Google Local at Your Favorite Places

Scannable Retail Stickers to Extend Google’s Local Presence

Google Checks Out of Adwords Free Promotion

Google used to give users of their Google Checkout system credit back in the from of free Adwords spending. It worked like this, spend $X in Google Checkout fees get $X in free Adwords. Well, per this email I just got, it all ends on Cinco de Mayo.

Subject: Update on Google Checkout transaction processing fees

“…We’ll also be discontinuing the AdWords free transaction
processing promotion on May 5, 2009. Any AdWords transaction
processing credits accrued during April 2009 will be applied
towards transactions that occur on May 1-4, 2009…”

They are also changing the transaction processing fee to a tiered fee structure, “where the rates will vary depending on the dollar amount of your monthly sales processed through Checkout.”

Is it just me, or does a little bit of the old Google die each day?

Google’s Sergey Brin Launches A Personal Blog

http://too.blogspot.com/

Google to Sells Search Marketing Business

Publicis has figured out how to become a ~truly~ full-service shop and arguably a ~top~ search engine marketing shop…Buy an already functioning search marketing business:

“Publicis added that the acquisition would strengthen the offering of its VivaKi Nerve Center. Publicis launched the digitally focused entity in June.” What is with the silly names being used by agencies these days?

Publicis to acquire Performics’ search marketing business from Google

$200 Million, Can You Digg It?

TechCrunch is reporting that Google and Digg are getting closer to a Google buy:

“Google’s on and off negotiations with Digg have been back on in a big way for the last six weeks, we’ve heard from multiple sources inside of Google, and the two companies are close to a deal that will bring Digg under the Google News property. The acquisition price is in the $200 million range, says one source.”

Google In Final Negotiations To Acquire Digg For “Around $200 Million”

Adlucent vs. Google – Better Snacks Challenge

I bet you can’t figure out which one of these snack room shots is Adlucent and which one is Google:

Microsoft Bids for Yahoo – Google’s Reaction(s)

So this is not new news, but Microsoft has put in a bid to buy Yahoo. The combined company would not, in my opinion, be able to overtake Google as the most powerful search property, but it would be nice to have another player a bit closer to Google’s size/power.

Google doesn’t seem to be too keen on the idea based on these articles:

Google says merger poses antitrust issues
Google finds Microsoft’s Yahoo bid ‘troubling’
Google: Microsoft buying Yahoo is bad for the Internet
Google offers to help Yahoo fight off Microsoft

And it looks like Yahoo may be keen on Google’s way of thinking:

Yahoo may consider Google alliance

Who’s Watching Who #20

That’s right folks…Today we are celebrating the 20th (week) anniversary of Who’s Watching Who!

Here’s a Who’s-Who of folks that have contacted us and/or checked-out the blog
and/or called to praise/complain, and/or any combination thereof over the past week:

BBDO NY – Ad Agency Network – World Wide
Hearst – Publishing Empire

Veteran Visitors who came back for more (and more and more):
Crispin Porter + Bogusky – Ad Agency – Miami and Boulder
Google – face it, they are always “watching” us
GSD&M Idea City – Ad Agency – Austin, TX
McGarrah Jessee – Ad Agency – Austin, TX
Marcus Thomas – Ad Agency – Cleveland, OH
Neiman Group – Ad Agency – PA
Ogilvy and Mather – Ad Agency
Porter Novelli – PR Agency – Worldwide
Round Rock Express – Central Texas based Minor League Baseball Team
William Blair and Company – VC ($$$) – Chicago, Il

Been to the blog but don’t see your company on the list? Shoot me an email or post a comment. If you email us, make sure you send it from your company email account so that we know it is the real-deal. Let us know what you think and maybe share a bit of info. The ~worst~ that will happen is that you get a free link to your site. Not a bad trade for a bit of good SEO if you ask me. If you don’t know what SEO is then please email me sooner rather than later.

I WANT MY LINKEDIN!!!

OH MY GOD! WHY OH WHY? I NEED TO CHECK MY LINKEDIN!
I know I don’t pay a dime to use LinkedIn, but is it too much to ask that it be up and running right now? Oh well, I’ll go mess around with some free Google tool instead.

Microsoft Beats Google

(It felt so unnatural to write that title.) Microsoft will buy a 1.6 percent cut of the Facebook pie for $240 million. Along with the deal, Microsoft has agreed to sell ads for Facebook overseas. Microsoft already has a deal with Facebook to sell banner ads in the US until 2011. Microsoft needed this win. Google does have a deal with MySpace, but Facebook’s user growth rate is outpacing MySpace’s at a 6:1 ratio. That obviously is a huge gap, but keep in mind that Google is besting Microsoft in internet revenue at 7:1 ratio.

I was hoping to get a quote from Google but my calls to founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin have not been returned.