Categories: Yahoo

Board Turnover Falls Again at Tech Firms, Survey Says

Posted by: Rachael King on December 09

By Peter Burrows After Sarbanes-Oxley became the law of the land in 2002, there was hand-wringing over whether public companies would be able to keep great directors on their boards....

Yahoo: Now Accepting Facebook ID

Posted by: Douglas Macmillan on December 02

Conceding to the ubiquity of Facebook as the default form of identity on the Web while helping further it, Yahoo announced a partnership with the social network on Wednesday that...

Google Buys Teracent to Boost Display Ad Push

Posted by: Rob Hof on November 23

If anyone doubted Google was serious about online display advertising, those doubts surely were quashed today. This morning, Google announced the acquisition of Teracent, a startup that helps advertisers format...

In Factery Labs' Search Engine, Facts Trump Links

Posted by: Rob Hof on November 17

Despite Google's inexorable gains in Internet search market share, search startups (and behemoths) keep trying to improve upon the search giant's results. Factery Labs, debuting early Nov. 17, aims to...

Carl Icahn Exits Yahoo Board. Do You Care Anymore?

Posted by: Rob Hof on October 23

Carl Icahn, the activist investor who helped goad Yahoo into finally doing a search deal with Microsoft, has left the board of the Internet portal. Why's he leaving? Icahn says...

LIVE: Microsoft Announces Twitter, Facebook Deals

Posted by: Rob Hof on October 21

UPDATE: Big news below: Microsoft has signed deals to get full feeds from Twitter and Facebook. Shortly, a dedicated beta site, bing.com/twitter, will have the ability to search full Twitter...

LIVE: Yahoo Beats Q3 Earnings Forecasts; Q4 Outlook Up

Posted by: Rob Hof on October 20

Yahoo managed to beat third-quarter profit forecasts easily on slightly higher-than-expected revenues. Shares rallied in after-hours trading by about 3% 6% (the higher number coming as the conference call proceeds)....

LIVE: Google Beats Q3 Earnings Expectations

Posted by: Rob Hof on October 15

Google beat third-quarter earnings expectations easily, posting a 7% rise in net revenues excluding payments to advertising partners, to $4.38 billion. Profit was $5.89 a share, handily beating forecasts. Google...

Matt Cutts: How Google Deals With Web Spam

Posted by: Rob Hof on October 04

It’s up to Matt Cutts and his team at Google to keep search results as free as possible from Web spam, those pages full of Viagra ads or even malware....

Consumer Groups Call for Online Privacy Guarantees

Posted by: Rob Hof on September 01

A group of 10 consumer and privacy watchdog groups this morning called for Congress to clamp down on online tracking of people's behavior to target advertising to them as they...

Yahoo's Bartz Got Her Boatload of Cash, Says Ballmer

Posted by: Peter Burrows on July 30

Normally, CEOs use their introductory remarks at their finanical analysts meetings to talk up their own rosy prospects. I'm watching Microsoft Steve Ballmer do just that--except for a lengthy aside...

"No Bull----": Ballmer & Bartz on Microsoft-Yahoo Search Deal

Posted by: Rob Hof on July 29

Soon after announcing their deal to combine forces on Internet search and search advertising, Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer talked with BusinessWeek about how the deal...

Microsoft and Yahoo Announce 10-Year Search Deal

Posted by: Rob Hof on July 29

And so the deal is finally done: Microsoft and Yahoo early this morning announced a 10-year deal that provides a united front against search giant Google. As we wrote last...

Microsoft Search Deal With Yahoo Finally Here?

Posted by: Rob Hof on July 28

At long last, Microsoft and Yahoo appear to be very close to a long-awaited deal on Internet search. According to reports in the Wall Street Journal and the Boomtown blog,...

A Sign of Hope for Online Ad Prices

Posted by: Rob Hof on July 23

Prices for display ads have been dropping for some time. The suspects are easy to identify: the poor economy, which is not only reducing ad budgets but also driving...

LIVE: Yahoo's Q2 Earnings, Q3 Outlook Disappoint

Posted by: Rob Hof on July 21

Yahoo's second-quarter earnings are out now amid muted expectations. Its profit rose to $141 million, or 10 cents a share, from $131 million, or 9 cents a share a year...

Will Yahoo's Q2 Earnings Report Defy Low Expectations?

Posted by: Rob Hof on July 21

Yahoo will report its second-quarter earnings today, and few investors are looking for much cheer in the results. Yahoo is expected to report a profit before special charges of 8...

Yahoo to Launch New, Customizable Home Page

Posted by: Rob Hof on July 20

Yahoo will debut a new home page on Tuesday that it's pitching as the most sweeping change in its main site since the company began. The site, which will...

Google Beats Earnings Forecast But Investors Unimpressed

Posted by: Rob Hof on July 16

Google managed to beat expectations for its second-quarter results. Here's the release, but on first glance, it looks like Google met expectations on revenues but beat handily on profits. All...

All Eyes on Google As Second-Quarter Earnings Report Looms

Posted by: Rob Hof on July 16

Search giant Google will report its second-quarter earnings shortly after 1 p.m. Pacific time today, at a time when investors will be wondering which way online advertising is going. While...

LIVE: Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz's First Annual Meeting

Posted by: Rob Hof on June 25

I'll be liveblogging the Yahoo annual meeting this morning at the Santa Clara Marriott in Silicon Valley, network willing. This year's meeting is sure to have less drama than the...

Jeff Weiner Moves Up to CEO at LinkedIn

Posted by: Rob Hof on June 24

Six months after joining LinkedIn as interim president in a management shakeup, former Yahoo executive Jeff Weiner has just been appointed chief executive of the business networking firm. His appointment...

Yahoo Plugs Search Progress: Toward a Web of Objects

Posted by: Rob Hof on May 19

With Microsoft set to relaunch its search engine as early as next week, its rivals have been talking up the new and upcoming features of their search engines. Google held...

Another Google Ad Exec Leaves; Tidbits from an Interview with David Rosenblatt

Posted by: Rob Hof on April 29

Google has lost yet another top ad executive. David Rosenblatt, president of global display advertising for the search giant, emailed friends and colleagues to say he's leaving the company a...

LIVE: Yahoo Second-Quarter Earnings Just OK, Q2 Guidance Light; 5% Layoff Announced

Posted by: Rob Hof on April 21

Yahoo managed to hit earnings expectations on slightly lower-than-expected first-quarter revenues. It also announced it expects to lay off about 5% of its staff. Based on the 13,600 employees as...

