Microsoft to provide cash rewards for using its search engine

[geek]

Microsoft's new strategy for beating Google can be summed up in three words: Share the wealth.

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates announced the company's "Live Search Cashback" service this morning at an annual conference for online advertisers hosted by Microsoft in Redmond, Wash.

The service rewards people who use Microsoft's Live search engine to purchase products online with a cash refund. "We want to earn your loyalty and reward it with cashback savings for your everyday online shopping," the giant software maker said in a statement posted on its company Web site.

The new initiative comes as Microsoft works to close a complex search advertising deal with Yahoo that will provide Microsoft with the audience it needs to compete with Mountain View-based Google, which dominates search advertising by a wide margin.

Microsoft withdrew a $47.5 billion bid to buy Yahoo outright on May 3, after the Sunnyvale-based search engine's board of directors insisted on a higher price. Outraged shareholders, led by billionaire investor Carl Icahn, have requested the companies restart negotiations. Last week, Icahn launched a proxy fight to replace Yahoo's board.


Source & full news: http://origin.mercurynews.com/business/ci_9333325

[musician_gp]

Wow..Is that true?
It would be very good news for us if both of them try to attract people using their site.

[forumguy]

That would really be a good news. I guess this is the only way microsoft can at least come half way close to google. If they could reward the users consistently, i guess they might even overtake google soon. But i wonder how they are going to do it consistently by rewarding for searching, as many similar search sites have bundled out soon. let's wait and watch how it goes.

[lethalboom]

lets face it, google is the daddy of daddies of search engines, realistically Microsoft will not only have to pay their users to use the msn search engine, but they will also have to pump a lot of money into advertising, so people know theyre paying... thats just my opinion anyway....

[roadrippersid]

Microsoft can never compete wit the best ie GOOGLE. u get anything u wished for... and live search results in unreasonable queries... if they pay me nice amount like 10$ per click i am ready to use them .. hehehhe:p:D:D

[musician_gp]

They want to get people using their search engine. Actually it was briliant. MIcrosoft?
It moves forward. They want to beat with yahoo and google.

[Kailash]

If this is true then also people who want the accurate search results will never leave Google. It is very hard to pay to all as there is a high chance of fraud in such type of program.

Kailash

[musician_gp]

If this is true then also people who want the accurate search results will never leave Google. It is very hard to pay to all as there is a high chance of fraud in such type of program.

Kailash

Whose gonne leave Google if they can get paid by using them. I'm the one will stay with google as long the benefit continues. Nobody will leave it. Good strategy.

[rypher21]

Even if Microsoft provides cash rewards for those who use their search engine...they can't still beat google...

nice strategy but...they should really work hard...

[never]

Wow! I gonna be rich if it is so! i definitely like this strategy! It's a good way to make people more intersted!