Changes in Store for Microsoft Live.com Search
June 4, 2008
Jessica Mintz filed an information-charged story on June 3, 2008. Titled “Microsoft Exec Says Live Search Needs Image Fix.” Please, read her article here. These AP pieces have wacky urls and can be tough to find a day or two after the stories appear.
There were several points in her write up of Kevin Johnson’s talk at a conference operated by Third Door Media. Mr. Johnson is the president of Microsoft’s platforms and services division, and he is one of Microsoft’s top dogs in the search-and-retrieval sector.
The points that struck me as particularly important were:
- There is brand confusion. A fix or a change may be in the cards
- Microsoft is working to convince stakeholders that it has a plan in the aftermath of the bolloxed Yahoo deal
- Microsoft is focusing on “commercial intent queries”, which I think means buying something.
What’s tough for me to convey in this short commentary is the tone of Mr. Johnson’s remarks. For some reason, I heard this highly-paid wizard expressing himself with a tinge of frustration.
Google’s been chugging along for a decade, and the company shows few signs of losing steam. When old Google wizards become Xooglers, young wizards take a close look at Google as the equivalent of a cow being stamped “Grade A Prime”. Legal documents hurled at Google have done little to slow the GOOG.
With Microsoft’s Web search market share sliding, maybe I am reading emotion into Mr. Mintz’s summary of Mr. Johnson’s remarks. Check out the story and let me know if you agree or disagree. Try to locate this story using http://search.live.com. When I checked, the story wasn’t in the Live.com index. The GOOG had indexed it. I think Google makes an effort to index Microsoft-related stories. What do you think?
Stephen Arnold, June 4, 2008
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