An unofficial blog that watches Google's attempts to move your operating system online since 2005. Not affiliated with Google.

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December 10, 2006

Yahoo Strives for More Innovation

Note: This conversation is not real.


August, Yahoo HQ.

Yahoo User Experience Design Employee: I was googling for ... err ... I was testing Google's usability when I've noticed that Google has changed the "more" link from their homepage. They have a small menu with links to other services. Now we have to add it too...

Yahoo Product Manager: I think we should wait. You know what happened when Google launched Gmail and we suddenly decided to increase the storage from 4MB to... 250MB.

After three months.

Yahoo User Experience Design Employee: I've noticed that Live.com has a "more" menu. Now we're the only one that doesn't have it. Our users will think the competitors are better because they have... more.

Yahoo Product Manager: Oh no. Quick! Add some services. Make sure we have 5 services like G, and "more" doesn't have a capital M.

After one month.

Yahoo Product Manager: Is it ready?

Yahoo User Experience Design Employee: Yes. I cried a little when I had to move the Directory to the more menu. Once our core product, now next to Jobs and News...

Yahoo Product Manager: Don't worry. Google removed it. Now what do you think: should we increase Yahoo Mail storage? You know, just in case.

11 comments:

  1. Google ripping on Yahoo? Maybe you should concentrate on your own house and poor products.

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  2. So you read this and understand that I said Google copies Yahoo. This is incredible.

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  3. Ionut, ignore the first comment... that guy has no idea what he's talking about.

    Your post was great!

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  4. I love how you put it!
    Google has Yahoo backed up against the ropes and Yahoo is trying to buy innovation as opposed to change the company culture back to innovation. Just look at some of the other acquisitions that Yahoo has made recently. Most have gone from promising and innovative to settling into mediocrity. Why? Yahoo has lost it’s purpose.

    If Yahoo did acquire it, it is because they are desperately trying to stay afloat. Their intention is not to incorporate and integrate it into their values for the purpose of creating powerful change in the online world.

    Just do a quick comparison. Look at Yahoo’s pitiful, cookie cutter, mission and values. Now Look at Google’s

    Bottom line, I think that Yahoo would douse the flames on any innovation it tried to buy it's way into right now.

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  5. ha ha ha, great post man.

    Your blog is my favorite in the recent time.

    I wonder where you get such an inspiration?

    I have a wish : could you make post "blogs I've read". Thanks in advance.

    ReplyDelete
  6. sorry, I meant could you write post "blogs I read" ... I mean you read :)

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  7. Microsoft copy google too I'm sure:

    Quote form ideas.live.com
    Your online world gets better when everything works simply and effortlessly together. That's the basic idea behind Windows Live.

    ~ No that's basic idea of why people prefer google to MSN Search!

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  8. Interesting that when Google buys a business it's a strategic move, but when Yahoo does so it's "desperate". When Google flops (Google Answers) the market just wasn't ready for innovation. When Google copies (Google's Portal, Google News) it's pushing the envelope of innovation.

    Trying looking at your narrow slanted views from the outside.

    I'm not trashing Google, I'm trashing the idiots who worship it. Google is a great company doing many great things and so is Yahoo, albeit different things.

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  9. Yahoo has enough problems (see Q3 earnings, the peanut memo, the reorganization). But I don't understand why they should copy even the small things, the details. Do something different and do it well - people will notice.

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  10. check out this post on who is copying who :-
    http://jeremy.zawodny.com/blog/archives/008122.html

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  11. Google definitely is not innovative any more. Not that they were particularly innovative to begin with. Doing things differently does not automatically make it better. Google has grown to a size that they are doing the classic acquisition because they can't do it themselves. It's just the way businesses go.

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