Filed under: Deals, Microsoft (MSFT), Yahoo! (YHOO)

Even though we’re all still waiting for the outcome of Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT)’s acquisition of Yahoo, Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO), the question remains: can a merged Micro-Hoo even catch Google, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) in the web search engine advertising revenue race? Is that even Microsoft’s strategy here?

Most of the media world believes Microsoft needs a new arsenal to catch up to Google so that it can start reaping the rewards of search engine and text advertising. Microsoft already has an ad platform for this (adCenter), as does Yahoo! (Project Panama). Both have failed to make even a dent in Google’s search advertising dominance, so why would a combined Micro-Hoo think it can do any superior? Is a combined search advertising market share really the meat of this merger, or would a combined company just be the blind leading the blind against first-mover Google?

Yahoo! has already rebuffed Microsoft’s offer, which already sets the stage for nastiness should a merger occur. Microsoft would empty its entire cash pile to buy Yahoo!, and would be betting the farm that it can at least compete with Google in the lucrative advertising arena while it replenishes its cash pile from its software business. So, what could Yahoo! mean to Microsoft? It would bring hundreds of millions of customers to Microsoft — that’s a given. But if you can’t properly monetize that large swath of customers (which Yahoo! has severely struggled with), what’s the point? Microsoft may fear that Google could become as massive as it is some day in terms of revenue and power — and that could be the driving force: heading it off at the pass. Or, trying to at least.

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Filed under: Business, Utilities, Adobe, Freeware

What a time for 1.0. Hot on the heels of Adobe’s official release of AIR version 1.0 comes the 1.0 version of eBay Desktop. The two releases are so close you would think the makers of eBay Desktop planned it (which of course they did).

eBay Desktop 1.0 provides a desktop alternative to the eBay website - you can use it to search, browse, bid, keep track of your auctions, and more. And because it uses Adobe AIR, it runs on both Windows (XP and Vista) and Max OS X (10.4 and 10.5).

The eBay Desktop installer weighs in around 7 MB (the AIR installer is included if you don’t have it installed on your system already). Install was quick and simple, though getting the program to run was a tiny more work: on our test Mac, the program kept crashing until we went to the Applications folder and opened the program manually.

When you first begin the program, you’ll be met with a nifty little video introduction to the eBay desktop. The eBay desktop home page allows you to track all your bidding and watching activity, and there are separate tabs for finding items, tracking and paying for your winning bids, and a feeds tab.

eBay has put a lot of work into this desktop application, and it shows. The interface is clean and very intuitive. The one major drawback is the lack of features for sellers. You can’t track the items you’re selling or your past sales. At this time, eBay desktop is definitely a buyer’s tool.

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Filed under: Business, Internet, Blogging, Google, Open Source, AOL

Does your small business listen to customers’ complaints? Do you have a way for customers to get in touch with kudos or complaints? According to Jeff Jarvis, learn how to love the customers who complain by learning how to listen to them. The first way small business should listen now is through online feedback.

Most on the internet enthusiasts know the on the internet suggest Jeff Jarvis’s Dell Hell story. Powerful blogger has hellish customer service experience and tells his story on the web. The world commiserates and the term Dell Hell becomes a metaphor for bad customer service. Cable companies and AOL have had their brands besmirched by bloggers telling their dramas in text, in pics and worse, by viral video. Your product may be the next one reviewed on the web.

If you think this is a challenge only for super-sized businesses, think again. Word-of-mouth is your friend for getting new customers and it’s your worst enemy for losing them. Are you prepared to welcome and respond to on the web complaints from customers? If not, get on the train or be left behind.

There are free different online tools to help you listen to your customers.

1. Blog - there are so many free blog platforms that rehashing them seems antiquated. Get a free one and practice. Just don’t forget the small business blogging guidelines.
2. Be Social - Hang out where your customers do, on MySpace, Facebook and Twitter (to name a few). Get a space and name it and then spend time there interacting with your customers.
3. Feedback - at the least, add a contact form to your Web site. If you don’t have one, get a free one (free might include advertising).
4. Virtual Helpdesk - add a virtual helpdesk to your site. If your product requires support, use a system built to do that (not free but good) or take the step to open source helpdesk software here, here and here.
5. Talk - get a free chat applet to let you converse online with customers. The easiest way is to use one hosted on another server. See a list of free chat applets here or here. Think about posting a time you’ll be online and send email invitations to your customers for a customer chat.

Follow a successful model. Google’s customer policy is one we use ourselves: Give people what they want, not what you think they want. In most cases, we know more than our customers do about Web technology but if we don’t listen to them and meet their on the web goals, then our Web site will, well, suck, no matter how pretty it is. (Sure, we go beyond what they ask for but always point out exactly where “what they asked for” resides. They want site stats? We give them stats for free but add Google Analytics and send the link to those reports repeatedly and have a handy list of “how to interpret” links to attach.)

Deal with customer complaints by making them part of your growth strategy. You can listen to and then resolve a complaint, but unless you fix the problem that caused it in the first place, you’ve no strategy except a mop and bucket.

When we first instituted our on the web help desk which was designed to track work, billing and ensure that customer problems were resolved (plus keep track of quote requests, the new business we wanted), our less-techie customers couldn’t figure out how to register for free and open a support ticket. After internal incredulity (it seemed so simple to us!), we put a one-page step-by-step guide together to get even the least-geeky client using the system, which was our goal all along. We also provided everyone with a easy script to help customers over the phone. Their real, unvoiced complaint? We over-estimated our customers’ ability to use the “easy” system. We could have trashed it and gone back to the old way - email. Instead, we used their complaints to solve the underlying problem and now 80% of our clients, and all new clients, are using the on the web tracking system.

It is a far better business strategy that your customers complain to you (and you fix the problem) than if they start their own “your-product-sucks.com” site or tell well-read bloggers so they have the ability to tell the entire on the web world just how bad your customer service is. There’s plenty of room in the comments for you to tell your worst - and your ideal - customer service experience. Admission is free.

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Filed under: Deals, Law, Citigroup Inc. (C), Politics

The US is getting serious about asking sovereign funds to disclose their intentions when they invest in American companies. The Treasury wants to make sure that these overseas entities are not pushing political agendas.

The most recent target of talks are the Abu Dhabi government fund and the investment arm of Singapore. Now that these funds are putting money into huge US institutions such as Ciitgroup (NSYE: C), the Feds want to make sure that their investments are strictly financial. According to The Wall Street Journal, “investments have raised concerns in Washington and in European capitals that the funds might be gaining political clout.”

Indeed the government is bluffing where it has no cards to play. Troubled US financial companies have needed multi-billion dollar cash infusions to keep their reserves in reasonable shape after subprime losses. It is telling that no US investment firms put money into rescue packages. US funds either were too short of money themselves or did not want to take the risk of putting money into companies that might struggle for two or three years.

The sovereign funds have stepped into situations were no other money was available. Government regulation will simply drive them out of that very valuable role.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

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