Money Maker Academy

Since IAC/InterActiveCorp CEO Barry Diller indicated on Tuesday that he’s willing to sell Ask.com, the question on many people’s minds has been, "Who might buy it?"  And at this point, the most likely answer seems to be "Microsoft."

Let’s run down the possibilities within the search industry.  There would be little point in Google buying Ask.  After all, Google’s market share dwarfs the 2 to 3 percent Ask currently controls, and the two companies already have an advertising deal in place.

Yahoo might get more out of buying Ask, since doing so would augment its search share by a noticeable amount and toss a monkey wrench at Google, but with the Microsoft search partnership sort of looming overhead, such a move would also seem a little pointless.

Finally, AOL, for its part, is about to lose access to Time Warner’s checkbook.

Which leaves Microsoft, a favorite of analysts to whom Yinka Adegoke spoke.  Microsoft’s already demonstrated a willingness to buy search companies, and since the Yahoo acquisition failed, may have some money intended expressly for that purpose sitting around.

Then, you have to consider that a market share of 2 or 3 percent must look pretty respectable to a company that itself only has a share of 10 or 11 percent.

This speculation doesn’t amount to an offer on Steve Ballmer’s part, of course.  It just looks like his company might be able to find a use for Ask if the price is right.

Related Articles:

> Microsoft, Yahoo Miss Deadline Agreement

> MySpace, MSN Now Said To Be In Talks

> Facebook/Twitter Use May Now Mean More For Google/Bing Rankings

Health information site WebMD has launched a site focusing on the care of peoples’ pets.

WebMD Healthy Pets provides pet owners with health information to help their pets live healthier lives.

The sites helps owners care for their cats and dogs with veterinarian-reviewed information on pet diet and nutrition, behavior and training, and preventive care. WebMD Healthy Pets offers an online newsletter, slideshows, videos and blogs to help pet owners  make informed decisions. The site also focuses on the human health benefits of owning a pet, such as lower blood pressure and less anxiety, along with the impact pets can have on health conditions such as allergies.

WebMD says it launched the site because 75 percent of its 60 million unique monthly visitors are also pet owners.

"WebMD Healthy Pets provides pet owners with reliable health news and information on topics ranging from general wellness to disease–for all stages of a pet’s life," said Nan-Kirsten Forte, Executive Vice President, Consumer Services, WebMD.

"Pet owners who already trust WebMD for health and wellness information for their families now have WebMD’s veterinarian-reviewed pet information to help them care for their pets."

WebMD Healthy Pets includes:

Dog and cat diet and nutrition information based on age, activity level and health conditions.

Dog and cat medical symptom and condition information to help owners care for pets with health conditions.

A veterinarian led online pet community to share pet owner experience and tips with other dog and cat owners.

Veterinarians specializing in cats and dogs answer popular questions on
 topics ranging from care to wellness.

Related Articles:

> AMA Launches Website Focused On Flu Symptoms

> Government Adds New Features To Flu Website

>Microsoft Launches H1N1 Flu Website

When you think about social media marketing or building your social media presence, you probably think about Facebook or Twitter, or perhaps YouTube or MySpace. That’s good. These are some of the top places on the Internet where people are spending their time online.

What online communities do you focus on? Comment here.

That said, there are probably plenty of places that you are either overlooking or just plain ignoring. They might not have the broad user-bases of the aforementioned services, but there are people there, and the more people you can reach and engage with, the better off you may be in some cases (depending on your goals for social network use).

According to Hitwise data, the top ten social networking websites and forums by US market share of visits looked like this:

To be clear, the Hitwise data from which MarketingCharts compiled the above graph is based on US market share of visits as defined by the IAB, which is the percentage of online traffic to the domain or category, from Hitwise’s sample of 10 million US internet users. It’s unclear exactly what all kinds of sites fall into the social networks category.

But the point is that there are a lot of places out there where people are forming communities that you may not be thinking of, but may provide plenty of opportunities for driving more engagement, brand awareness, and/or even traffic.

Are you considering things like Tagged or Yahoo Profiles/Groups? Are you considering the forums out there that pertain to your niche? Forums are relevant in social media marketing. I’ve discussed this in the past. Forums are basically social networks. They’re communities too. You have to think about where the people are, and not just where they are, but where they are talking. Where they’re communicating with others.

Forums or other more narrow communities may even prove to be more valuable tools than Facebook or Twitter in some cases. They are more likely to be focused on specific niches, than on the general public. There are certainly plenty of times where the general public – the Facebook/Twitter crowds are who you are trying to reach, but there will be other times when you may want to reach a specific group of people, which may or may not be a part of Facebook or Twitter.

