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Comparing Yahoo’s And Microsoft’s Services; Who Stays? Who Goes? We Need Your Input!
by Allen Stern on February 1st, 2008
Let’s take a look at Yahoo’s and Microsoft’s online services and see where there might be overlap. There are four columns in the chart below: category, Yahoo offering, Microsoft offering, and which one remains after the acquisition. It’s pretty simple to see that the deal would give Microsoft an instant consumer-facing Internet play. This is certainly not an exhaustive list of the services, please add the ones I am missing (I will update the list) and your thoughts in the comments. And sadly you can see why I suggest that Yahoo will lose way more than 1,000 employees in this deal – just too much overlap.
| Category | Yahoo | Microsoft | Winner |
| Search | Yahoo Search | Live Search | Yahoo Search |
| Yahoo Mail | Hotmail | Yahoo Mail | |
| Portal | Yahoo | MSN | Yahoo |
| Advertising | Yahoo Advertising Solutions | adCenter | adCenter (though will incorporate some of the features of Yahoo AS) |
| Mobile | Yahoo Mobile including Go, Local, etc. | n/a | Yahoo Mobile |
| Instant Messaging | Yahoo Messenger | MSN Messenger | Neither – they both suck compared to AOL / Skype |
| Finance Tools | Yahoo Finance | MSN Finance | Yahoo Finance |
| Groups | Yahoo Groups | n/a | Yahoo Groups |
| Other services: | Upcoming Zimbra Flickr Delicious HotJobs Food Geocities Bix Answers |
Office Live Windows Live |
i forgot mybloglog a long time ago :)
Another comment about MSN/YIM Vs. AOL
MSN and YIM are *already* intercompatible.
You can use one and talk to people on the other.
Awesome right?…
Also – I don’t know anyone here in Australia that uses AOL unless it’s specifically to talk to people in the USA.
Europe too… America uses AOL. Other countries really don’t use the messenger anywhere near as heavily and YIM/MSN messenger are very popular elsewhere.
MSN will obviously be what stays in the messenger realm – because it’s way more heavily associated with xbox live.
I also happen to think Windows Live mail is far superior to Yahoo Mail (I have both) but generally speaking… I like most of the yahoo assets a lot more.
Sir,
I am wondering how recently you have used AOL in comparison to YIM. AOL has long been popular mostly due to the fact that millions of current internet users first online experience was offered by AOL. They were spoon fed the flagship messenger, AOL, and knew of nothing else. They lived their lives happy and content without any knowlege of a superior messenger.
I can see how you would prefer Skype due to its powerful voice “instant messaging” ability as its text messaging function is rather substandard so this must be the selling factor for you. However, AIM has nothing on Yahoo with the exception of millions of previous internet neophytes who simply refuse or don’t know better to switch to a superior messenger.
Yahoo messenger has remained simple yet powerful over the years. They have allowed their public chat rooms to become plagued with “cam whore bots” but this really has nothing to do with the messenger.
everyone seems to forget mybloglog in all this.
adCenter over Yahoo/Overture? Any reason why?
Neither YIM or MSNmsg’r ‘cos both suck’..?
Allen, I love your stuff and enjoy seeing CenterNetworks succeed but I’m v disappointed with the lack of analysis and explanation here – esp as no one has really written out this angle yet.
Hi Ben – I appreciate your input and apologize that there was a lack of explanation here. My goal was to get the CN readers involved in creating the list and get their input. I can certainly provide more input later today.
Again, thanks for your note.
From Wikipedia:
Yahoo! 360°
Yahoo! Advertising
Yahoo! Answers –
Yahoo! Assistant
Yahoo! Briefcase
Yahoo! Buzz Log –
Yahoo! Developer Network
Yahoo! Directory
Yahoo! Finance
Yahoo! Gallery
Yahoo! Games
Yahoo! Geocities
Yahoo! Groups – mailing lists,
Yahoo! HotJobs
Yahoo! Kickstart
Yahoo! Local
Yahoo! Mail web-based email,
Yahoo! Maps
Yahoo! Mash
Yahoo! Messenger
Yahoo! Mobile
Yahoo! Movies
Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! News
Yahoo! OMG
Yahoo! Personals –
Yahoo! Photos –
Yahoo! Pipes –
Yahoo! Podcasts –
Yahoo! Publisher Network – advertising network,
Yahoo! Real Estate –
Yahoo! Search
Yahoo! Search Marketing (Overture)
Yahoo! Shopping
Yahoo! Small Business
Yahoo! Sports
Yahoo! Tech
Yahoo! Telemundo
Yahoo! Travel
Yahoo! TV
Yahoo! Video
Yahoo! Widgets
Yahoo! Kids
Bix
Kelkoo
del.icio.us – popular social bookmarking site,
blo.gs – a directory of recently updated weblogs,
Dialpad
Flickr
upcoming.org
In my opinion MSN video needs to stay. This is the one, and only thing left after a wonderful decade, or so that’s still on point at MSN.com
All else can be merged, or over ruled by means of quality by Yahoo!
I tried to post a long list of Yahoo properties, but the Internets ate it. I put it up online at my site if you want to see it. http://patrick.veverka.net/2008/02/01/yahoo-and-microsoft-sitting-in-a-tree/
Good post idea.
How about Yahoo News? It’s far better than Google News, IMHO. Not sure if there is an MSN equivalent.
“Not sure if there is an MSN equivalent…”
Umm. Isn’t that basically what the heart of MSN is?
Anyway – I think this deal spells bad news for Yahoo! and its properties. Yahoo! just recently upgraded their Yahoo! Mail features to make it truly interactive. It’s pretty nice to use the new Yahoo! Mail, as it works consistently in all browsers.
I have a bad feeling that we’re going to end up going backwards whenever Yahoo! Mail is updated again (if it doesn’t disappear altogether thanks to this acquisition). Rather, I see Yahoo! Mail going more in the direction of Outlook Web Access, which is absolutely disastrous outside of Internet Explorer.
Also – Allen – you forgot Launchcast (Yahoo’s Internet Radio)
Isn’t live spaces a bit like groups?
@mack yeah they have a news site which is pretty good on the msn portal.
you missed the portal compare Allen.
Yahoo other Yahoo properties I can think off :-
travel
developers
music
ISP partnerships
Zibra
Pretty sure MS have a video play too.
Also MS have mobile live which is pretty good and up there with yahoos offering.
As long as Microsoft leave Yahoo as a brand in place and combine all the backend stuff I think its a good deal.
Maybe they should can MSN and rebrand it all Yahoo.
Maybe it should be Yahoo buy MSN for -$44 Billion :p
You forgot upcoming.org on Yahoo’s side.
Upcoming.org
yahoo travel vs. (Does MS still own?) Expedia
MSN http://encarta.msn.com/
my.yahoo.com vs. ms ? live?
Yahoo Developer Network vs. MSDN
Yahoo Music Engine vs. Windows Media Player
Yahoo Small Business Web Hosting and Store vs. Microsoft’s ???
Wow. There are so many different routes one can go. What stays What goes? usually the Buyer keeps their own properties and kicks out the buyee. However, I would much rather they keep more of the Yahoo properties and the Microsoft properties.
Hi Allen,
Something inside me tells me that this deal would not go as expected if it takes place. This deal spells doom for the free web culture that we are used to for years.
Microsoft’s oppressive monopolistic culture could possibily kill Yahoo and services that we have come to assoiciate Web2.0 with namely Flickr and Del.icio.us
For more on this read my thoughts at my blog here : http://dailyapps.net/2008/02/what-does-a-combined-microsoft-yahoo-look-like/