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Facebook signs new ad deal with Microsoft Social networking giant Facebook has signed a new advertising deal with Microsoft to regain control of its display ads and integrate Bing more fully into the site's search engine.
Smart Company reports that Microsoft will continue to sell text-based search ads on the social networking site, but the decision was made to replace Microsoft's banner ads with Facebook's own as these were felt to integrate better into the site's culture. Facebook's banner ads target users based on information in their personal profiles, and the company stated that this move will provide better value to its nearly 400 million users.
Facebook stated: "Ad formats that feature social actions perform better and provide a better user experience since they are more consistent with the look and feel of Facebook.
"This combination of targeting and social relevance is the primary driver behind the shift in strategy."
The original advertising deal between the companies lasted until 2011, but has been halted early and will see Microsoft's banner ads being taken down over the next month. Microsoft will instead re-focus its efforts on powering Facebook's search function with its Bing search engine.
Facebook explained: "Bing will continue to exclusively power the web search results on Facebook. This change will also enable Microsoft to continue its focus on driving strong performing campaigns across our own social media and communications tools, including Windows Live Messenger and Hotmail, and via rich content environments across MSN and Xbox Live."
No financial details of this changed partnership have been revealed, but analysts believe that some financial element will be included, as the social networking giant has recently put more emphasis on its internal figures. Microsoft became a Facebook shareholder in 2007 after paying $240 million (approx £154 million) for a 1.6 per cent stake.
Does Google's Super Bowl Ad raise awkward questions for YouTube? When the CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt, used Twitter to suggest that "Hell has indeed frozen over", speculation began that Google was about to do something it's never done before - run an ad. In fact, Eric pointed our attention directly at the Super Bowl.
Sure enough; Google ran its first ever TV ad during the Super Bowl.
There's no doubt. It's a very Google ad. It's simple but effective and showcases the power of Google's Universal Search solution.
This morning, many popular blogs are displaying the ad as a video embed. The ability to let bloggers display YouTube videos was one of the keys to the video sharing site's success. It's great social media.
But what about search? This morning this writer fired up YouTube and started searching for the video. Search terms like "Google super bowl ad" turned up nothing. In fact, Google's chosen to title the 52-second long video ad "Parisian Love" rather than something more topical.
Now, just a few hours later, the same search produces parodies and copies but does not point to the original.
The problem is not that YouTube's own search function can be slow and awkward at times. The problem is that users don't always search for videos using keywords the advertiser/video producer expected - although, surely, in this case Google might well have thought to use "This was Google's Super Bowl ad" in the video's description.
One of the likely reasons the phrase does not appear in Parisian Love's description is that the video was originally uploaded to YouTube on the 19th of November in 2009.
YouTube didn't really give Google an easy way to reinforce the old video's very important and very real time connection to the Super Bowl ad. In today's advertising world, where ad buyers are increasingly looking at ways to use YouTube to maximise value from video productions, this is a problem.
Does Google's Super Bowl Ad raise awkward questions for YouTube?
Facebook drives mobile web boost A new study has revealed that Facebook is leading the way when it comes to mobile web use, with the social networking site gathering more hits on the go than search king Google.
The GSMA Mobile Media Metrics report provides insight into mobile web use, and its first findings, released on Friday, revealed that Facebook was leading the way, with five million unique users accessing the site from mobile devices. Google was hot on its heels however, with 4.5 million users accessing its various sites.
According to the report, around 16 million people - more than 25 per cent of the UK's population - were using their phones to surf the web in December 2009. This increasing number could have something to do with the fact that one fifth of UK mobile subscribers are the proud owners of smartphones. However, the way in which the general public has chosen to put their high-powered pocket organisers to use may be a shock to some.
Facebook also topped the charts when it came to the number of minutes spent on the site:
The report was undertaken with comScore as well as operators O2, Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile and 3UK. It was based on anonymised, census-level data for mobile Internet usage across a number of mobile networks. This was then augmented with demographic data that has been collected with the consent of a representative sample of mobile Internet users.
One thing is certainly clear from the results; Facebook has stolen the heart - and time - of the UK's mobile users. Maybe they're finding the answers to all of their questions on the social networking site? Or maybe making and keeping friends is more important than ever, now that the internet is ever-present.
CNN Money reports that it is unlikely Google's tablet will be available until at least 2011, but preliminary designs have already been posted to chromium.org, the website of Google Chrome OS.
Observing the design mock-up, CNN explained: "The designs showed a user interface that includes large, square icons and controls, navigation tabs on the side and the ability to run multiple programs in separate, side-by-side windows at once.
"The tablet running Google Chrome OS would also include a virtual keyboard at the bottom of the screen or a keyboard that could be opened in a separate window that could be placed in different areas of the screen. Applications would be placed at the bottom edge of the screen and could be opened with an upward dragging motion."
Google's much-anticipated open source operating system is set to launch in the second half of 2010, and according to chromium.org it has been optimised for tablets with a five- to 10-inch screen, though it could also work on other devices. Google is reportedly still focusing its operating system principally towards the netbook market, as originally announced, but Chrome developers have stated that the OS "could eventually scale to a wide variety of devices," which presumably includes tablet computers.
A Google spokesperson recently stated: "Google Chrome OS is still in development and we are constantly experimenting with various user interfaces to determine what designs would produce the best user experience."
As was the case with Google's Nexus One smartphone, which was built by HTC, it seems likely that Google will look to partner with one or more hardware manufacturers to design and produce the Mountain View giant's answer to the iPad.
US Government agency to analyse Google attacks In an unprecedented meeting, the world's largest web search company, Google, will be coming to an information-sharing agreement with the National Security Agency, a powerful digital surveillance department of the United States government.
Ellen Nakashima, writing for the Washington Post, reported that while the deal has yet to be finalised, it looks set to allow the NSA to analyse Google's recent victimisation in an espionage hack-attack that originated in China.
Though both Google and the NSA refused to speak to the Post about the tentative agreement, Director of National Intelligence Dennis C Blair called the recent attacks a "wake up call" for the search company and that the web needs a "collaborative effort that incorporates both the U.S. private sector and our international partners."
The NSA has existed for over 50 years in the US, and functions to intercept and analyse communications both domestic and abroad. The department has drawn criticism in the years since 9/11, as former president George W. Bush authorised the tapping of phones without obtaining a warrant.
Google is turning to the government agency after announcing in January that its systems had been compromised in a series of attacks late last year. Targeting the firm's source code, the infiltration reached more than 30 other companies, as well as select Gmail accounts worldwide.
The incident brought rising tensions with the Chinese government after Google threatened to cease operations in the Far East country. The company wants to operate in the country unfettered, though no new terms have been come to with China.
The Post reported that Google approached the NSA shortly after these attacks, and that it would mark the first of any information-sharing agreement with the agency, after refusing to work with the NSA on its Terrorist Surveillance Program.