OpenX Launches Online Advertising Exchange

Posted by: Rob Hof on April 16

Online ad exchanges, which work like the Nasdaq stock exchange to match buyers and sellers of ads, are nothing new but they're starting to heat up again. In the past...

More Layoffs Coming at Yahoo

Posted by: Rob Hof on April 14

Well, nobody really thought new Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz would simply dial up Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer with a deal proposal and leave it at that, did they? And so...

Marketers Cut Search Ad Spending But Reap Higher Returns

Posted by: Rob Hof on April 14

As investors look ahead to Google's first-quarter earnings report Thursday, they'll be looking for further signs of how much search advertising has been hit by the tanking economy. Here's an...

Yahoo and Microsoft CEOs Finally Talking About a Search Deal; Maybe More?

Posted by: Rob Hof on April 10

In a development that can't be too surprising but may help revamp the Internet landscape, Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer have started talking about forging Internet...

A Sign of Slowing Search Ad Spending

Posted by: Rob Hof on April 02

Search advertising is finally feeling the full impact of the weak economy, according to a new report out this morning from online marketing analytics firm Covario. In fact, search spending...

LIVE: Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz Speaks

Posted by: Rob Hof on March 03

At the Morgan Stanley technology conference, analyst Mary Meeker is interviewing Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz. I'm listening on the Web, since media wasn't invited to the conference. I think it's...

UPDATED WITH DETAILS: Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz Revamps Management

Posted by: Rob Hof on February 26

New CEO Carol Bartz just announced in a detail-free blog post the much-anticipated shakeup of Yahoo's management ranks. Although she didn't say what the reorganization would involve beyond making the...

Carol Bartz Prepares to Revamp Yahoo Management

Posted by: Rob Hof on February 22

Even if it's a spectacularly obvious thing for a new CEO to do, Carol Bartz's reorganization of Yahoo's management ranks as early as this week will be a pivotal development....

Yahoo Search Pad: Making Online Research Easier

Posted by: Rob Hof on February 04

When you're researching something online, whether it's a place you want to vacation or (like me) a subject you want to write about, it's still not easy to collect...

LIVE: Yahoo's Fourth-Quarter Earnings Beat Forecasts; Bartz Says "Not for Sale"

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 27

Yahoo managed to outpace dour expectations for its fourth quarter, beating profit expectations handily. Despite showing a net loss of $303 million thanks to the costs of layoffs and office...

Another Reason Carol Bartz Joined Yahoo: $$$

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 15

When I talked the other day with Bill Coleman, CEO of Cassatt and a former colleague of new Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz at Sun Microsystems, he said he was initially...

What New Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz Really Told the Troops

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 15

Yahoo's stock fell more than 6% today as investors digested reports on what new CEO Carol Bartz told employees during an all-hands meeting yesterday. Some reports indicated she said her...

LIVE: Yahoo Announces Carol Bartz as CEO

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 13

Here's my liveblog of the Yahoo conference call announcing Yahoo's appointment of Carol Bartz as CEO: Yahoo Chairman Roy Bostock comes on with effusive praise for Bartz. "Carol more than...

Confirmed: Carol Bartz Named Yahoo CEO: Can She Turn It Around?

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 13

UPDATED: After a two-month search for a new CEO to replace cofounder Jerry Yang, Yahoo has chosen Autodesk Executive Chairman Carol Bartz to get the embattled company back on track....

Another Year, Another Round of Microsoft-Yahoo Deal Scenarios

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 07

A group of Silicon Valley executives and investment bankers is ginning up a new proposal to buy Yahoo, according to TechCrunch: Under the terms of the proposed deal, the investment...

Founder Reid Hoffman Replaces Dan Nye as LinkedIn CEO

Posted by: Rob Hof on December 17

Less than two years after Dan Nye joined LinkedIn as CEO, he's leaving in mid-January. He will be replaced by Reid Hoffman (pictured), angel investor extraordinaire and cofounder, chairman, and...

Mahalo Debuts Answers Service

Posted by: Rob Hof on December 15

If there's one overarching reason people love the Internet, it's to find answers to questions. That's why Google has been so successful. But for years, various companies have tried to...

In Other News, Yahoo Settles Shareholder Lawsuit on Severance Plans

Posted by: Rob Hof on December 10

As if Yahoo wasn't doing enough today with the announced layoff of 1,500 people, it also just settled a shareholder lawsuit over controversial severance plans it adopted shortly after Microsoft's...

And So the Yahoo Layoffs Finally Begin. But a New CEO? Not That Soon

Posted by: Rob Hof on December 10

In a blog post starkly titled "Tough times," Yahoo cofounder and CEO Jerry Yang announced that the embattled Internet icon's long-awaited layoffs have begun. Yang's memo to the depleted troops...

Kosmix, "Your Guide to the Web," Gets $20 Million, Launches Beta

Posted by: Rob Hof on December 08

Armed with an additional $20 million in funding, Kosmix is looking to expand its vision of how best to provide people a map to the World Wide Web. No, Kosmix...

Former AOL Chief Jonathan Miller Eyeing Yahoo Buy? Maybe, But ...

Posted by: Rob Hof on December 02

And the rumors around Yahoo keep swirling. A few days after supposed news of a Microsoft deal to buy Yahoo's search operation proved to be complete fiction, the Wall Street...

Google Launches SearchWiki for Customized Search Results

Posted by: Rob Hof on November 20

After almost a year of testing and some recent early sightings, Google today is planning to launch SearchWiki, a way for searchers to edit their own search results. When you...

Jerry Yang to Step Down As Yahoo CEO; Will Microsoft Return?

Posted by: Rob Hof on November 17

Yahoo co-founder and CEO Jerry Yang will step down as CEO as soon as a successor is found, the embattled Internet company just announced. The release (quoted in full after...

Yang Says Microsoft Buyout Still ‘Not a Bad Idea’

Posted by: Aaron Ricadela on November 05

“It’s been a pretty amazing year,” Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang said at the outset of an on-stage interview at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco Nov. 5. Chalk one...

Google Ends Search Advertising Deal with Yahoo

Posted by: Rob Hof on November 05

After four months of wrangling with the Justice Department, Google has ditched its search advertising deal with Yahoo. The move, announced unilaterally by Google, had been widely expected in recent...

