Nielsen Claims Microsoft's Bing Moves to No. 2 Search Slot Over Yahoo

In what will surely cause a firestorm of controversy in the search arena today, the Nielsen Co. is reporting that–for the first time–Bing has pushed past Yahoo in August to become the No. 2 search engine in the United States. That contrasts with the July report from comScore, which shows that Bing had an 11 percent share and Yahoo had a 17.1 percent share.

Question: How Many Q&A Services Does the Web Need?

Add one more: Ask.com, the search engine you never remember to use, tries yet another strategy.

Google Now a Bit More Bing-Like

Google has finally caved in and added a permanent menu of search-refinement options to the left-hand rail of its results pages. The feature is being rolled out today, along with a new logo, as part of the company’s most significant redesign in years.

Voices

Diller: IAC to Cut Cash Via Buybacks; Ask.com Not for Sale

IAC/Interactive Chairman and CEO Barry Diller said the company in the next 12 months expects to get its cash position down to a “rationale amount,” but not via acquisitions. Rather, that would mostly be from buying back shares.

Diller: Maybe I’ll Hold on to Ask.com After All

Turns out Barry Diller isn’t all that interested in selling off IAC’s Ask.com search engine, “speculative” though its future might be. Speaking at the Reuters Global Media Summit in New York on Wednesday, Diller said he’d rather partner with another search company than divest Ask outright.
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And You Thought Ask.com Had an Annoying Jingle–Try "Bing Goes the Internet"

Now, BoomTown likes a good jingle as much as anyone else, but this new one from Microsoft’s Bing search service is sticking in my head like a piece of chewed gum. Shot at Keith Valley Middle School in Horsham, Pa., it uses 400 very adorable sixth graders, who are dragooned into one very large “Bing Goes the Internet” dance–complete with logo wear. The kids rock, the jingle not so much.

Ask.com? Give It to Microsoft; He'll Eat Anything.

If Barry Diller is looking for somewhere to unload IAC’s Ask.com search engine, he’d be wise to consider Microsoft–if he doesn’t have that in mind already. Analysts reflecting on Diller’s recent remarks about Ask’s “speculative future” say Microsoft is the most likely buyer if IAC is truly serious about dumping the little search engine that couldn’t.

Ask.com's Latest Query: Wanna Buy a Search Engine?

Well, there it is. Barry Diller would rather sell off IAC’s Ask.com search engine than brave a fiercely competitive market with a property whose future he describes as “speculative.”

Two in a Row for IAC

Barry Diller’s IAC/InterActiveCorp racked up its second profitable quarter in a row Tuesday despite a decline in advertising. The company–which runs Ask.com and the Citysearch online city guide, among other things–posted earnings of $21.3 million, or 16 cents a share, compared with a year-earlier loss of $15.2 million, or 11 cents a share.

Ask.com’s Newest Offer: Discount Search

Sept. 9 Apple Event to be Tablet-Free

Google: Satisfaction Guaranteed

Bing! Here Come the TV Ads

Beware the GOOG!