Good article in the Financial Times last week about Yahoo and what the company is doing in the face of the growing and stiff competition in the search business by the likes of Google and Microsoft.
Thought-making sound bites from the FT article in discussing the role of Bradley Horowitz, Yahoo’s technology director search and marketplace group:
[…] It is a ponderous title that ill reflects the speed with which he has to redefine the way society interacts with the web if Yahoo is to regain its former lustre. His group hopes to usher in a new concept of web searching where pure search la Google or Microsoft’s MSN will be augmented, if not wholly replaced, by the combined expertise and experience of the entire body of net users. Yahoo calls this “social search”: Mr Horowitz claims it will be the defining characteristic of the next generation of web search tools.
[…] He goes on: “This next phase of personal and social search means that we will empower individuals with the privilege of voting on what’s important for them and expose that so communities and social networks and other groups can leverage that information. The intention is to base social search on open standards in order to spread its influence beyond the Yahoo environment.”
Financial Times | Free the slaves from the webmasters (paid sub)
Neville Hobson is the author of the popular NevilleHobson.com blog which focuses on business communication and technology.
Neville is currentlly the VP of New Marketing at Crayon. Visit Neville Hobson’s blog: NevilleHobson.com.