if you remember ... this is what killed altavista ... the cluttered ad invasion mixed with results and silly amounts of content ... gave us all a headache just using it. but, google still hosts an extremely simple front-end ... this is probably their #1 rule internally. logo - input - search! but when you click that button ... well then it's all their ballgame. while eBay is a huge brand, i wonder how many people will list products for a fee on ebay when google lets you do it for free ... and you don't have to worry about a 7 day time limit ... and it is where people go to search. imagine google results if they had ebay products mixed in it routinely. that is freaking scary ... this kills all sorts of businesses. mine too
Here's another blog with more screen shots. . . http://www.seweso.com/blog/2005/10/google-base.php This is really kind of silly. Google chews up our bandwidth indexing our content and may or may not send us referral traffic. They've used our data to build the most popular SE in the world and then they turn around and leverage that market share to compete with us. It's not just auctions or classified sites - basically every site that is not a corporate manufacturer AND that sells anything on the net is vulnerable. They have become our version of crack cocaine - For ecommerce sites it's going to get to the point that we are ALL going to have to decide if we want to continue to be the enablers that allow them to disintermediate us. -jay
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Google leaks classified ad service Google Inc. has unintentionally provided a sneak peek at what appears to be a looming expansion into classified advertising -- a free service that might antagonize some of the Internet search engine's biggest customers, including online auctioneer eBay Inc. The full article is at http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/internet/10/26/google.classifieds.ap/index.html Makes sense to me, wiz
That article is BS... No way would Google "Unintentionally" reveal any of this... It's all been done on purpose.
Got a phone call from ebay last night. I missed it, but they left a message saying that they wanted to "help me become a better seller" or something like that. The funny part is, I've probably sold about 20 things over the past 3 years! I think I have a feedback of 35! They must really see this as a threat if they're calling nobodys like me!
It's probably not ebay. I get calls all the time from people claiming to be google, ebay, yahoo and others but they are really just telemarketers trying to sell me something.
sayyes Were any of the 20 things you sold expensive ($1k+)? In that case, I'd see how ebay would like you to post more stuff for sale
Probably the most expensive was $800. Most things go for $100-$300. Interesting...I didn't think of this. Do you think telemarketers would bother to leave a message? Plus, they knew my username so if it was a telemarketer, they have access to more info than they should have. Not saying it couldn't happen...
I get messages all the time from them. I guess its better to leave a message than to leave nothing at all. If you do talk to them you should be able to figure out their not ebay in a few seconds.
Google vs eBAY or Google vs YahooBAY? The media is full of stories and analysis on Google’s announcements today that are taking sure steps towards eBay’s turf. Read this, this and this. eBay is slowly and surely falling prey to its supremely powerful, but easy to copy and rather narrow core business model of facilitating B:C and C:C e-commerce. Needless to say, Google’s entry into their turf will be a big blow. Google will, no doubt, hit eBay where there is a low-hanging fruit waiting to be picked: eBay’s sordid user interface. In the 10 years of its existence, eBay has not bothered to address this glaring weakness. Google does clean User Experiences very well, and my bet would be that they will cream eBay on this topic. Also interesting is their introduction of a user-generated database, which will enable applications such as Yahoo! Stores easily, too. Potent combination. I said once before, that Yahoo should acquire eBay. eBay’s market cap is $52 Billion, whereas Yahoo’s is $50 Billion. It would roughly be a merger of equals, but I believe Yahoo’s future is far more promising than eBay’s. Hence, judging by futures, Yahoo ought to acquire eBay. Product Search and Search Engine Marketing are key areas that, as industries, need to reside together. Amazon realized it, and launched A9, their very own search engine. However, Search is a competitive business, and an overnight search giant will not be created at this stage of the game. I don’t recommend, therefore, that eBay also follows suit. However, at least 5 different properties that Yahoo has could tremendously leverage eBay: Small Business, Stores, Search, Shopping, and Overture. Finally, as Yahoo unfolds its content and personalization strategies, there will be a tremendous further opportunity to build value on top of their existing framework. Not the least, but last, Meg Whitman has indicated that she wants out. Terry Semel, however, is dedicated and focused. http://sramanamitra.com/blog/158 Who do you think will win?
Come on! Ebay is easy to use. Its only 10 clicks past your login page to look at stuff you've bought or sold. It *always* remembers that you are logged on. And its only 5 clicks to place a bid now. Its frickin' ingenious man.