Report: Google, Yahoo Revise Search Advertising Deal

Posted by: Rob Hof on November 03

Google and Yahoo have made major concessions in their proposed search advertising deal in hopes of getting the Justice Department to go along with it, according to a Wall Street...

Microsoft and Yahoo Duel Over Who Can Lose the Most Media Executives

Posted by: Rob Hof on November 03

When they aren't letting each other know how little they think of each other, Microsoft and Yahoo seem to be engaged in another contest: Who can lose the most Internet...

Will the Google-Yahoo Deal Happen? Who Knows?

Posted by: Rob Hof on October 30

According to a just-posted story in the Journal, the likelihood that Google and Yahoo will walk away from their controversial search advertising deal has risen, as talks with the Justice...

LIVE: Yahoo Earnings Not As Bad As Feared, But Layoffs to Begin

Posted by: Rob Hof on October 21

Not surprisingly, Yahoo just reported third-quarter earnings that were weak but not as awful as some might have expected. However, the company said layoffs of at least 10% of the...

LIVE: Surprise! Google Beats Third-Quarter Profit Forecasts

Posted by: Rob Hof on October 16

UPDATE: More from the call after the jump, which I'll keep updating as it proceeds... Google just reported third-quarter results, and it managed to defy skeptics who thought it might...

Will Digg Use New Funding to Get People Like Me Interested Again?

Posted by: Rob Hof on September 24

After months and months of rumors that it would get acquired, the collaborative news site Digg has apparently dug in for the long haul and raised a third round of...

Yahoo's Display Ad Platform APT Launches; Will It Matter?

Posted by: Rob Hof on September 24

Yahoo just launched its long-awaited display-advertising system, now called APT. As I wrote in a story last week, the system, known more recently as AMP, is Yahoo's latest (maybe...

Google's Sergey, Larry and Eric Talk Yahoo, Energy, Android, and Floating Data Centers

Posted by: Rob Hof on September 17

A week after Yahoo executives defended their controversial search advertising deal with Google, the search giant joined the fray today with its own rationale. The deal, announced in mid-June, faces...

Yahoo Defends Google Deal

Posted by: Rob Hof on September 11

As part of a three-hour media day today, a Yahoo executive offered an interesting defense of the company's pending search deal with Google. That deal, which was supposed to start...

Is Justice Planning to Go After Google?

Posted by: Rob Hof on September 08

So it sounds like in a story in the Wall Street Journal, which says the Justice Dept. has just hired a hotshot litigator to look into Google's power in online...

Is the Google-Yahoo Deal Really a Bad Thing?

Posted by: Rob Hof on September 08

That's what advertisers think, according to the trade group Association of National Advertisers. The ANA on Sunday filed a letter to the Justice Dept., recommending against the deal under which...

Google to Release Web Browser Tuesday; Should Microsoft Worry, or Mozilla?

Posted by: Rob Hof on September 01

In its latest bid to remain ascendant on the Internet, Google is about to release its own Web browser, long a key online battleground. It just announced its plans for...

Is Microsoft's Vision of Search Enough to Catch Google?

Posted by: Rob Hof on August 19

Short answer: No. Not even close. Not for a long time, anyway. But it's sure trying hard, and it would be dangerous for anyone to write off Microsoft. Its...

Will New Directors Help or Hurt Yahoo?

Posted by: Rob Hof on August 14

As expected, Yahoo has just appointed former Viacom CEO Frank Biondi Jr. and former Nextel Partners CEO John Chapple to its board. They're two of the slate proposed by activist...

Yahoo's Web Location Platform Fire Eagle Takes Flight

Posted by: Rob Hof on August 12

For all the distractions of its battle with Microsoft, Yahoo has managed to come out with some interesting technology initiatives in recent months--and the most interesting are those that attempt...

LIVE from Yahoo's Annual Meeting

Posted by: Rob Hof on August 01

Yahoo's long-awaited (or long-dreaded) annual shareholders meeting is about to begin, and wireless gods willing, I'll be liveblogging the proceedings--even if they aren't expected to be very exciting. You can...

What Not to Expect at Yahoo's Annual Meeting Friday

Posted by: Rob Hof on July 31

Yahoo's long-delayed annual meeting is finally at hand, after a six-month deal ordeal that has left the Internet portal more or less where it was early this year, before Microsoft's...

Cuil: Another Google Challenger Launches--to a Cool Reception

Posted by: Rob Hof on July 28

Just weeks after the last highly touted Google challenger, Powerset, was snapped up by Microsoft, a new one is launching Sunday night. Cuil (pronounced "cool" and previously sporting an additional...

Yahoo (YHOO) Second-Quarter Earnings Fall Short

Posted by: Rob Hof on July 22

Most people had expected Yahoo to pull out all the stops to make its second quarter, but if it did, the pulling didn't work. In its just-released report, Yahoo said...

Yahoo Settles Proxy Fight With Icahn; What's Next?

Posted by: Rob Hof on July 21

After months of battle with activist shareholder Carl Icahn, Yahoo has finally settled the proxy battle that had roiled the company for months. (Full text of the release and the...

Yahoo Activist Shareholder Backs Four Dissident Directors

Posted by: Rob Hof on July 20

Lately, it has looked like Yahoo, against all odds, might win the proxy fight that activist investor Carl Icahn is waging against it. The problem for Icahn is that, without...

Bolstered by Major Shareholder's Support, Yahoo Comes Out Swinging

Posted by: Rob Hof on July 18

With its annual meeting looming in just two weeks, Yahoo is ratcheting up its defense against Carl Icahn's proxy fight with an energy critics wish they'd seen for the...

A Rare Miss for Google (GOOG) on Second-Quarter Earnings

Posted by: Rob Hof on July 17

My quick take on Google's second-quarter earnings (full release after the jump and updates from conference call below): It's a miss, though not a huge one. My full story is...

Google Second-Quarter Earnings Coming Up

Posted by: Rob Hof on July 17

I'll have a quick take on Google's second quarter earnings as soon as they're released shortly after 1 p.m. Pacific time. I'll add key comments from the conference call and...

Yahoo Fires at Microsoft Again

Posted by: Rob Hof on July 17

As the days wind down to Yahoo's Aug. 1 annual meeting, you can expect an escalating war of words among Yahoo, would-be dealmaker Microsoft, and corporate activist Carl Icahn. The...

