“At Yahoo, we want to be the most essential starting point for your life,”

Yang’s statement is closest to what Yahoo has aspired be — “the most essential starting point” for Internet users — and struggled to become as it was lapped by Google, Facebook and others who developed very profitable services that prevailed over Yahoo’s.

via Reviving Yahoo: Marissa Mayer’s grand challenge | Internet & Media – CNET News.

This is a Yang quote but it still speaks to the core appeal of what Yahoo was (and wants to return to) when everyone went to their my.yahoo page to get the digital content.

As I’ve stated before, as marketers get more demanding for multi-screen metrics, Yahoo needs to increase their PVs of logged in users.  On paper, they’ve reversed this the growth trends for those metrics through this acquisition.

 

 

What happens after Yahoo acquires you- Feb 2011

Relevant:

What happens after Yahoo acquires you by Matt Linderman of 37signals.

Below is a full list of Yahoo’s acquisitions since 2005. How many can be described as success stories?

A multi-screen and conversational search experience

A multi-screen and conversational search experience – Inside Search.

#multiscreen

How Facebook could save Nokia

More on digital mobile value net dynamics.  It’s a bit different abroad than here in the US.

it comes with free data for Facebook if consumers use one of the wireless carriers that have agreed to that. Vaughan Smith, Facebook’s head of mobile partnerships, told the gathered press that five billion people still don’t use the internet. “How can we help those people get online faster so they can lead a richer life?” he asked. His answer: Facebook.

This is not the first time Facebook has lured users with the promise of free data. We’ve written in the past about Facebook Zero, a free text-only service for people on old, un-smart phones. But this is the first time the perk has been bundled into a smart device, one that’s iPhone-like and has a touchscreen. The developing world loves Facebook. Brazil and India are the social network’s largest markets after America. In the latter, it’s the most-visited website after Google. Nokia is betting people will buy its phones so they can get on Facebook even more easily (even if it is without faster 3G wireless).

via How Facebook could save Nokia – Quartz.

ESPN Eyes Subsidizing Wireless-Data Plans

We’ve been trying to make this model work for a very long time.  Feels like we get closer and closer though.

Such a deal would mark a significant development in the wireless business, creating a new model for media and telecom companies to share the costs of bringing bandwidth-guzzling services to consumers. Another way media companies could compensate carriers is by sharing advertising revenue with them.

via ESPN Eyes Subsidizing Wireless-Data Plans – WSJ.com.

Can Zynga’s small-ish mobile-gaming business and decaying Web-gaming empire keep the company alive long enough for a real-money gaming business to emerge?

So, as it seems, Zynga is in holding pattern mode until its real-money gambling makes some progress, or the company makes some serious strides in mobile. Or, preferably, both.

via What Will Actually Save Zynga? – Digits – WSJ.

Twitter Introducing New Card Types, App Installs And Deep Linking

That’s right, Twitter just threw their hat in the ring to sell mobile app installs:

By adding these new footer tags to your markup, you’ll be able to specify downloads for users who’ve not yet installed your app on their device. This will work across iPhone, iPad, and Android (Google Play).

via Twitter Introducing New Card Types, App Installs And Deep Linking, At Developer Meetup | TechCrunch.

Ad-Tech Specialist Marin Software Raises $105M In IPO As Shares Pop 40%, But Now Under $18 | TechCrunch

For those of you playing along at home:

The first ad tech IPO of 2013 hit the NYSE today: Marin Software priced its 7.5 million shares at $14 each, raising $105 million at a valuation of $425 million. Trading under the symbol MRIN, the stock saw a small pop in its opening hour, rising by some 40% before going down again and currently trading under $18, a rise of some 20%-28% on the IPO price.

via Ad-Tech Specialist Marin Software Raises $105M In IPO As Shares Pop 40%, But Now Under $18 | TechCrunch.

eBay on shutting off branded keywords buys

In March 2012, eBay conducted a controlled trial to see what would happen if they shut off this “branded keyword advertising” by halting their purchases of search ads containing the word “ebay” on Microsoft and Yahoo search engines, while continuing to purchase search ads on Google as a control. There was no change in eBay sales via Yahoo and Bing, relative to those that came through Google — consumers simply substituted clicks on the unpaid search listing for the now-absent paid ones.

via Did eBay Just Prove That Paid Search Ads Don’t Work? – Ray Fisman – Harvard Business Review.

Imagining a World Without Cookies | Digiday

Big publishers, as a whole, should win.

via Imagining a World Without Cookies | Digiday.

In my opinion, search (Google) would be the biggest winner.  Then big publishers.  Then companies with high quality email lists.