Offline events follows online decisions. Cool and nice catch |
Darn, a strike against Ebay's online monopoly. |
Google just should buy an auction platform, and do some PR. I think Google is the only one who could compete with eBay. And it's time that there's an real alternative, eBay is too commercial. |
IMHO Google shouldn't have that (the party) in the first place. What a bad move. |
Showing a weakness, eBay wouldn´t boycott Adwords forever, they can´t. |
eBay's reaction seems disproportionate. Threatening a withdrawal from Adsense just over a somewhat-childish, but mostly harmless, prank from Google Checkout? Why so touchy, eBay? |
eBay is touchy as GC is a rival. If Google Checkout Tries to take ebays business, eBay will not give Google busimess |
Money can do everything. Except the hearts of the users. Ebay have the hearts. Maybe buy Ebay is the good way. Just like buy YouTube. If can not buy hearts, just buy the one who owned the hearts. |
On Saturday, June 16, I saw the clash of the giants get physical. I was at the closing gala for the eBay Live 2007 conference as an exhibitor.
The conference itself had some interesting features: attendance was lower than eBay had expected, there were fewer exhibitors as well (various eBay organs took up nearly 50% of the trade show floor), and eBay announced they were lowering their rates on some auction styles. From those items, draw what conclusions you will.
But that's not what I'm here to highlight for you. Like I said, I was at the
finale. With Kool and the Gang performing for a rather packed dance floor, I noticed some big guys move past me, their white polo shirts saying "eBay Security". Along with them was a man working for the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, as well as the first speaker from the opening party (the opening party where CEO Meg Whitman talked about a lot of things and avoided mention of Google).
This quartet tapped the shoulders of two young men in front of me. They turned around, and on a black polo shirt I spied the Google logo. "Let's go have a chat," said one of the security men; he clearly was not asking. The Googlers smiled and complied, and they moved with their new handlers to the edge of the dance floor. I considered edging closer or taking pictures, but didn't want to get kicked out myself.
The men talked to each other for 5 minutes, and the discussion seemed cordial enough. The Googlers were then escorted out of the building.
I'd spoken to some other Googlers – actually sat near some girls at the opening talk. When the PayPal statistics came out, they guffawed a little – I got the feeling that some of the things PayPal was bragging about, Google had already surpassed. The other things, Google hadn't yet, but it was just a matter of time.
I couldn't call any of them spies per se, as they were wearing Google shirts and gave out Google business cards. So it was quite surprising that the two guys in front of me at the finale were given the boot. Makes you wonder what what they did to become unwelcome at eBay's party ... |
(Thanks for the report Trogdor, also added to the frontpage!) |
Whoa. I'm only just now catching up with blogs.
Major party faux pas, Google. Scheduling a competing party was immature and asinine, as was laughing at the PayPal statistics.
d00ds, you don't dis your hosts. It's rude as hell and makes you look like spoilt toddlers. They probably got ejected for appalling manners. |
eBay will resume using Google AdWords but will not focus entirely on ads from Google. They will also use competing ad networks from MSN, Yahoo, AOL and Ask.com.
http://news.com.com/eBay+and+Google+make+ad+amends%2C+sort+of/2100-1024_3-6192873.html?tag=nefd.top |
