Internet

Search engines multiply, but answers don’t

20 May 2009

Microsoft is set to launch its latest effort to crack Google s dominance in search. Sites like Wolfram Alpha are trying to find safe and profitable niches. Sadly, Google s wouldbe rivals have mostly done better at generating hype than results.

More to mini-boom in US IPOs than meets the eye

20 May 2009

Three companies raising half a billion bucks sounds like a drop in the bucket. But strong demand and robust pricing for riskier companies suggest a latent desire by investors to put money to work. That's a critical component in any economic recovery.

Virtual goods bring web companies real money

14 May 2009

Selling nothing for something is the perfect business model. Crazy as it sounds, the sale of virtual gifts, services and other fictitious trinkets on the internet is becoming a big business. Yet while billions will be made, this madeup industry faces very real barriers.

Yahoo needs more than reconstructive surgery

30 Apr 2009

New boss Carol Bartz is already making her mark on the struggling internet giant. She s cutting back and selling off dormant units and trimming workforce fat. But that alone won t be enough to turn Yahoo around. Change is good, but Bartz needs to give the company a mission.

Skype founders unlikely to find Ebay stand-in for Joost

24 Apr 2009

The pair hit a home run when they sold Skype to Ebay for $3.1bn. Now they re said to be looking to sell online video site Joost. They ll be hard pressed to find an eager buyer. Joost is no Skype and the internet openness bubble has deflated since Ebay s fat payout.

Murdoch gussies up MySpace in bid to keep Google

23 Apr 2009

The social network is considered one of News Corp's savviest buys. But the odds of MySpace renewing its rich advertising contract with Google are dimming. It is falling behind Facebook and it needs to turn around quickly. That explains why MySpace founders just got the boot.

Google is human after all – just barely

16 Apr 2009

The search giant s revenues fell last quarter for the first time in its short history. It seems advertising woes are denting its moneyspinning internet business. Still, compared to its brethren, Google looks wellpositioned to weather the downturn by increasing its dominance.

Personal view: Amazon’s Kindle is understated thriller

15 Apr 2009

The electronic book reader may not quite have the iPod s wow factor. But it does open up myriad options in a similar way. Aside from books, you can get newspapers on it in real time. It lets you carry around reference works. It can even read to you. Richard Beales is hooked.

Skype IPO should be appetiser for Ebay breakup

14 Apr 2009

The online auctioneer plans to float the profitable internet calling service in 2010. That s good news for shareholders. The fit was awkward, and Skype could fetch $2bn handy cash for Ebay s struggling auction unit. But to really help the shares, Ebay should unleash Paypal too.

Ebay should swallow bitter pill of Skype sale

13 Apr 2009

The internet calling service s founders are hatching a plan to buy it back from the online auctioneer for less than they sold it for. That may seem less than tempting for Ebay. But Skype ties up capital and distracts the company s management. Ebay should sell it now.

Twitter: is it a fad or the future?

6 Apr 2009

The online instant update service has become a media sensation and a supposed target for the likes of Google and Facebook. Jeff Segal investigates whether the moneylosing operation is an overhyped flash in the pan or a real business opportunity.

Is Facebook gearing up for an IPO?

1 Apr 2009

That s the talk of Silicon Valley after booting its CFO for Netscape s former finance chief. An IPO seems risky given Facebook s model is still unproven. But the capital it raised in better times may have had strings attached that could force an offering.

Google VC fund shouldn’t be zany side pocket

31 Mar 2009

The internet giant has launched a venture capital arm with $100m. This looks a formality Google has funded new businesses for years. Shareholders may worry that it s simply a repository for the wackiest ideas. One way to defuse such fears would be to bring in outside money.

AOL’s condition needs more than a great doctor

13 Mar 2009

The former internet highflier has hired hotshot Google sales boss Tim Armstrong. That suggests a spinoff from Time Warner is near. The separation can't hurt, but Armstrong will need some luck or magic in addition to his skills to get the fading AOL off its deathbed.

Google presents a problem for the DJIA

13 Mar 2009

Citi and GM's nearpenny stock status may get them booted from the benchmark US stock index. Google seems a sure standin given the Dow's history of reflecting the technology of the times. But its inclusion would distort the entire index. The DJIA s structure needs a rethink.

Ebay’s future lies in payments not auctions

11 Mar 2009

The company's analyst day made clear that future growth will come from Paypal. While its core marketplace expects flat sales, Paypal's revenues could double over the next three years. A spinoff would let shareholders reap the full benefit.

Google should Google this: dividend

5 Mar 2009

By 2010, the search giant should have $21bn of cash piled up. CEO Eric Schmidt says the company plans to sit on it. Google can finance acquisitions from cash flow, and it s no longer the growth stock it once was. It should return money to shareholders.

MySpace may slow but Murdoch’s in the money

5 Mar 2009

The mogul s purchase of MySpace looked kooky at the time. But it's been a lesson in good timing. Even if its headiest years of growth have passed, as some defections suggest, News Corp made it pay off.

Yahoo’s search gains strengthen its hand

19 Feb 2009

New data shows Yahoo gaining search market share for five months running. And it just added video and image advertisements to its listings. It s becoming a tastier morsel for Microsoft and showing search king Google that its dominance has limits.

Web 2.0 economy has further to fall

17 Feb 2009

Blogging service Twitter s latest round of financing valued it at $250m half of what it was looking for three months ago. Social network Facebook s stilloutsized value has been slashed by three quarters. Even these figures may reflect wishful thinking.