Microsoft Still Searching for Yahoo Search Deal

Posted by: Rob Hof on July 15

Despite Yahoo’s rejection of a new search deal offer from Microsoft last week--one that went over like the proverbial turd in the punchbowl with some shareholders--the software giant this time...

Tit for Tat: Microsoft and Icahn "Set the Record Straight"

Posted by: Rob Hof on July 14

Yahoo came out swinging yesterday and today with an impassioned defense of its rejection of Microsoft's latest offer, an improved bid for Yahoo's search operations. Now, Microsoft has fired back...

Fancy That: Yahoo's Actually Getting Some Support for a Change

Posted by: Rob Hof on July 14

After months of getting reamed out by shareholders and assorted pundits for supposedly blowing the Microsoft deal, Yahoo finally has managed to get some sympathy. It may simply be that...

Yahoo Rejects Microsoft-Icahn Search Bid--But Was It a Serious Bid?

Posted by: Rob Hof on July 13

Yahoo has rejected yet another bid to buy its search operations, this time a combined, take-it-or-leave-it offer from Microsoft and activist investor Carl Icahn. The embattled Internet pioneer said the...

Yahoo Debuts "Build Your Own Search Service"

Posted by: Rob Hof on July 10

As Google keeps growing its share of search queries, it's hard not to wonder if anything's going to slow it down. Tonight, Yahoo is throwing up a long pass in...

Microsoft: We Might Buy Yahoo If Shareholders Fire Board

Posted by: Rob Hof on July 07

The pressure for Yahoo to knuckle under and do a deal with Microsoft just keeps rising. This morning, Microsoft said in a statement that it's willing to return to the...

Microsoft-Yahoo: Trapped in Groundhog Day

Posted by: Rob Hof on July 02

So, Microsoft hasn't given up on Yahoo after all? So it seems from a Journal story that just hit the wires, following on a melange of related possibilities raised...

Yahoo's Reorg Goes Down: Less of the Same?

Posted by: Rob Hof on June 26

Despite advance criticisms involving the words "deck chairs" and "Titanic," Yahoo today announced the reorganization of its management ranks that had been expected for more than a week. Rising to...

Yahoo to Stockholders: We Know What We're Doing, Really!

Posted by: Rob Hof on June 25

As Yahoo's top management prepares for a last-ditch roadshow to persuade big investors they should reject Carl Icahn's slate and vote for Yahoo's existing board, the company has released a...

Microsoft-Yahoo Buyout Talks Back On? Not Yet.

Posted by: Rob Hof on June 24

Mike Arrington at TechCrunch is reporting that Microsoft is again talking with Yahoo about a full buyout, though Arrington admits his information is "thin." One source I talked to, however,...

Yahoo's Executive Brain Drain Continues

Posted by: Rob Hof on June 19

Three more executives are about to leave Yahoo, according to TechCrunch. They are Qi Lu, executive vice president at Yahoo's Search and Advertising Technology Group, whose departure has been rumored...

Yahoo Loses Another Exec--and Another and Another*

Posted by: Rob Hof on June 16

This will be no surprise to anyone following the continuing Microsoft-Yahoo saga, but another top executive of Yahoo has departed for less scorched pastures. Jeff Weiner, executive vice president...

How Sincere Was Yahoo

Posted by: Catherine Holahan on June 13

I was listening to the replay of Google's partnership announcement with Yahoo today. Something Google CEO Eric Schmidt said towards the end of the call made me question how sincerely...

Yahoo Resignation Template

Posted by: Catherine Holahan on June 12

Despite Microsoft's announcement that it is no longer interested in taking over Yahoo, the steady exodus of Yahoo's best and most vocal managers continues. On June 12, Yahoo's "SQL Guru"...

Has Microsoft Really Given Up On Yahoo As Google Search Deal Looms?

Posted by: Rob Hof on June 12

UPDATE 2: After the jump, below, is a draft of a story that will run later tonight. The key takeaway: Google wins big again. The other takeaway: Yahoo's not getting...

Glassdoor.com:TripAdvisor for the Workplace

Posted by: Rob Hof on June 11

If you've ever wondered what your officemates really make, Glassdoor.com may be what you're looking for. The free Web site, which bills itself as a "career and workplace community where...

What a Surprise: Icahn Wants Jerry Yang Out

Posted by: Rob Hof on June 03

Carl Icahn, the corporate raider who's waging a proxy fight to replace Yahoo's board and spur a renewed deal with Microsoft, is finally putting on the pressure after a couple...

Yahoo-Microsoft Lawsuit Unsealed: Did Severance Plan Kill Deal?

Posted by: Rob Hof on June 02

A Delaware judge has unsealed details in a shareholder lawsuit against Yahoo for allegedly taking undue steps to block Microsoft's unsolicited bid for the company. You can see the lawsuit...

Yahoo Delays Annual Meeting, Again

Posted by: Rob Hof on May 22

Yahoo just announced in an SEC filing this afternoon that it's delaying its annual meeting to the end of July, from a previously scheduled date of July 3. Yahoo also...

Is Microsoft's New Deal Proposal Really a Signal to Yahoo Shareholders?

Posted by: Rob Hof on May 21

My colleague Jay Greene, who covers Microsoft out of Seattle, had some thoughts on Microsoft's surprising May 15 announcement that it's talking with Yahoo about a deal short of a...

Microsoft Tries to Get Search Traffic by Paying Users

Posted by: Rob Hof on May 21

Microsoft on Wednesday is launching its latest attempt to make a dent in Google's dominant market share in search and raise its currently single-digit percentage of search queries: Live Search...

If Microsoft Is in the Driver's Seat, Why Isn't It Driving the Car?

Posted by: Rob Hof on May 19

At Google's Zeitgeist conference in Hertfordshire, England, today, the search giant's trio at the top said they're meeting tonight to discuss how to respond to the new possibility of a...

Microsoft Proposes Search Deal With Yahoo

Posted by: Rob Hof on May 18

Microsoft has proposed to Yahoo that it ally on a "transaction" that is something short of the full acquisition that Microsoft abandoned on May 3. Although the companies aren't detailing...

What If Microsoft Doesn't Want Icahn's Yahoo!

Posted by: Stephen Wildstrom on May 16

Time to play let's pretend. Assume that Carl Icahn wins his proxy fight and installs his board at Yahoo! with the express intent of selling the company to Microsoft. But...

