GRiddick

Is Yahoo Gaining on Google?

Hi Wayne,

Good article. I have watched these two closely over the past three months as well. I like what I am seeing at Yahoo.

Even though Google has gained more market value (over $50 billion) in this time period than Yahoo is worth, things change on a dime in this tech industry. I know. I have been in it for over 30 years. Did someone say "dinosaur"?

Things won't change based on who's search screen is the most cluttered. They could, however, based on any of the following:

- Advertisers lose faith in the integrity of the technology middleman. I see this happening already with Google, as most of the major media, entertainment, communications, and other technology companies seem to be turning against the folks from Mountain View.

- The lack of respect for the laws of this country, and a total lack of respect for the copyrighted works of others, starts to turn practically everyone except the "copyleft" crowd against them. The vast majority of people in this country still try to follow our laws and seek to pay a fair price for their use of copyrighted works. When Google gives everything away for free (even when they don't have the rights to do so) without financial penalties or other recourse, it disrupts the balanced economic system in this country enormously. I have not witnessed Yahoo following Google on this trend towards rampant Internet piracy and an obvious attempt to establish new "laws" applicable only to the Googlites and their partners.

- "We're Number 1 Syndrome". This is when arrogance, corporate greed, hypcocisy, and other unethical business practices become the norm rather than the exception. It happens all of the time in this society. The Dallas Cowboys caught it. The LA Lakers got it. So did IBM, AT&T, and Microsoft. Apple may also have it now. And we won't go into Enron or Worldcom ... we don't have time.

Wayne, I have noticed recently that copyrighted material remains in the Google image search system long after it is taken down by the pirating web site publisher. Do you suppose this is because advertising revenues continue to be derived from such unlawful activities?

How many legitimate advertisers do you think will stand by and tolerate this kind of unlawful behavior once it it exposed. Google has some tough times coming. Believe me. If there was ever a time to keep a close eye on "number 2", it may well be this fall, winter, and spring.

Viacom is just the tip of the infringement iceberg that the USS Google seems to have willingly steamed into in the dark of night.

If I were Yahoo, I'd be ready to send in some life rafts.

George P. Riddick, III
Chairman/CEO
Imageline, Inc.

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Google Leads in Global Search, But Rivals Are on Radar

Good morning, Judith

I think I represent a minority of folks out here who have an entirely different view of Google than you, and most other financial journalists and analysts, I follow these days.

You see, you continue to report on all the phenomenal upside of this thing they call "google" ... yet you completely ignore the more predictable downside. This misleads investors in my view, and leads to the type of things that happened back in 2000.

The little old ladies in Omaha end up holding the bag.

Google, for years, has written its own rules. Its rocket scientists invented a new moral compass owned and operated exclusively by a select few inside Google .. and several of their lawyers, investment bankers, and venture capitalist friends as well.

They rob from the middle class and give to the poor ... and others in the middle class .. and to the rich ... and to themselves. Over and over again. Google is one of the most flagrant copyright infringers on the planet. Day in and day out ... millions of times a day ... every day.

Not everyone plans to sell out and settle with Google, as they apparently see all of this "shaking out". Wait and see.

And if you don't think a misguided moral compass, unethical business practices, corporate arrogance, hypocrisy, and greed can bring down someone as mighty as Google, you might want to think again.
Can you spell ENRON?

Judith, I would never make such a claim without substantial proof of what I say. I'd be happy to review our research, and our extensive documentation, with you in more detail if you ever decide to tell your readers the flip side of the Google story. The true side.

George P. Riddick, III
Chairman/CEO
Imageline, Inc.

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Bernstein Advises Yahoo To Outsource Search To Google, Cut Staff

Hi Eric,

I don't know about you, but I think this recommendation by Bernstein is not as well researched as one might think. Sure, it is possible that the out-sourcing could boost Yahoo earnings in the short haul, but, over time, I do not see this strategy working well for them, or Internet users in general, for that matter.

Here are my thoughts:

1. Search is becoming a commodity, yet the people who control search do get first refusal rights on most of the eyeballs. From what I can see (after some extensive research I might add), Google "pads" its search results with so many duplicates and irrelevant "hits" that users like me are getting very frustrated.Yahoo may start to gain market share if it can stay clean and focused.

2.The battle field is now headed to display ads, graphical ads, animated ads, and video. Some of Yahoo's work here has improved significantly in just the past few months. I see Google struggling here, DoubleClick or no DoubleClick.

3. Google is now getting the solid, and well deserved, reputation that it is "anti-copyright". An anti-copyright company cannot continue soar in this country like Google has done over its first three years as a public company. Google is not just anti-copyright, it is as hypocritical as you can possibly get.

4. Google's top three business "executives", as well as their leading venture capital investor/advisor, dumped enough of their personal stock holdings into the market in the past 6-8 months (over $2 billion) that the four of them can spend the next twenty years personally building that new "moon rover", taking turns riding it around the "complex", and chasing it around Mountain View in the testing process. They don't even need to have Google succeed in its next phase. Some of the new Yahoo executives are different ... in fact, they may be hungrier to prove some of their points.

5. Turning this search game into a 2-way battle between the titans - Google and Microsoft - will be bad for all of us who want to see innovation continue in this industry ... and greed, and ruthless predatory business practices to wane.

6. Finally, I cannot see this to be in Yahoo's best interest in their international operations. In many countries, Yahoo actually has a lead over both Google and Microsoft. Once this lead subsides due to search, I personally believe the other Yahoo services would be at greater risk of decline as well.

Please remember, I an not a financial analyst. I am not a journalist ... and I am certainly NOT a lawyer ... I'm simply a small graphic arts content development company owner who wants to see this game played "fair and square". With Yahoo remaining in the game, I think we all stand a far better chance against some of the shameful business practices we have seen demonstrated by both Google and Microsoft over the years.

I guarantee you that many of your small business, entreprenuerial, and individual readers will agree. I can't speak for the "anti-copyright" crowd or the IT departments in large corporations.

But I'm not sure those folks are not Yahoo's primary targeted markets anyway.

George P. Riddick, III
Chairman/CEO
Imageline, Inc.

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