Do you have questions about the proposed search advertising deal between Google and Yahoo!? If so, you might find some answers at YahooGoogleFacts.com, a site Google has launched to clarify just what is going on, and probably to help clear the air of controversy, which has surrounded the deal since it was first brought into the public eye.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt partially blamed Microsoft for fanning the flames of controversy in connection with the deal, but he also acknowledged that Google itself probably had not done a good enough job explaining just what the deal would entail. This new site could stamp out that problem, although I don’t think said controversy flames themselves will quite be stamped out. A slideshow is provided, which graphically shows comparisons between a current Yahoo! search page, and a possible Yahoo! search page under the deal, as well as between this deal and a similar deal between Google and Ask, and this deal and supplier arrangements in other industries.
The slideshow goes on to reiterate what the deal is NOT:
– Not a merger
– Does not remove a competitor from the playing field
– Does not prevent Yahoo! from making similar deals with others
– Does not increase Google’s share of search traffic
– Does not let Google set prices for advertisers
– Does not give Google any equity stake in Yahoo!
Other information you can find on the site includes:
– Facts about the deal
– What people are saying
– What the deal means for advertisers
– Why the deal is good for competition
– Terms of the deal
– Voluntary delay for regulators
Google has been confident that this deal will get done the entire time. Schmidt said that they expected the amount of scrutiny they’ve been under, and he intends to move forward with the deal next month unless it is blocked for some reason. Meanwhile many parties are still trying to see it blocked.