Yahoo Fires Back at Icahn: Carl, You Ignorant Slut...

Posted by: Rob Hof on May 15

Just hours after billionaire financier Carl Icahn launched a battle to replace Yahoo’s board and get the Internet icon back into talks with onetime suitor Microsoft, Yahoo has fired back....

Biting the Hand That Fed You

Posted by: Stephen Wildstrom on May 15

If there is one person in the world who would seem to have reason to be grateful to Yahoo!, it's Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. After all, it was Yahoo!...

Icahn's Going for It: Launches Proxy Fight Against Yahoo

Posted by: Rob Hof on May 14

So corporate raider Carl Icahn will indeed launch a proxy fight against Yahoo and its board, according to Reuters and the Journal. No details at this point except that a...

Carl Icahn Keeps Yahoo in Play

Posted by: Rob Hof on May 13

Ten days after escaping a bear hug from Microsoft, Yahoo hasn't completely won its independence yet. Billionaire financier Carl Icahn is looking at launching a proxy fight against Yahoo's board,...

LIVEBLOGGING: Schmidt, Page, and Brin Happy About Failed Microsoft-Yahoo Deal

Posted by: Rob Hof on May 08

I'm sort of liveblogging a talk that Google honchos Eric Schmidt, Sergey Brin and Larry Page is having with reporters before the company's annual meeting. I'll post their comments in...

That Cash Sure Is Burning a Hole in Ballmer's Pocket

Posted by: Rob Hof on May 07

After deciding not to spend $22 billion or so of its cash to buy Yahoo, now there's word in Kara Swisher's Boomtown blog that Microsoft is interested in buying the...

Stop the Presses! Yahoo Sets Annual Meeting!

Posted by: Rob Hof on May 05

I never thought I'd write about something so mundane as a company setting its annual meeting of shareholders. But in Yahoo's case, it's actually reasonably big news, because the now-aborted...

Jerry Yang Speaks: Mixed Feelings on Microsoft Pullout, Doesn't Rule Out Deal

Posted by: Rob Hof on May 05

I got a few minutes to talk with Jerry Yang today, so in the interests of passing along his so-far rare thoughts ASAP and provide Yahoo's side at a...

Will Yahoo's Stock Plunge Send Yang Crawling Back to Microsoft?

Posted by: Rob Hof on May 05

After Microsoft pulled its offer to buy Yahoo for at least $33 a share, Yahoo's stock has fallen this morning from Friday's $28.67 close to around $24.50 a share. That's...

Microsoft Drops Yahoo Bid--At Least For Now

Posted by: Rob Hof on May 03

Microsoft announced it's dropping its unsolicited bid to buy Yahoo late Saturday afternoon. (The announcement and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's letter to Yahoo CEO and cofounder Jerry Yang, as well...

Microsoft-Yahoo Talks Intensifying. What a Surprise.

Posted by: Rob Hof on May 02

Forgive me if I feel like I'm coming down with a case of whiplash. First, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says he might walk away from his company's unsolicited bid...

Microsoft May Go Hostile, Yahoo May Announce Google Search Deal

Posted by: Rob Hof on May 01

After a pretty quiet several weeks, the Microsoft-Yahoo battle is suddenly getting a lot louder. After Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said early Thursday he might walk out on its offer...

Ballmer Talks the Walk But Keeps Door Open

Posted by: Rob Hof on May 01

In Steve Ballmer's town hall meeting/call this morning, reported on Silicon Alley Insider, the Microsoft CEO said he wouldn't pay a penny more than Yahoo is worth. He didn't say,...

Is It Just My Imagination, Or Are Microsoft and Yahoo Finally Coming Closer on Price?

Posted by: Rob Hof on April 30

So let's see: First Microsoft offers $31 a share to buy Yahoo. Yahoo scoffs and says nothing less than $40. Long and winding road of leaks, bluster, stonewalling, threats, interminable...

Microsoft's Silence on Yahoo Has to End Soon

Posted by: Rob Hof on April 29

When there's no news, journalists (including bloggers) write about the lack of news. Sorry to say, today I can't resist the urge either. I just can't help thinking that Microsoft...

Microsoft CFO Chris Liddell on Yahoo Bid: We're Standing Firm

Posted by: Rob Hof on April 24

Overshadowing Microsoft's somewhat disappointing report on third-quarter results were questions about its unsolicited bid for Yahoo. The gist of Microsoft's comments was pretty much the same: We've offered plenty, so...

Will Ballmer Walk?

Posted by: Rob Hof on April 24

In a word, no. As Sramana Mitra notes, and as we've been saying for awhile, Yahoo's fate as a Microsoft vassal was sealed the day the software giant made its...

Yahoo Ekes Out a First-Quarter Beat--and More Leverage Vs. Microsoft?

Posted by: Rob Hof on April 22

Yahoo had to turn in at least respectable first-quarter results today if it was to have any chance of getting Microsoft to up its unsolicited $31-a-share offer to buy the...

Something's Fishy About This Yahoo-Google Deal

Posted by: Rob Hof on April 17

Oh, please. An initial test of outsourcing Yahoo's search to Google showed positive results, according to an account in the Journal. Hold it; didn't that test just start this week?...

Jerry Finally Gets Busy: Now Yahoo Could Hook Up With AOL

Posted by: Rob Hof on April 09

After all these weeks and months of trying to find alternatives to Microsoft's bear hug, finally Yahoo seems to have gotten a move on. Just hours after announcing plans for...

It's True: Yahoo Will Test Outsourcing Search Ads to Google

Posted by: Rob Hof on April 09

By the time you read this, Yahoo will have announced that it is launching a test to run Google ads alongside a limited number of Yahoo search results. I've confirmed...

Yahoo Responds to Microsoft: Quit Lowballing Us and We'll Deal

Posted by: Rob Hof on April 07

In the latest twist in the tango between Microsoft and Yahoo, the struggling Internet portal's chairman Roy Bostock and CEO Jerry Yang have sent a public letter back to Microsoft...

Microsoft's Patience Finally Wears Out: Issues Deadline to Yahoo

Posted by: Rob Hof on April 05

Microsoft just dropped the bomb on Yahoo. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer today sent a letter (in full after the jump) giving Yahoo's board three weeks before it initiates a proxy...

