form, the "transaction" is complete -- no operating system interaction necessary. As a result, there really isn't any advantage to using a Mac over a PC.

Continue reading Apple's Macs aren't safe from phishing attacks

Apple's Macs aren't safe from phishing attacks originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Unless you already have a major foothold in the search engine market - or an amazing, disruptive technology that can make the world take notice - there isn't much point in staying. Competing with Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) is hard enough, even when you're Yahoo (NASDAQ: YHOO) or Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) ... and, apparently, when you're IAC/InterActive Corp (NASDAQ: IACI). Barry Diller is ready to give up Jeeves, but only if asked nicely.

Diller's presence in the search space is Ask.com, ranked #4 behind Google, Yahoo and Microsoft's Bing. With a substantial gap between first and second, fourth barely registers at all. Ask.com has only a 2% U.S. market share, according to Hitwise, more than 60 percentage points behind the industry leader.

Continue reading Would anybody buy Jeeves? Ask might go on block

Would anybody buy Jeeves? Ask might go on block originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Your e-mail account is a goldmine. Technology companies push hard to keep your data secure, but there are plenty of scumbags out there who always seem to find a new way to gain an edge over the guys in white hats. Phishers, in particular, are eager to find new ways to profit from your identity and information, and they're getting some new tricks.

Phishing scam activity was quiet at the beginning of this year, according to a report in USA Today, but these attacks surged 200% from May through September, says the X-Force team at IBM (NYSE: IBM). Webmail, social media and gaming accounts are their primary targets. E-mail access, in particular, is highly sought after, since they can be use to push out spam ... while bypassing filters.

These "virgin" e-mail accounts command top dollar: a digital criminal can pick up as much as $2 for a clean account from Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) Windows Live, Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) Gmail, Yahoo (NASDAQ: YHOO) YahooMail or AOL (NYSE: TWX). This is more than twice the amount typically paid for a stolen credit card account, according to Fred Rica, principal in the security practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Many webmail users actually do half the criminals' job for them, with 33% using just one password online and 48% using only a handful.

Continue reading Phishers using new lures

Phishers using new lures originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Yahoo (NASDAQ: YHOO) closed at $16.69.YHOO is hosting an analyst meeting on October 28. YHOO November option implied volatility is at 36; January is at 37; below its 26-week average of 48, according to Track Data, suggesting decreasing price movement.

Financial Select Sector-XLF overall volatility at 36; 26-week average is 43.

ISE Sentiment Index-ISEE closed at 152 on 10/27/09. ISEE 10-day moving average is 134.

Option Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

Options Update: Yahoo volatility low into online ad growth outlook originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Carl Icahn, the famous activist investor, resigned from the Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO) board of directors Friday.

This comes just over a year after he scored the position, following the seemingly endless talks the company had with Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) over the possibility of a takeover. Icahn told Yahoo that he was resigning effective immediately because Yahoo! didn't need an activist investor on the board at this time.

Continue reading Icahn bails from Yahoo! board of directors

Icahn bails from Yahoo! board of directors originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 24 Oct 2009 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here are some highlights from last week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Altria Group Inc. (NYSE: MO) Q3 earnings beat by a penny but sales fell short of expectations; shares fell.
• AMR Corp. (NYSE: AMR) reported a Q3 net loss and plunging revenue but also raised $4 billion in cash.
• BB&T Corp. (NYSE: BBT) topped Q3 earnings expectations but said bad-loan provisions nearly doubled.
• Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) missed estimates and posted a Q3 loss due to delays for a couple of jet products.
• Capital One Financial Corp. (NYSE: COF) shares rose after it reported better-than-expected Q3 numbers.
• Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) posted a better-than-expected Q3 profit but sales fell short, and shares fell.

Continue reading Earnings highlights: Boeing, Coca-Cola, eBay, Microsoft, Pfizer, UAL, Yahoo! ...

Earnings highlights: Boeing, Coca-Cola, eBay, Microsoft, Pfizer, UAL, Yahoo! ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 24 Oct 2009 09:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Online auction giant eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY), a business that counts Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO) as related companies, was not popular in Wednesday's after-hours session. The third-quarter report just didn't do it for Wall Street, so Wall Street decided to make some trouble and bring the per-share price of the stock down by 4.5%. Oh sure, the company beat earnings by the most famous amount there is -- the proverbial penny -- but, according to this Bloomberg piece, guidance was not so inspiring.

The top line was actually pretty cool. Net sales saw an increase of 6%. Unfortunately, the bottom line couldn't take advantage of such growth. On an adjusted basis, net income dropped 16% to 38 cents per diluted share. And, as I just said, that was one penny ahead of the analysts.

Continue reading eBay sees declines in profit and operating margin in Q3

eBay sees declines in profit and operating margin in Q3 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The number two search engine in the United States turned in a fantastic third quarter, far ahead of expectations. Cost-cutting, layoffs and business divestitures led to a surge in Yahoo's (NASDAQ: YHOO) profits and a 4.8% increase in share price in extended trading on Tuesday evening. Net income more than tripled to $186.1 million (13 cents per share) from the third quarter of 2008's result of $54.3 million (4 cents a share). Sales (exclusive of fees passed to partner sites) reached $1.13 billion, slightly above the $1.12 billion expected by analysts, according to a Bloomberg survey.

With the advertising market in rough shape and competition from Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) continually rising, Yahoo refocused on its core properties: the home page, messaging and mobile services. The company trimmed what it didn't need, which is why it was able to boost its earnings even with a decline in revenue. Increased ad revenue from auto manufacturers, travel companies and consumer product manufacturers also helped.

