This Week in Internet Marketing: 6/20/08

Author : Henry Adaso
Internet Copywriter

No time to keep up with all the internet marketing developments out there? No problem, pull up a seat, grab a cup of coffee, and relax as we get you up to speed with the top stories and events of the last 7 days.

Firefox 3 Ignites 8 Million Downloads
After months of intense suspense, Mozilla finally unleashed Firefox 3, its open-source browser alternative to Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. FF’s grassroots movement quickly caught a wildfire, leading it to surpass its initial goal of landing 5 million downloads in 24 hours. More than 8 million people downloaded the browser (including yours truly), making it the most downloaded software in the history of the Internet.

So, what makes FF 3 tick? For starters there’s the “awesome bar” which allows web users to type in real words rather than urls to pull up websites. Throw in the faster navigation and extra memory capacity and you’ve got yourself a hot browser.

MySpace Gets A Makeover
If you’ve been on MySpace lately, you’ve probably noticed the new, sleek, user-friendly layout. The overhaul is aimed at improving usability and aesthetics throughout the site. Wait, who am I kidding here? Of course, the MySpace makeover was more about monetization than usability.

For evidence, look no further than MySpace’s litany of advertising options: a new splash page (entry point for users) currently serves up a “Get Smart” theme and the video player comes loaded with more ad options. Most importantly, the new design filters search by location and relevancy to search engine algorithms, which yields more relevant, contextual, as well as geo-specific ads. I’m not complaining though. After all, users also benefit from optimized search options.

1 Billion Reasons to Stay LinkedIn
One of the biggest news of the week was LinkedIn’s $1 Billion valuation. The professional social networking site raised a whopping $53 million from investors for its European expansion efforts. The million dollar question is, What does that mean for your online business?

Google-Yahoo Marriage Draws Criticism
After rejecting Microsoft’s $47.5 billion offer, Yahoo entered into a partnership with search behemoth Google. The deal, which is expected to increase Yahoo’s cash flow to $450 million within the first year, came under fire this week. Anti-trust experts criticized the Goohoo partnership, saying that it’ll take the competitiveness out of Yahoo’s advertising edge, since they’ll be generating revenue from almighty “G” anyway.

Related Post:
Last Week in Internet Marketing