Yahoo Gets Taste of What Happens If Microsoft Pulls Out

Posted by: Rob Hof on April 04

Yahoo's stock is down at least 3% in after-hours trading today after someone close to Microsoft implied to Reuters the software giant might offer up even less than its...

Microsoft Grows Impatient with Yahoo. Again.

Posted by: Rob Hof on April 01

Microsoft is saying without saying that it's not going to raise its offer for Yahoo. According to the Journal: Such pronouncements are standard in deal negotiations but people close to...

Are You Getting Microhoo Fatigue Too?

Posted by: Rob Hof on March 18

You know Yahoo doesn't have much left on the table when it trots out a board presentation from December--well before Microsoft's unsolicited offer--saying it's going to do better than everyone...

European Commission OK's Google-DoubleClick Deal

Posted by: Rob Hof on March 11

It was expected by now, but the European Commission has just approved Google's $3.1 billion bid for ad serving firm DoubleClick. Even though competitors such as Microsoft and privacy advocates...

Yahoo Strings Microsoft Along

Posted by: Rob Hof on March 05

After many days of silence, Yahoo is finally making some moves in its dance with Microsoft over the software giant's unsolicited bid, including a possible deal with Time Warner to...

Microsoft's Letter to Employees: Another View

Posted by: Rob Hof on February 22

My colleague Catherine Holahan has her own take on the Kevin Johnson letter to Microsoft employees. Here's her guest blog: With all the discussion of the fear and loathing in...

Microsoft's New Message to Employees--and to Yahoo

Posted by: Rob Hof on February 22

Microsoft is going to get the Yahoo deal done, proxy fight or not, and it sure would like the cooperation of Yahoo employees and shareholders to make it happen. That's...

With Proxy Fight Threat, Is Microsoft Boxing Yahoo In--or Itself?

Posted by: Rob Hof on February 21

As everyone waits for Yahoo to make the next move in Microsoft's unsolicited bid to buy the Internet portal, I'm starting to wonder if the ball's actually still in Microsoft's...

Microsoft-Yahoo Water Torture Trickles On--But For How Long?

Posted by: Rob Hof on February 19

So now, Microsoft's putting out signals that it's ready to rumble, with plans to authorize a proxy fight to replace Yahoo's board if it doesn't accept Microsoft's first and only...

Vultures Feast on Yahoo Before It's Even Dead

Posted by: Rob Hof on February 13

The feeding frenzy around Yahoo seems to intensify with every new daily development, making me wonder when this injured animal is going to make the one-way transformation into a...

Yahoo Layoffs Begin

Posted by: Rob Hof on February 12

It's pink slip day at Yahoo's purple-and-yellow digs, I'm told by a Yahoo executive. More coverage of the expected layoffs here, here, and here. But from what some of them,...

Best Microsoft-Yahoo Blog Headlines

Posted by: Rob Hof on February 11

Some people are managing to have fun with the Microsoft-Yahoo battle: Best we can figure, sir, they seem to be including sentimental value --John Murrell/Good Morning Silicon Valley We’ll See...

Yahoo Rejects Microsoft's Bid, Of Course--and Microsoft Responds (Of Course)

Posted by: Rob Hof on February 11

(Update: Microsoft on Monday afternoon lobs the ball back into Yahoo's court with a content-light letter that neither mentions a counter-offer nor ups the language threat level as far as...

Yahoo + AOL: Another Negotiation Ploy, Or a Grasp at Straws?

Posted by: Rob Hof on February 10

Honestly, I don't know whether Yahoo seeking to acquire AOL, as reported by the Times of London, is just a way to jack up Microsoft's unsolicited bid, or a real,...

So, What Now for Microsoft and Yahoo? More Fancy Footwork

Posted by: Rob Hof on February 10

I'm no M&A expert, but I've seen enough not to be surprised by Yahoo's apparent, imminent rejection of Microsoft's offer to buy the company. So why are so many people...

Yahoo Moves to the Negotiation Phase: A Web Roundup

Posted by: Rob Hof on February 09

Yahoo's board is set to send Microsoft a letter Monday rejecting the software giant's $45 billion bid, according to the Journal on Saturday. From the apparent wording from a source--that...

The Yahoo Death Watch

Posted by: Rob Hof on February 08

Yeah, it's practically a done deal, but despite breathless impatience of many people, mating dances take awhile to result in consummation. Especially when one party not only was hoping to...

Google Tries to Turn Microsoft's Yahoo Pursuit to Its Advantage

Posted by: Rob Hof on February 03

The ironies keep piling up, but Google's blog post today about Microsoft's unsolicited bid to buy Yahoo looks to me like a smart chess move by the search giant. In...

Yahoo's Response to Microsoft: We'll Take Our Sweet Time

Posted by: Rob Hof on February 01

Reading between the lines of this FAQ from Yahoo released today... FAQ: Unsolicited Proposal From Microsoft Q1. How is Yahoo! responding to Microsoft’s proposal? The Yahoo! Board is undertaking a...

Microsoft Finally Makes Its Move on Yahoo

Posted by: Rob Hof on February 01

For all the reasons a Microsoft acquisition of Yahoo! doesn't make sense, one factor trumped them all: a bargain. Early this morning, Microsoft made an unsolicited bid for the Internet...

Yahoo and the Price of Silence

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 30

Wow, the analysts' knives are out for Yahoo! this morning, and it's not just because it announced a disappointing outlook for the coming year. They also feel duped by a...

Yahoo Earnings: Not Much to Yodel About

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 29

It's never a good thing when one of the quotes of the CEO in an earnings report mentions "headwinds." That Yahoo, which just reported fourth-quarter earnings, faces a lot of...

Reports: Yahoo to Lay Off Up to 20% of Staff

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 20

Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang is reviewing whether to lay off up to 20% of the embattled company's 14,000-person [corrected] staff, according to tips reported by Henry Blodget at Silicon Alley...

Yahoo Backs OpenID. And, So?

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 17

So every techie around the globe is just tickled to death that Yahoo has backed OpenID. But how many people actually know what it is, let alone why they should...

Will Online Advertising Finally Take a Hit Now?

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 11

So far, online advertising doesn't seem to have been hit in the economic troubles growing out of the credit crunch, and forecasters are looking for 25%-plus growth this year. But...

Erase Your Search Tracks

Posted by: Rob Hof on December 11

Most people probably don't realize that their online searches are tracked by search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft. With a new feature called AskEraser, Ask.com is hoping to...

