Another week, another Podsession. This week, Niall and I ask the dreaded question: Are portals back in fashion? After all, despite what you may say, the launch of Google Finance, is the latest of many steps the search company has taken towards a full blown portal.
Niall liked the new Google Finance, especially the chart overlays and integration with other Google products. I found the new product lacking a few of my favorite features from Yahoo! Finance such as institutional holdings and insider trading. But also listen to why I was so negative on the GFinance.
A search company executive recently told Niall that Google averages 15 searches per user per month. A search engine can focus on growing its user base of searchers or increasing the number of searchers per user. The introduction of auxiliary features such as Google Finance add new launchpads of search activity across Google properties that results in highly targeted and high-revenue advertising.
Meanwhile, the new kids on the block, folks like Netvibes, (which received $1 million in funding this week) are turning the portal concept on its head. I would say, this week’s PodSession, is lively, and combative. The podcast is 19 minutes long, a 9 MB download.
Great podcast, very enlightening and fun.. Thanx!
If you go to Google and search on the term “Google Finance”, the first item returned is a link to Yahoo Finance giving the stock info for Google.
’nuff said.
Don’t forget what Rupert Murdoch said – portals are dead, it’s all about MySpace.
He’s right, in a sense. And, Mike Langberg termed it the “personal playground” in a recent article.
As we live more and more of our lives online, does our data get highjacked by portal plays, and how is our data still our data … since you really cannot move it around. One reason I am locked into a Blogger blog (not that I am complaining).