Yahoo's chief financial officer, Timothy Morse, says that the company's markets are "starting to stabilize." Of course, Yahoo itself must be doing something right: its share price is up 41% this year.

Continue reading Yahoo profit triples year-over-year

Yahoo profit triples year-over-year originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

According to Earnings.com, Yahoo!, whose colleagues include Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Google (NASDAQ: GOOG), is expected to say it made 7 cents per share in the third quarter. That won't be so great, since it will represent an earnings decline compared to last year's income stat. Of course, we should remember that it won't be just about the earnings per share. We'll have to hear what management has to say about future prospects.

Continue reading Yahoo! preview: Will stock see a bid after Q3 report?

Yahoo! preview: Will stock see a bid after Q3 report? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

KaChing! KaChing!

It only makes sense to call a company a sound you like to hear. This is exactly what CEO and co-founder Andy Rachleff must have had in mind. His new company -- kaChing, of course -- is backed by Marc Andreesen (a name often associated with that sound) and Jeff Jordan, the CEO of OpenTable (NASDAQ: OPEN), two guys who usually do a solid job of backing winners. But, they've taken on a challenge by backing a company in the financial services industry.

Continue reading KaChing hopes to be the sound of success

KaChing hopes to be the sound of success originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A new executive team is trying to bring MySpace back to its former glory. By focusing on music, videos and games, it hopes to recapture some of its luster. With the MySpace refugees mounting, it's time for some new blood to make some brilliant, future-changing decisions. This week, the company is holding a conference for its global ad sales team to explore ways to bring in traffic and beef up ad spending.

MySpace is poised to haul in $495 million in ad revenue this year, down 15% from last year's $585 million, according to research firm eMarketer. In August, MySpace attracted 64.2 million unique visitors from the United States, off 15% from August 2008, according to comScore, while Facebook pulled in 92.2 million unique U.S. visitors - up more than 100% year-over-year.

Continue reading MySpace (still) refocusing on entertainment content

MySpace (still) refocusing on entertainment content originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) increased both sales and income in the third quarter. The giant of online search, which issued its earnings release after the bell on Thursday, is saying what a plethora of companies are also saying: the worst of the economic downturn may finally be over.

According to TheStreet.com, sales, after traffic acquisition costs are taken into account, rose about 8%. On an adjusted basis, profit grew almost 20% to $5.89 per share. Our earnings preview article stated that expectations were for $5.38 per share. Google did a good job of giving the world a reason to believe that the rallies seen in the major market indexes should be taken seriously.

Continue reading Google finds growth and cash in the third quarter

Google finds growth and cash in the third quarter originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) isn't planning to acquire its way into the search engine market. The company's CEO, Steve Ballmer, told Reuters that the company would invest in marketing and hopefully complete a partnership with Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO) that is currently involved in a regulatory review. The goal, of course, is to provide at least meaningful competition to search giant and dominant market player Google (NASDAQ: GOOG).

Expect growth to slow a bit for Microsoft, Ballmer says, as a result of global economic developments. In order to cope with this -- and gear up for a potential battle with Google -- the company has frozen its R&D budget of $9.5 billion, the largest in the industry. With that and a $31.4 billion cash and cash equivalent position, Microsoft certainly has the resources to do battle.

Continue reading Microsoft not looking for search engine acquisitions

Microsoft not looking for search engine acquisitions originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Twitter's much-hyped $100 million round of financing closed Friday, cementing the company's (illiquid) value at $1 billion, though Twitter itself would not confirm the amount. T. Rowe Price and Insight Venture Partners participated in the deal, as expected, which is believed to be a precursor to an eventual liquidity event -- such as an IPO or acquisition.

In a way, it feels like 1999, where you have investors rushing to invest in high-profile companies, despite the absence of revenue models. Yet, Twitter may not be as bad off as the traditional folks think, especially if the goal is an acquisition. The company does say that it's pursuing revenue via corporate accounts. But, it's been saying this for a while, and we haven't seen anything yet. Also, it's leaving open the possibility of running ads on the site, though this wouldn't happen within the next three months.

Continue reading Twitter closes new round -- what's next?

Twitter closes new round -- what's next? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 26 Sep 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) will be spending $100 million to market its new ... nothing. The internet pioneer who wants out of the tech biz and solely into the media biz (sounds like the Terry Semel days) will spend that sum over the next 15 months to gain new customers to its plethora of web properties and keep them there as long as possible (and charger advertisers appropriately).

What is new about this? From initial review, nothing. Yahoo! has always wanted to gain customers to its extensive internet collection and keep them there. What's so compelling a change that it's worth $100 million? So far, nothing this writer can determine. Just using Microsoft Corp.'s (NASDAQ: MSFT) Bing search services across all its properties is surely not a compelling reason.

Continue reading Yahoo! to spend $100 million on new ad campaign -- and crosses fingers

Yahoo! to spend $100 million on new ad campaign -- and crosses fingers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Bing gaining ground on Google

Bing gaining ground on Google originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Since coming on board Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO) early this year, Carol Bartz has wasted little time in making changes. Part of the strategy is to get the company more focused.

So, it looks like Yahoo! is in the process of selling its small business unit. All in all, it's a good asset, with web hosting, domain name services, and merchant accounts. The deal may also include the HotJobs division.

Continue reading Yahoo! seeks to unload small biz assets

Yahoo! seeks to unload small biz assets originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.