Confirmed: MySpace Joining Google's OpenSocial

Posted by: Rob Hof on November 01

Now, it's getting interesting: News Corp.'s MySpace is joining Google's just-announced OpenSocial program. That's Google's shot at one-upping Facebook in the race to get outside software developers to create programs...

Yahoo! Manages an Upside Surprise, For Now

Posted by: Rob Hof on October 16

In founder Jerry Yang's first quarter as CEO, Yahoo! managed to surprise investors on the upside, sending its stock up 9% so far in early after-hours trading. That followed a...

Google's Search Rivals Keep Trying Harder

Posted by: Rob Hof on October 01

... or are they just tilting at windmills? In recent weeks and months, Google's major rivals, such as Microsoft and IAC's Ask unit, not to mention upstarts like Powerset...

Another Big Yahoo! Acquisition: Zimbra

Posted by: Rob Hof on September 17

Yahoo's continuing its acquisition tear with the $350 million acquisition of Zimbra, the highly regarded (and highly funded) online office-productivity applications. Clearly, Yahoo's cofounder and new CEO Jerry Yang has...

Yahoo Tries Social Networking... Again

Posted by: Rob Hof on September 16

I just got an invite from Mike Speiser, Yahoo's VP of community, to join its newest social network, called Mash. Actually, he created a profile for me, illustrating an interesting...

Showtime for Yahoo Hacks

Posted by: Rob Hof on September 12

And you thought Yahoo! wasn't a tech company? Just a warmed-over old-media company? Maybe there's some truth there, but it's not the whole story. There are still a lot of...

Yet Another Social Networking Invite. Kill Me Now.

Posted by: Rob Hof on September 12

Just got an invite to Yet Another Social Networking Service, called Quechup. I'd heard some buzz about it, so I decided to check it out. Ack, a dating site. Oh,...

Targeting You: Yahoo Moves Deeper into Behaviorial Targeting with BlueLithium Purchase

Posted by: Rob Hof on September 04

With the $300 million purchase of ad network BlueLithium today, Yahoo! is moving further into targeting ads based on people's online behavior. Behavioral targeting, as it's known, helps marketers track...

Another Reorg at Yahoo

Posted by: Rob Hof on August 29

Valleywag and AllThingsD's Kara Swisher have the scoop and the New York Times the full story on what looks to be another management reorganization at Yahoo! President Sue Decker's whole...

Internet Portals Aren't Dead Yet

Posted by: Rob Hof on August 14

The surprise news that Yahoo! managed to beat Google in the University of Michigan's American Customer Satisfaction index makes me and others like Andy Beal wonder if news of the...

Fancy That! Google Misses on Earnings

Posted by: Rob Hof on July 19

Everybody knew Google was spending big bucks on everything from data centers to acquisitions. But investors, who have bid the stock up 20% so far this year, clearly had been...

Not Much to Yahoo! About

Posted by: Rob Hof on July 17

In the first quarterly earnings report of the post-Terry Semel era, Yahoo! reported profits down about 2%. That was no surprise given the heads-up Yahoo provided a few weeks ago...

Can Yahoo Make Display Ads Work More Like Search?

Posted by: Rob Hof on July 02

With SmartAds, Yahoo is tapping into user behavior to help advertisers target ads in a more personalized way. I'm skeptical whether consumers will ever, as Todd Teresi, Yahoo's senior vice-president...

Another Yahoo Executive Shoe Drops: Display Ad Sales Chief Wenda Harris Millard

Posted by: Rob Hof on June 24

Following CEO Terry Semel's departure as CEO on June 18, a lot of folks have been expecting further executives heading for the exits as new CEO and cofounder Jerry Yang...

One Yahoo! Exec: "Jerry Is the Right Guy"

Posted by: Rob Hof on June 22

Take this as the word of just one guy, but this guy--Mike Speiser, VP of community at Yahoo!--seems to back up what I'm hearing so far from folks at Yahoo:...

Semel's Out at Yahoo!

Posted by: Rob Hof on June 18

So all the talk turned out to be on the mark: Terry Semel's stepping down at CEO of Yahoo, replaced by cofounder Jerry Yang. Sue Decker moves up to be...

Openads: An Alternative to Google Ad Hegemony?

Posted by: Rob Hof on June 13

Openads, an open-source ad server, just got $5 million in funding. Since the company's been around for years, one might wonder if this is simply an opportunistic play on the...

Fire in the Belly? "Absolutely," Says Yahoo!'s Terry Semel

Posted by: Rob Hof on June 12

That's the word at Yahoo!'s annual shareholders meeting today, not that you'd expect the CEO to say anything else. After last month's standing-room-only annual meeting at Google, I was a...

Google Gears Up to Take Web Services Beyond the Web

Posted by: Rob Hof on May 30

Google just can't seem to resist baiting the 800-pound gorilla in Redmond. With Google Gears, just announced minutes ago, it's providing Web developers a way to take their online services...

Yahoo!'s CTO Retires

Posted by: Rob Hof on May 30

Yahoo! just announced that its chief technology officer, Farzad Nazem, is retiring. It's a surprising move in one sense because Zod, as he was known to engineers at Yahoo, only...

New CFO at Yahoo!, Finally

Posted by: Rob Hof on May 15

Many people have been asking why it has taken Yahoo! so long to find a new chief financial officer to replace current CFO Sue Decker, who moved up in last...

Will Microsoft Really Buy Yahoo!?

Posted by: Rob Hof on May 04

So it appears [Update: or not--see below] from the stories in the New York Post and the Wall Street Journal. And usually where there's smoke, there's fire. But I wonder...

Yahoo! Buys Right Media (Big Surprise)

Posted by: Rob Hof on April 30

When Yahoo! bought 20% of Right Media last October, some folks wondered why it didn't buy the whole shebang, and figured that would happen before long. So it did--Yahoo! announces...

Yahoo! Sees the (Fluorescent) Light

Posted by: Rob Hof on February 22

I must admit that like many people, I'm not a fan of fluorescent lights, much as I know how much energy they save, because they always seemed to give...

Did Facebook Blow It?

Posted by: Rob Hof on February 05

That's the question GigaOM's Robert Young is asking. And from a couple of the answers in the post's comment section, the answer doesn't sound good for the social-networking service's chances...

