ads

Updated 4:15 p.m. with details on the countries in which Works SE is being offered.

After years of exploring the matter, Microsoft has finally started offering an ad-funded version of Microsoft Works in some countries.

Users who run the software see a small ad as they are writing their document or editing their spreadsheet. Although the program has the ability to update its set of ads online, today it runs mostly ads for Microsoft and a few partners, all of which ship with the product itself.

Works SE (which stands for Sponsored Edition) is free to PC makers, … Read more

Yahoo is closer to outsourcing its core ad search business to Google, after favorable testing of Google's advertisements on its search pages, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

The WSJ cited people familiar with the matter who said that a deal between Yahoo and Google is increasingly likely given the status of the testing. The report also notes that such an outsourcing deal could give Yahoo a boost in its efforts to spur Microsoft into increasing its unsolicited buyout bid for the Internet search pioneer.

Yahoo may need such help if Microsoft is concerned about the … Read more

Buddy Media, a New York-based company that operates a number of social-media developer platform applications including Pirates vs. Ninjas, Zombies vs. Werewolves, Pub Darts, and a Sudoku game, announced Tuesday that it has raised $6.5 million in Series B funding in a round led by Softbank Capital.

A number of big-name investors like Ron Conway, Greycroft Partners, and the European Founders Fund (which has reportedly put cash behind Facebook) also contributed to the round along with 14 of the company's Series A investors.

Buddy Media uses a loyalty program called AceBucks across all its gaming applications, in which … Read more

Last year VideoClix.TV demoed an early version of its creepy, yet intelligent video advertising technology in an episode of Revision3's Diggnation, the popular podcast starring Digg.com's Kevin Rose and co-host Alex Albrecht. The technology, which inserts clickable advertising in every element of the video, gives users a way to be linked up to online retailers for any product or service that's seen in videos. It also lets users click on things not for sale to see any related information from elsewhere on the Web--a handy service that's usually ended up with horribly annoying results … Read more

In an attempt to improve the relevance of ads attached to search results, Yahoo plans to adjust the process advertisers use to bid for placement as soon as next week.

Today, there's a minimum bid of 10 cents per keyword. Soon, though, Yahoo will move to a variable minimum price, the company said Friday. The new minimum price could be higher or lower, depending on the keyword and the quality of the individual advertiser who's bidding for it, the company said.

For example, with the new system, a minimum bid--called a reserve price--could be lower for a high-quality … Read more

Updated 8:10 AM PDT with Wall Street reaction.

In rapid-fire succession Wednesday, the Microhoo buyout brawl had Yahoo throwing a one-two punch at Microsoft, with a swift comeback punch from the folks in Redmond.

And the crowd, or should I say the investors, liked what they saw. Yahoo's stock ended the day up slightly as the first punch came in toward the end of the trading day, and has continued to climb in early morning trading Thursday, following news events from last night.

Here's a quick blow-by-blow.

Yahoo looks to Google and AOL Yahoo kicked things off … Read more

Yahoo will test the use of Google advertisements on some of its search pages, the companies said Wednesday, a move that raises the possibility of a significant departure from Yahoo's present ad strategy.

"Yahoo will be testing Google's AdSense for Search service, which will deliver relevant ads alongside Yahoo's own natural search results. This is only a limited test, and does not necessarily mean that Yahoo will join the AdSense program," Google spokesman Daniel Rubin said.

The test is narrow in scope, Yahoo said: "The test will apply only to traffic from yahoo.com … Read more

Microsoft can give Google a better fight in online ads than Google can compete against Redmond in enterprise software, a Gartner analyst concludes in a new research report.

In one corner is Microsoft, the leader in enterprise software and PC-centric applications. Microsoft's eye is on the prize--a bigger slice of the $75 billion in online ad revenue that is forecast by 2011.

Microsoft is looking for growth after failing to see big payoffs from investments in areas like mobile, games, and online services, says David Mitchell Smith, Gartner research vice president and fellow, who authored the "Google vs. … Read more

The free security application Ad-Aware 2007 updated today, included in the new version is Spanish language support. An entry on the the Lavasoft blog discusses the latest release, the first in what is expected to be a series of localized versions of the software.

Ad-Aware was once the undisputed king of the download hill, but its reputation was tarnished a bit with the version 2007 release. Stability issues and concerns about the "always-on" updater were a few of the issues that pushed its CNET Download.com rating down to 4 stars. A full CNET review arrived at a … Read more