Google is defending themselves in court saying that the deal between Google and DoubleClick (for $3.1 Billion) will increase competition in the online advertising industry.  They also refer to the deal which was completed earlier in the summer, in which MicroSoft bought aQuantive for $6 billion and no one made this big of a fuss over that deal.

One of the big problems that MicroSoft is claiming with the Google, DoubleClick Deal is that there is a major consumer privacy issue.  Between Google and DoubleClick, they have the world’s largest database of personal information.  This personal information will fuel ad delivery and ad placement models offered through the new Google/DoubleClick service.  MicroSoft claims that this deal will do a dis-service to consumers, advertisers and publishers.

Affiliates who make more than enough money to support themselves from Affiliate Marketing have it made.  Well, that’s what I always thought.  I hear stories every now and again about Affiliate Marketers who get bored making money online and miss the day to day routine of work.

I do understand.  I personally would miss the day to day interaction with people, more than the routine that a job gave me.  I think I would start my own business, or invest in someone elses,  and take an active role in the company.  At the same time corporate America isn’t so bad.  Health care, job stability, retirement planning.  Things could be worse.   What would you if you got bored?

Amazon has just rolled out there new music download service to battle I-Tunes dominant music download service.  I happen to be an Affiliate for both companies, and guess what?  I am going to market them side by side.  Why wouldn’t I?

Either way, people buying songs are putting money into my pocket.  My recommendation for Affiliate Marketers is to push both companies and set up a creative way to market each side by side.  I am not sure who has the higher payout, but that doesn’t matter to much to me.  The one drawback to Amazon’s music download service is that Warner Music Group Corp. and Sony BMG Music Entertainment have not agreed to sell music on Amazon MP3. I like both companies and I will support each of them, and hopefully they will support my wallet filling up.

E-consultancy is an online publisher of best practice internet marketing reports, research and how-to guides. E-consultancy, named Publisher of the Year at the 2006 AOP Awards, also publishes buyer’s guides and has a directory of 100,000+ third party internet marketing white papers. More than 700 E-consultancy users responded to the research email.

The merchants that responded to the email came from a wide variety of industries, including financial, retail, and travel. The findings of this survey address Affiliate Marketing conditions in the UK, and while there may be some differences between Affiliate Marketing in the U.S. and the UK, but this report does give a picture of the Affiliate Marketing industry in the US and the UK. But do keep in mind these numbers portrayed are in respect to the UK.

• 67% of responding merchants have increased sales from 2 years ago.
• 78% of responding merchants are spending more money on their Affiliate Marketing campaigns then they were 2 years ago.
• 78% of responding merchants also said they will spend more money on Affiliate Marketing in the future.
• 50% of responding merchants will add to their Affiliate management team
• 95% of Merchants say that Affiliate Marketing is the most cost-effective way to attract new customers … Email marketing and Paid Search Marketing trailed in this respect. (more…)

Anti-trust claims are still being flung all over the Internet, MicroSoft is slandering Google’s name at every turn, and now the Senate has some questions they want answered.

Google will become a monster in the online advertising industry with their merger with DoubleClick. With Google’s stash of personal information and DoubleClick’s ad-serving capabilities, Google is sure to dominate the online advertising landscape for some time to come. However, with the furious growth of the online advertising industry, it is only a matter of time before someone outsmarts the almighty Google.

The FTC will approve the Google-DoubleClick merger because they aren’t doing anything illegal. Especially coming off the heals of the MicroSoft-aQuantive deal, MicroSoft sure is one to bitch and complain. Both companies are monsters and are trying their best to take over as much real estate on the Internet as possible.

MicroSoft is looking to buy a minority stake in Facebook. The deal MicroSoft is interested in would give them 5% ownership of the company. earlier in the year MicroSoft was willing to shell out $10 billion for social networking site, but FaceBook said it was not for sale.

Google is also said to be interested in the minority stake in FaceBook. Google doesn’t need FaceBook as badly as MicroSoft does. Google is constantly innovating and growing their business within the company and with outside acquisitions. Google’s applications are an example of their internal growth and the Google-DoubleClick merger is an example of their outside activity.

MicroSoft did well with their acquisition of aQuantive earlier this summer, but they are still lagging in terms of growth and visibility. Google’s growth is still over 20% annually, whereas MicroSoft’s is closer to 5%. We’ll have to wait and see who has the better first date with Facebook.

Affiliate Marketers can bring in money in various different ways. Pay per Click, direct advertising, email, and through search engines.

The reason I choose the search engines is because it is free, and it is a long term strategy. I feel that pay per click affiliates can do very well using SEM, but it is short term and there is no safety net. A few bad weeks in a row and you might be looking for a day job.

Search engine optimization allows you to develop strong web pages and rank them for the keywords of your choosing. Much like SEM, you must use your keywords wisely and attempt to target your keywords to your selected audience. At least if you start ranking for keywords that don’t convert well, it won’t cost you.

By using SEO you can take advantage of holidays and other special events throughout the year. These occasions make affiliate marketers a lot of money.
One of the great SEO sources I have found is SEObook. It would be wise for you to check it out. Written by one of the leaders of the SEO industry, Aaron Wall, SEObook is very resourceful and won’t let you down. I use their free tools on a daily basis, and I fully recommend both their book and their tools.

MicroSoft is clearly upset that Google was able to buy DoubleClick.  They clearly fear their old dominance in the online world is slipping, and this deal is pushing them farther from the top.  So MicroSoft has hired a PR firm, Burson-Marsteller, to go around and bad mouth the Google & DoubleClick deal.

Burson-Marsteller has been spreading their word throughout the online community, specifically media outlets and Internet companies, about the potential side effects of this deal.  They are worried that Google isn’t operating on a fair playing field.  MicroSoft has lost even more ground in the online advertising industry online, and they fear they cannot make the ground up now that Google owns DoubleClick.  MicroSoft wants a more competitive and transparent online business-scape.

I understand why MicroSoft has fought the Google & DoubleClick deal at every turn, but it has already been approved by regulators, and none of MicroSoft’s bad-mouthing will stop this deal from taking place.  MicroSoft is wasting money they should otherwise be using to improve their positioning in the online advertising industry.  This is a petty effort by Microsoft and it makes them look like amateurs in my eyes.  May the best company take over the world!