Yahoo Disappoints Again... Oops, Strike That. Panama's on Track

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 23

After a year of trying to gain lost ground on the likes of Google and MySpace, Yahoo's still not out of the woods. Despite posting better-than-expected earnings of 19 cents...

Search Ads: Is the Little Guy Getting Left Behind?

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 12

That's the conclusion of some small and medium-sized online retailers I talked to recently. Andy Beal, whom I quoted in a magazine story this week, takes the trend to its...

What Should Terry Semel Do Now?

Posted by: Rob Hof on December 07

Here's what else the folks I talked to think Yahoo's CEO should do, now that he's laid the foundation with a management shakeup and reorganization. But what do you think?...

Yahoo!'s Big Shakeup

Posted by: Rob Hof on December 06

Here's the story. (And here's Terry Semel himself on a Yahoo blog, a little more real than the jargon-filled press release.) I don't know if all these moves will do...

Is Yahoo! Spread Too Thin?

Posted by: Rob Hof on November 19

Everybody's talking about the "peanut butter" memo from Yahoo! Senior VP Brad Garlinghouse, which Paul Kedrosky posted and the Wall Street Journal wrote a story around Saturday (behind a subscription...

Google Reader: I'm a Convert

Posted by: Rob Hof on October 11

I've been frustrated in my blog reading the past few months because my preferred method of reading RSS feeds, MyYahoo (quit laughing, Mike), broke once I tried to read more...

Growing Concerns over Click Fraud

Posted by: Rob Hof on September 22

My colleagues Brian Grow and Ben Elgin take a fascinating dive into click fraud, concluding: A BusinessWeek investigation has revealed a thriving click-fraud underground populated by swarms of small-time...

New Yahoo Mail: Wish I Liked It Better

Posted by: Rob Hof on September 14

Even more, I wish I could get to it. I was overjoyed a few weeks ago when I was accepted as a beta user on Yahoo's new email service, which...

Dailies Strike Back: Too Little Too Late?

Posted by: Rob Hof on July 14

My colleague Jon Fine has an interesting column this week that breaks news about discussions between Yahoo! and newspaper publishers MediaNews (owner of the San Jose Mercury News) and Hearst...

eBay-Yahoo Deal: Less Than Meets the Eye?

Posted by: Rob Hof on May 25

It's no merger, as at least one overeager analyst had suggested, but this morning eBay and Yahoo announced a fairly wide-ranging deal to work with each other. Looks like a...

If Selling Out to Google Isn't a Good Business Model...

Posted by: Rob Hof on March 09

... why does it seem to work so well? The latest to get scooped up: Web-based word processing startup Writely. I agree with the many folks who worry that there...

Help! My Home Page Has Fallen and Can't Get Up!

Posted by: Rob Hof on February 08

OK, I think my feed reading habits have finally broken my browsers. When I go to my MyYahoo page (and even more, when I click on a link to leave...

Has the Web 2.0 Crash Arrived?

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 18

Steve Rubel thinks so, based on the severe reaction to Yahoo's earnings miss on Tuesday. Much as I see a lot of signs of a bubble, I think it's a...

News Flash! Yahoo!'s Newest Acquisition! ;-)

Posted by: Rob Hof on January 11

Greg Yardley has the scoop on Yahoo!'s latest acquisition. From the lede: Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq:YAHOO), a leading global Internet company, today announced the acquisition of an unnamed Web 2.0 company...

Yahoo! Eats Del.icio.us

Posted by: Rob Hof on December 09

Heather Green at Blogspotting has the news, along with TechCrunch's Mike Arrington: Yahoo's buying the tagging site del.icio.us. Between the acquisitions of del.icio.us and Flickr, Yahoo clearly is embracing tagging,...

Yahoo! Answers: Search with a Human Touch

Posted by: Rob Hof on December 07

Just launched in beta, Yahoo! Answers is a place where you can ask questions on any topic and get answers from real people. It's free, presumably funded by sponsored ads....

New from Yahoo Research: Intent-Driven Search

Posted by: Rob Hof on October 07

Folks from Yahoo Research showed one of the many projects they have in beta--Mindset, which Yahoo says is for "intent-driven search." It lets you use a slider bar on searches...

Terry Semel: Google's No. 4

Posted by: Rob Hof on October 06

In a conversation with John Battelle at Web 2.0 this morning, Yahoo CEO Terry Semel is spending almost as much time talking about a little rival named Google as he...

Yahoo! Buys Upcoming.org

Posted by: Rob Hof on October 05

Keeping up its buying spree, Yahoo! just bought Upcoming.org, the social event calendar. Here's founder Andy Baio's take on the acquisition. Wonder how many more of the Best of the...

Yahoo's HotJobs.com is... up, not down?

Posted by: Olga Kharif on October 04

Sure, Yahoo's HotJobs.com is falling farther and farther behind rivals CareerBuilder.com and Monster.com in traffic. Yet, the company's revenues are booming. And that might be an indication that the outfit has found the right approach to pleasing employers with its focus on low cost.

Will Higher Gas Prices Spark More E-Commerce?

Posted by: Rob Hof on September 19

Shmuel Gniwisch, the CEO of the online jewelry store Ice.com, thinks so. He doesn't have hard evidence that the cost of driving to stores will drive people online, but he's...

A New Approach to Searching Photos

Posted by: Rob Hof on August 25

Munjal Shah, onetime cofounder of the auction services firm Andale, finally let slip on his new blog what he's been working on since leaving last year. As he writes: "I...

Hey Kids, There's a Revolution in Retailing

Posted by: Rob Hof on August 16

Robert Scoble throws out an intriguing new vision of online retail following his recent visit with the folks at eBay's developers program: "For instance, check out fatlens.com. That site sells...

The Flickr Snowball Effect

Posted by: Rob Hof on August 02

My colleague Heather Green over at Blogspotting alerts us to some new features at Flickr, acquired a few months ago by Yahoo!. John Battelle at Searchblog has an interesting name...

More on RSS Readers (But Still Less Than I Want)

Posted by: Rob Hof on August 01

All the helpful comments on my post on RSS feed reading frustrations (well, except for the person who suggested my complaints are "slop"--gee, thanks) made me realize exactly what I...

Sorry, Yahoo, I Give Up...

Posted by: Rob Hof on July 30

I wish I could stick with my trusty MyYahoo to look at all the RSS feeds I want to see, but it's not to be. I've bumped up against the...