Look at Ford for example. Scott Monty, who runs the social media efforts for the Ford Motor Company recently told WebProNews that they use all sorts of forms of social media, because "Let’s face it, people are using all sorts of forms."

"We try to be where the mainstream are and we do it in a way that humanizes the company at every turn, so we’re on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, Scribd, Delicious, and upcoming as our major platforms," he said. "And we’re constantly monitoring to see what the trends are and where people are going, so that we’re relevant."

The key word there is relevant. Go where you’re relevant.

What are some less thought about communities that you use to engage with people? Discuss here.

Related Articles:
 

> Forums Are Relevant in Social Media Marketing

> How Big Brands Use Social Media

> Some Brands Have Good Ideas For Social Media. Do You?

> Using Facebook Traffic to Drive Brand Loyalty

Either Yahoo learned nothing from the real estate bubble, or the company’s got something pretty fantastic up its sleeve.  Or it’s just sending out feelers, not preparing to pour concrete.  Anyway, a fresh report indicates that Yahoo’s taken a step towards building a large, new campus.

John Letzing wrote earlier today about a campus plan that involves 13 structures and 3 million square feet.  "Yahoo’s proposed campus is made up of sleek, six-story buildings set amid landscaped grounds and expansive plazas.  It bears a resemblance to Google’s Mountain View headquarters, dubbed the ‘Googleplex,’ which is situated less than 10 miles to the northwest," he reported.

Then here’s another important detail: Santa Clara City Planner Carol Anne Painter told Letzing that the Santa Clara City Council could approve the development early next year.

Just don’t go submitting your application to Yahoo (if you feel this is a sign of success and an expansion) – or betting on its bankruptcy (if you feel otherwise) – quite yet.

The company told Tom Krazit, "Yahoo purchased 42.5 acres of land in Santa Clara in July 2006.  We submitted initial plans to the City of Santa Clara to redevelop the property in August 2008 and plans are currently with the City to procure entitlements for developing the land.  We are taking the proper steps to secure approval for the development of the land.  We continue to evaluate our real estate portfolio on a worldwide basis to ensure it best supports our business."

Related Articles:

> Twitter Lines Up New Office Space

> Microsoft, Yahoo Miss Deadline Agreement

> Yahoo Provides Homepage Overhaul Stats

Searching online for used vehicles has become the primary way for consumers to locate used automobiles, according to new a report by J.D. Power and Associates.

The report found the percentage of used-vehicle buyers who rely on the Internet as a way for locating vehicles for sale has increased from 40 percent in 2008 to 46 percent in 2009, equal to the percentage of buyers who visit dealer lots as their main shopping method. In addition, 31 percent of buyers found the vehicle they eventually purchased on the Internet, compared with 28 percent of buyers who found their vehicle by visiting dealerships.

"Internet shopping provides prospective buyers with the opportunity to search through enormous amounts of specific vehicle information without ever leaving home, allowing for a more efficient medium of matching buyers with unique used vehicles in the market," said Arianne Walker, director of marketing and media research at J.D. Power and Associates.

"In light of this, dealers should expect the Internet to continue to increase in importance among used-vehicle shoppers and adjust their online presence accordingly."

The report also found that awareness of certified pre-owned (CPO vehicle programs is strong, with more than 60 percent of used-vehicle buyers indicating they intend to purchase certified pre-owned vehicles at the start of their shopping process.

One-half of all buyers of CPO vehicles say they used the Internet to locate used vehicles, while a slightly lower percentage (45%) shopped primarily by driving to dealer lots. The percentage of buyers who visited dealer Web sites specifically for CPO vehicle information has increased considerably to 29 percent in 2009, compared with 19 percent in 2008.

Among used vehicle buyers who use the Internet in their shopping process, third party sites are visited during the shopping process more frequently than other types of sites, including dealer websites. The majority (91%) of buyers say they visited at least one third-party websites during the shopping process.

"Not only has visitation increased for third-party sites, but they also continue to be viewed as the most useful sites during the shopping process," said Walker. "Overall, users rate sites such as AutoTrader, Cars.com, and Edmunds highly for overall usefulness. In addition, certain third-party sites are also well regarded for usefulness in specific areas.

"For example, sites like AutoTrader and eBay Motors are perceived as particularly useful for inventory information, while buyers report that ConsumerReports.org and Edmunds are useful for vehicle appraisals and reviews. Sites such as Kelley Blue Book are perceived as being particularly useful for pricing information."

Related Articles:

> Amazon and Wal-Mart Engage In Price War Over Holiday Book Shoppers

> Consumer Online Spending To Grow 24%

> PayPal Intros New Student Accounts