Will Search Become a Duopoly?

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Will Search Become a Duopoly?

Turning the heat up on the Microsoft-Google showdown is causing speculation that smaller players may get squeezed out. The timing is interesting, because I had a great chat with new Ask CEO Jim Lanzone last week. I'll be posting more about it later this week, but Ask is taking a very down to earth, pragmatic and focused approach to the upcoming search war, and one that resonates with me. Don't count these guys out yet!

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Print | posted @ Monday, May 15, 2006 5:07 AM

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# re: Will Search Become a Duopoly?

by PuzZler at 5/15/2006 2:32 PM

Gord, I think the next 12 months will chew up a new player in search - which is a very wild speculation, I admit. The name and marketing must be right and the SERPS must be fine and a significant amount of people (>5%) will jump the wagon. What I saw from Ask on WMW conf in boston was OK, but not really the solution. IMHO is the name ASK.com too english, but maybe the search war is won there...
The trick might be to create feelings, more than real good SERPS...

# re: Will Search Become a Duopoly?

by Juliana Rocha at 5/16/2006 10:42 AM

Hello Gord Hotchkiss. I'm a journalist who's writing a report about Snap.com, the web search engine of Idealab. I've read your article - and that's how I end up here at your blog - about the search experience to MediaPost Publications. Can your answer a couple questions about the subject - the search experience and the innovations of Snap.com - by email? Please contact me if possible until tomorrow afternoon: jurocha@gmail.com is my email adress.

# re: Will Search Become a Duopoly?

by Dan at 5/18/2006 4:05 AM

Yahoo! was mentioned as a player in the article, too. I can't see Ask hanging with the big boys in 10 years, but Yahoo! will probably still be around. Maybe they haven't innovated anything lately, but they have a knack for buying innovators.