Search Engine To Buy Bloglines

Search engine Ask Jeeves is rumoured to be buying Bloglines, the online service for searching, subscribing, creating and sharing RSS feeds and blogs. Two things make this news interesting from a communication viewpoint:

1. The formal public announcement apparently isn't due to be made until Tuesday, but was Napsterization blog on Saturday. Says Hodder: "I'm sure Jeeves is asking himself how I know this. I learned it from a couple of folks. Once that happened, it seemed reasonable to blog it."
2. No one from Bloglines has made any comment publicly to confirm or deny Hodder's story, nor have any mainstream media yet carried any reports. The only according to the Wall Street Journal, was below financial analysts' expectations. Shares fell 5.8% on the Burnham's Beat blog on the Yahoo and lysis for investors in The Internet Stock Blog, author David Jackson says: The price of playing in the search game is rising. One way of viewing this: Ask Jeeves may not generate incremental revenue from acquiring Bloglines, but is forced into the acquisition to keep its search results competitive. But the acquisition costs money; so too does scanning library books and photographing local stores. Looks to me like search margins will fall. Neville Hobson is the author of the popular Crayon. Visit Neville Hobson's blog:

   Suggest a Correction

   Found an error or have a suggestion? Let us know and we'll review it.

   Your Name *

   Your Email *

   Correction Details *

   Submit Correction