Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Strategies & Market Trends : The Epic American Credit and Bond Bubble Laboratory -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Wyätt Gwyön who wrote (72138)	10/16/2006 3:10:43 PM
From: ild	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 110194

Russia diversification talk hurts dollar, boosts yen Persian Gulf States to meet in Nov. to discuss possible end to dollar peg marketwatch.com

To: Wyätt Gwyön who wrote (72138)	10/16/2006 3:45:33 PM
From: len_chan	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 110194

i think Google is pretty sticky. Google search is very vulnerable relative to just about any other non-website product. People like to compare Google to Microsoft... so here's my take on it: If I wanted to switch from MS Windows to Linux would involve hundreds of hours of my work in installation, finding replacement programs, migrating documents and converting them into something workable, dealing with a thousand and one little quirks or things that will be just different enough to be annoying, and THEN dealing with the long term issues of compatibility with my peers. The actual installation of Linux onto a formerly Windows box would take maybe an hour... it's the platform and data that would drag on. And that's for ME a technical guy who actually does use Linux for webhosting and other miscellaneous tasks! In comparison if I wanted to tell my mom to use a different search engine, all I need to tell her to do is go to the address bar and type in msn.com or clusty.com or aol.com or yahoo.com. Then click in the slightly different looking search box and click on the slightly different looking "GO" or "Search" button. Total effort? Maybe 30 seconds for a non-technical person. Never mind Microsoft, now try and name any product that has such low switching costs? Cars, detergent, TV's, cellphones, clothes, restaurants, newspapers? At the very least, restaurants have geographic advantages. I can switch to a search engine based in Sweden, Australia, or even India without leaving the couch! So, IMHO, it is very possible for Google search to lose relevance. And as of today, I think that 2/3 or so of their advertising revenue is from search. That doesn't make for a safe stock investment. -- LC. AKA he who normally lurks on this board.