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Source: Microsoft wins Facebook bid battle — Update: 12:30 p.m. see bottom. — After weeks of speculation, Microsoft appears to have won a battle with Google over who would get a stake in Facebook, according to a source familiar with the situation. — Microsoft and Facebook were close to a deal, according to the source.
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Facebook Is Close to Choosing Microsoft or Google for Deal — SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook Inc. is close to choosing between Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp. to sell ads for the social networking service outside the U.S., according to people familiar with the matter.


ONLINE FACEOFF — M'SOFT AND GOOGLE DUKE IT OUT OVER HOT SITE — Google is threatening to once again beat rival Microsoft to the deal punch, this time in the white-hot Facebook investment sweepstakes. — Microsoft and Google are each vying to take a stake of between 5 percent and 10 percent …
Discussion:
Bits, Good Morning Silicon Valley, CNET News.com, Andy Beal's Marketing Pilgrim, WebProNews, Tech Check with Jim Goldman, PDA, Epicenter, RADAR, Inside Facebook, Read/WriteWeb, Valleywag, Deal Journal, Searchviews, Seeking Alpha Internet stocks, The Social Web, Microsoft News Tracker, Download Squad, HipMojo.com, Screenwerk, All Facebook, MediaBytes with Shelly …, Mashable! and Search Engine Land

Facebook and Microsoft Expand Strategic Alliance — Microsoft to take equity stake in Facebook; companies expand advertising deal to cover international markets. — PALO ALTO, Calif. and REDMOND, Wash. /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Facebook® and Microsoft Corp. today announced that Microsoft …


Facebook opens developer platform for mobile — Facebook has announced that third-party developers can integrate features from web-based Facebook applications to work on mobile devices. — Most of the world uses mobile devices, and in many countries, people use phones more than they do computers.

Google Analyst Day: Ads and Enterprise Panel
Discussion:
Silicon Alley Insider


Google Declares Jihad On Blog Link Farms — A major Google page rank update has punished large scale blog link farms and similar sites indulging in heavy cross linking by dramatically cutting their Google page rank scores. — There is some suggestion that the changes may be related …
Discussion:
Things That, WebProNews, WebMetricsGuru, Practical Blogging, B.L. Ochman's weblog, TechWag, Ryan Stewart and Smalltalk Tidbits …
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Digg Favorites Slapped By Google — For a company such as Google with a stock price based extensively on anticipated growth and public sentiment, it doesn't take a huge swing in goodwill to have a dramatic effect on valuation. Google has just slapped their biggest fans.
Discussion:
Webware.com, Mashable!, Scobleizer, Search Engine Guide, Copyblogger, CenterNetworks and Jim Kukral

Google's PageRank Update Goes After Paid Links? — Seems like there is a PageRank update taking place now that seems to be impacting sites that sell links. Can't say that we were not warned about this? Danny Sullivan wrote Official: Selling Paid Links Can Hurt Your PageRank Or Rankings …

Google Changing the PageRank Algorithm? — If things keep at this pace I might rename this blog to Daily Google Tips. Over the last two weeks we have been talking about Google every other day. This time it is the PageRank buzz again. — Both Problogger and Copyblogger …
Discussion:
kottke.org

ProBlogger - PageRank 4 — Wow - this is an interesting one. — ProBlogger's page rank is currently at a 4 - and so is Digital Photography School. — I'd heard blogs had been penalized in their page rank recently for selling text links - bizarre thing is that neither of these two blogs sell links.

Google uses the PageRank hammer
Discussion:
Good Morning Silicon Valley, TechVat, Google Blogoscoped, Journalistopia, Robin Good and The Last Podcast

Google's PageRank Shuffle: Big Sites Say Bye-bye, Traffic?
Discussion:
Geek News Central


Sync your inbox across devices with free IMAP — There are two online petitions I've signed in my life. One was for a "Xena: Warrior Princess" movie. The other, which I signed a few months before starting at Google, was for Gmail IMAP. As some of you know, IMAP is the best way to access …
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Boeing Tests HALE Hydrogen Propulsion System Using Ford-Developed Engine — The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA], using a Ford Motor Company-developed hydrogen engine, has successfully tested the hydrogen propulsion system of its High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) unmanned aircraft.
Discussion:
DailyTech
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In Foray Into TV, Google Is to Track Ad Audiences — Google, which dominates the market for advertising on the Internet, seems to be hoping to do the same thing on television. — The company is set to announce a partnership today with the Nielsen Company, the voice of authority …
Discussion:
nielsenmedia.com, last100, Digital Media Wire, Insider Chatter, Andy Beal's Marketing Pilgrim, VentureBeat, NewTeeVee, Associated Press, Business Week, Mashable!, Computerworld, p2pnet, WebProNews, Valleywag, The Globe and Mail, Silicon Alley Insider, TechCrunch, Search Engine Land and MarketingVOX

Insider Domain Name Snatching Probed — NEW YORK — The Internet's key oversight agency is investigating suspicions that insider information is being used to snatch desired domain names before an individual or business can register them. — The Security and Stability Advisory Committee …

Google Analyst Day: Jonathan Rosenberg On Search, Apps; New Versions Of iGoogle, Gmail And More — The first session at Google (GOOG) analyst day is focus on search and apps. CFO George Reyes is giving the introduction. He'll be followed by Jonathan Rosenberg on search and apps …