Category: Web 2.0

Bad Form: Companies Still Send Passwords via Email

February 11, 2008 Bob Caswell 89 Comments

Let’s face it; we all reuse the same password for login accounts all over the Internet. At best, some of us create a few passwords through which we rotate.

So why is it that some companies still insist on sending me my password via email right after I create my online account? The reason I have a password in the first place is so that it doesn’t flow back and forth openly in cyberspace only to reside peacefully on multiple mail servers.

Internet, Privacy, Web 2.0

Yahoo Board to Reject Microsoft Bid: Wants More or Help from Google

February 9, 2008August 20, 2008 Bob Caswell 20 Comments

Microsoft Yahoo The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) just broke the story that Yahoo’s board plans to reject Microsoft $44.6 billion offer, citing our favorite source: “a person familiar with the situation.” Apparently, $31 per share “massively undervalues” Yahoo, according to the same source. The logic is that the offer doesn’t take into account risks Yahoo would go through (that is, if regulators overturned the deal) by entering into an agreement with Microsoft.

Accordingly, Yahoo’s board will send a letter to Microsoft on Monday explaining the situation. This article comes just hours after another WSJ article quotes several investment bankers who basically say that “investors have lost confidence in Yahoo management’s ability to reverse the company’s fortunes on its own.” Nevertheless, here’s Yahoo’s reasoning for rejecting the offer:

Google, Internet, Microsoft, Tech News, Web 2.0, Yahoo

What’s Your Google / Microsoft / Yahoo Usage Breakdown?

February 8, 2008August 20, 2008 Bob Caswell 7 Comments

Microsoft Yahoo Given the rumor that today is the day for Yahoo to speak on the pending Microsoft take over, I thought I’d revisit the question I originally asked a year ago. Of the big three, what services do you use from each?

But first, I feel compelled to point out that at this same time last year, Google was being cited as Yahoo’s major obstacle. Now, of course, a partnership with Google is Yahoo’s theoretical last chance at avoiding Microsoft as its new owner.

Google, Internet, Just For Fun, Microsoft, Web 2.0, Yahoo

Search 1.0: Search Engines Still Lack Simple Features

February 4, 2008July 13, 2008 Bob Caswell 10 Comments

I have a sister who, over the weekend, pointed out a major shortcoming of search engines. It’s so obvious that I’m not sure why I didn’t think of it first. And keep in mind that this is my sister, which arguably boosts the creditability of this anecdotal story. That is, this isn’t some nerd’s dream come true; rather, she’s fairly representative of “regular” people trying to utilize the Internet practically. So here it is:

Why can’t you organize your results by date? And why don’t the search results themselves include the date each entry was published/updated?

Google, Internet, Microsoft, Web 2.0, Yahoo

2008 Super Bowl Ads: Watch Them Online on Hulu or AOL

February 2, 2008 Bob Caswell 4 Comments

I admit it; I’m really not into football but am one of those that tend to tune into the Super Bowl mostly to check out the commercials. I’m not alone, apparently.

TiVo, the company known for its digital video recorder by the same name, usually makes it so that consumers can record TV minus the commercials. But last year Todd Juenger, TiVo’s vice president and general manager of audience research and measurement, explained how it was actually the commercials themselves that consumers were watching:

Media, Tech News, Web 2.0

Breaking: Microsoft Offers $44.6 Billion for Yahoo

February 1, 2008August 20, 2008 Bob Caswell 11 Comments

Microsoft Yahoo The rumors of this kind of deal have been around for a while but never seemed to materialize. Microsoft will hold a conference call to discuss the details of the proposal, though CEO Steve Ballmer has already laid it out pretty clearly in his public letter to Yahoo (see below for full text). One aspect of the letter to note:

“Depending on the nature of your response, Microsoft reserves the right to pursue all necessary steps to ensure that Yahoo!’s shareholders are provided with the opportunity to realize the value inherent in our proposal.”

Internet, Microsoft, Tech News, Web 2.0, Yahoo

eBay: No Matter How Hard You Try, You’re Still No Amazon

January 30, 2008August 20, 2008 Bob Caswell 23 Comments

eBay My top issues with eBay: Prices aren’t that competitive, service is inconsistent, time is wasted, and the shipping is a wild card. It’s no wonder then that, due to lackluster growth, eBay recently announced changes including “holding sellers to higher customer-service standards.” But I gave up on eBay years ago when I discovered Amazon has all the same stuff at around the same price but with real customer service.

Just for fun, I thought I’d revisit eBay and see what kind of deals I skipped out on by searching for the last few items I ordered on Amazon. Here’s how the process works: you search for your item and get excited when you see an amazing deal! Oh wait, that auction still has 12 hours before it’s over. So you save it to your watch list and waste more time searching for other deals.

Amazon, Shopping, Tech News, Web 2.0

How Much Is All Your Email Worth? Answer: $50

January 26, 2008 Bob Caswell 16 Comments

Email This past week a national cable and high-speed Internet provider by the name of Charter Communications accidentally deleted all the contents of 14,000 active email accounts. A spokeswoman for the company explained that there is no way for them to retrieve anything that was erased. The spokeswoman offered this explanation and apology:

“We really are sincerely sorry for having had this happen and do apologize to all those folks who were affected by the error… During this maintenance we erroneously deleted active accounts along with the others. It’s never happened before. They are taking steps to make sure it never happens again.”

Internet, Microsoft, Privacy, Tech News, Web 2.0, Yahoo