Alert Blog Reviews

And I don’t mean job security for Carol Bartz. Yahoo’s BOSS (Build your Own Search Service) is a popular, free way for developers to access the Yahoo index and to implement Yahoo search for your site. With the pending Microsoft-Yahoo deal outsourcing the search business, there has been some concern over whether BOSS will be discontinued. Never fear, says Yahoo—BOSS is sticking around. Like the main search results, the BOSS results are slated to use Bing’s index as well. But the bad news is that BOSS may not continue to be a free offering. Ashim Chimbra addressed developers’ concerns in the Yahoo Tech Group and alluded to possible pay structures in the future (emphasis added): Under this agreement, Yahoo! is permitted to continue offering the BOSS web service, with search results that would integrate Yahoo! services and content with algorithmic results provided by Microsoft. As always, our intention is to provide a BOSS offering as long as it makes business and economic sense to do so. We are still examining what the BOSS offering will consist of, with some services powered by Microsoft, unique content that Yahoo! currently provides, and the potential for additional Yahoo! content in the future. Prior to the announcement of the Yahoo!-Microsoft search agreement, we’d already shared our intention to explore a fee-based structure for BOSS. We continue to explore an appropriate fee structure or other revenue model as we work through the future of BOSS. As you know, we must receive regulatory clearance before actual implementation of the search deal with Microsoft can occur. Only then can we finalize the future shape of BOSS. Of course, we will provide additional clarity and certainty when we can. So clearly, they’re keeping their options open for pricing. What do you think? Will they be able to keep it free, or is the deal with Microsoft underlying evidence of the need for revenue? via

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Yahoo to Keep BOSS under Microsoft

Is it hip to be square again? Maybe according to Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey. His new startup, called Square , is a mobile payments (credit card processing) system that appeals to small businesses. But is he targeting the right customers? I think we’ve all heard rumors of a credit card reader for the iPhone—and this is it. A small, white plastic cube plugs into the audio jack of an iPhone or laptop (with software planned for Blackberry and Android). It scans the card, geotags the transaction and emails a receipt to the buyer. And just to be clear, Square is an app for merchants , not a way for individuals to electronically zap their bucks into the nearest Starbucks to pay for their latte. And that may be the problem, too—because the product isn’t designed for big retailers like Starbucks. Its users will be smaller vendors, “who don’t qualify for accounts with traditional credit card processors because the would be deemed ‘high risk’ by these companies,” as Read Write Web puts it. According to the CEO of competitor Billing Revolution, Andy Kleitsch, that’s not going to be enough of a market, and bigger vendors just aren’t going to be interested in the product. RWW also notes the potential for fraud: Square will also have to deal with potential fraud. While we don’t know the exact details about how Square will operate, chances are that the company will have to keep a large reserve in an escrow account with the credit card processing companies that power Square’s back-end. Anybody who sits on a pile of stolen credit cards, Kleitsch pointed out, could use Square to run up charges on these accounts. Once the defrauded credit card owners dispute these charges, Square could be left with a large bill to pay. However, one would hope they’ve taken precautions against this. While Square’s website contends that processing card payments is “difficult, requiring long applications, expensive hardware, and an overly complex experience,” Kleitsch says that a payment terminal is typically free, with $20/month + 2% of all transactions as the monthly fee for the service. (While Square’s service is free, last time I checked, an iPhone runs $200, plus Square’s hardware investment, plus a monthly fee—AT&T’s$60 data fee. Ouch—unless you truly already need the iPhone for your business.) Although one of their examples is of a local coffeeshop (of which Dorsey is a part owner), Dorsey appears to be targeting vendors even smaller than coffeeshops as well—vendors that may or may not have brick-and-mortar establishments, like artists or flower carts (another of the examples on their site). What do you think? Does Square have the potential to take off—and if so, with small businesses or just micro ones?

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Twitter Founder Turns Square (with Mobile Payments)

The single biggest PITA for Yahoo has decided to leave his board position. If you’re not aware of just how disruptive the self-labeled “activist investor” Carl Icahn has been, a quick review of our archives should bring you up to speed. It appears that Carl Icahn isn’t happy unless he’s getting his way, and for all intents and purposes, he’s had his way with Yahoo. After criticizing the company for not selling to Microsoft, forcing his way onto the board of directors, then dumping a bunch of shares, our prediction that he was about to bail, has come true. In a parting statement, Icahn appears to offer legitimate praise for Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz: “Carol is doing a great job and I believe the Microsoft transaction will provide great long term benefits, the potential of which many still do not understand.” Translation: Now that Yahoo has given up on search, it will start fading away–making it much easier for Microsoft to mount another takeover bid. Roy Bostock, Chairman of Yahoo, was equal in returning praise for Icahn: “Carl has been an important member of our board and has helped us through some significant transitions. We are all grateful for his active role shaping the future of Yahoo.” Translation: Security! I didn’t spot a statement from Bartz herself, so we’ll remind you of what she had to say about Icahn, not so long ago: “Icahn is just another shareholder. What’s he going to do, fire me?” Translation: [see above]

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Champagne Pops at Yahoo as Carl Icahn Resigns Board Position

A company that earns its living by optimizing web sites for mobile browsers just issued a report that suggests most of us need our web sites optimized for mobile browsers! Shocking, huh? OK, if we get over the potential bias in Gomez’s Why the Mobile Web is Disappointing End-Users , we find some interesting stats. Like this one: 82% of mobile phone users would use their phone to access the web more often, if only your site would load faster and provided a reliable experience: Or this one: if a mobile phone user can’t complete a transaction within a minute, they’re going to bail on your web site. And: if your mobile site doesn’t even load within the first 10 seconds, you can forget it! How does your site perform? There’s an (Gomez) app for that! Marketing Pilgrim scored a 4–not bad for a text heavy blog! ( via )

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Report: In 10 Seconds, this Mobile Web Surfer Will Self-Destruct!