Top Items:
Brad Stone / New York Times:
Microsoft to Pay $240 Million for Stake in Facebook — Microsoft has won a high-profile technology industry battle with Google and Yahoo to invest in the social networking upstart Facebook. — The two companies said on Wednesday that Microsoft would invest $240 million for a 1.6 percent stake in Facebook.
Discussion:
Techdirt, Business Week, Silicon Alley Insider, Los Angeles Times, Download Squad, Tech Talk with Dean Takahashi, Geek Speaker, HipMojo.com, Innovation in Software, Online Dating Insider, Joe Duck, BloggingStocks, Todd Watson, TechBlog, The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs, MarketingVOX, Bloggers Blog, TechSpot News, VentureBeat, Nate Elliott, Mark Evans, The Last Podcast and iMedia Connection
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Ina Fried / CNET News.com:
Source: Microsoft wins Facebook bid battle — Update: 12:30 p.m. see bottom. — After weeks of speculation, Microsoft appears to have won a battle with Google over who would get a stake in Facebook, according to a source familiar with the situation. — Microsoft and Facebook were close to a deal, according to the source.
Discussion:
Valleywag, Andy Beal's Marketing Pilgrim, Rev2.org, Things That, The Register, Tech Check with Jim Goldman, Bloomberg, Between the Lines, Webware.com, Good Morning Silicon Valley, HipMojo.com, Bruce Clay, Inc. Blog, Deal Journal, WebProNews, blognation USA, Silicon Alley Insider, Mashable!, Computerworld, Media Biz, Todd Bishop's Microsoft Blog, New York Post and Epicenter
PR Newswire:
Facebook and Microsoft Expand Strategic Alliance — Microsoft to take equity stake in Facebook; companies expand advertising deal to cover international markets. — PALO ALTO, Calif. and REDMOND, Wash. /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Facebook® and Microsoft Corp. today announced that Microsoft …
Wall Street Journal:
Facebook Is Close to Choosing Microsoft or Google for Deal — SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook Inc. is close to choosing between Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp. to sell ads for the social networking service outside the U.S., according to people familiar with the matter.
Erick Schonfeld / TechCrunch:
Facebook Takes the Microsoft Money And Runs. — While the storyline would have been more dramatic if Facebook had spurned its current ad-serving partner Microsoft for Google, it is confirmed that Microsoft has won the deal. It will invest $240 million in Facebook and expand its existing relationship …
Discussion:
Terry Heaton's PoMo Blog, InsideGoogle, Epicenter, Valleywag, Deal Journal and InsideMicrosoft
Michael Arrington / TechCrunch:
Liveblogging The Facebook Press Conference — Facebook is holding a press conference at 2 pm PST to discuss and presumably confirm the Microsoft investment. We'll be liveblogging the event here. Stay tuned. — Press Release On The Investment: … - Sphere It -
Discussion:
The Universal Desktop, CenterNetworks, mathewingram.com/work, Tech Tracks, paidContent.org and Valleywag
Robert Scoble / Scobleizer:
Microsoft wins Facebook bid? Here's the insider scoop on why... Last night I was hanging around at the Ritz near my house. That's where Jerry Yang, CEO of Yahoo spoke yesterday, and where the Right Media conference is going on right now. — I talked with several people …
Terrence Russell / Epicenter:Three Reasons Microsoft Underpaid For Facebook
Discussion:
Googling Google
Caroline McCarthy / CNET News.com: Microsoft acquires equity stake in Facebook, expands advertising partnership
Duncan Riley / TechCrunch:
Google Declares Jihad On Blog Link Farms — A major Google page rank update has punished large scale blog link farms and similar sites indulging in heavy cross linking by dramatically cutting their Google page rank scores. — There is some suggestion that the changes may be related …
Discussion:
TechVat, Todd Watson, Nelson's Weblog, WebMetricsGuru, Things That, WebProNews, B.L. Ochman's weblog and Practical Blogging
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Andy Beard / Niche Marketing:
Digg Favorites Slapped By Google — For a company such as Google with a stock price based extensively on anticipated growth and public sentiment, it doesn't take a huge swing in goodwill to have a dramatic effect on valuation. Google has just slapped their biggest fans.
Barry Schwartz / Search Engine Land:Google's PageRank Update Goes After Paid Links?
Discussion:
Internet Marketing, Google Blogoscoped, Googlified, Search Engine Guide, Guardian Unlimited and Robin Good
Peter Kafka / Silicon Alley Insider:Google's PageRank Shuffle: Big Sites Say Bye-bye, Traffic?
Discussion:
Geek News Central
Steve / The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs:
PodTech: RIP — Well, they've had a good run but apparently the Casa de Scoble is heading for the big sleep. Or is it the dirt nap? I can never remember. No announcement yet but we hear it's imminent. Word is that Scoble was planning to bail in January anyway but now he won't have to.
USA Today:
Leopard, Apple's new Mac operating system, hits all the right spots — When Steve Jobs unleashes Mac OS X Leopard on Friday, Mac fans and others considering an Apple computer for the first time will have questions. Is the new Leopard operating system worth the $129 upgrade price?
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Eric Savitz / Tech Trader Daily:
Google Analyst Day: CEO Eric Schmidt — The last speaker at the Google (GOOG) analyst meeting today is CEO Eric Schmidt. — Schmidt says it has become clear we are at the beginning of a massive transition to cloud computing. A global transition from one form of information sharing to another, of one form of computing to another.
Robby Stein / Official Gmail Blog:
Sync your inbox across devices with free IMAP — There are two online petitions I've signed in my life. One was for a "Xena: Warrior Princess" movie. The other, which I signed a few months before starting at Google, was for Gmail IMAP. As some of you know, IMAP is the best way to access …
The 463:
Hi there. I'm the Internet. I like romantic dinners, long walks on the beach and.... It won't make you dinner or rub your feet, but nearly one in four Americans say that the Internet can serve as a substitute for a significant other for some period of time, according to a new poll released today …
