Not happy with Facebook’s search and advertising system? Well, Microsoft’s going to try its hand at improving things. A new deal between the two companies should bring Live Search aboard before winter begins.
At Microsoft’s annual Analyst Day, Satya Nadella, a senior vice president, discussed an issue related to search. Then, according to a rough transcript, he said, “We will be providing an API to Facebook where they will create a rich search experience for the Facebook users and that is something that they will launch in the fall working with us. And it will carry both our Web results, as well as our page search advertising.”
Satya Nadella
A hat tip goes to Frederic Lardinois for that transcript. For being pretty clever, Microsoft deserves a deeper nod. Millions of American Facebook users who are probably Google fans will, as a result of this deal, get stuck using a product developed in Redmond. Plus, Facebook’s involvement may keep them from caring or even noticing.
This change should bring Microsoft a reasonably sized new stream of search revenue. Long-term implications (like, say, a total acquisition of the social network) are harder to predict. Wall Street isn’t in the mood for dreams right now, anyway, as Microsoft’s down 3.48 percent for the day.
On a somewhat related note, Facebook’s users haven’t begun any type of revolt over the new site design.
