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Technology Stocks : Compaq -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: rupert1 who wrote (58025)	4/15/1999 12:08:00 PM
From: Elwood P. Dowd	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 97611

AltaVista to accept bids for ad placement By Jim Hu Staff Writer, CNET News.com April 15, 1999, 8:50 a.m. PT AltaVista is trying to get more bang for the buck in Web searches. The Compaq Computer-owned Web search engine will begin allowing advertisers to bid for top billing on search query results, an AltaVista spokeswoman said. AltaVista traditionally has incorporated its own search technology to pull up search results. But allowing advertisers to bid for placement on its results page will give AltaVista a revenue stream that extends beyond advertiser placement throughout the site. AltaVista contends its search engine will not radically change as a result of the policy shift. "Nothing has changed with the search service, and when we do roll something out, it will be clear to users that it's an advertisement," she said. But users may not think they are getting an "objective" search, critics contend. Having advertisers bid for placement is not new. Search engine GoTo follows a similar system and includes the price for advertisers next to each search result. AltaVista's plans were first reported by Wired News. Compaq is planning to take AltaVista public in hopes of cashing in on the Internet initial public offering frenzy. The Houston-based computer giant also has taken steps to beef up AltaVista's offerings. In recent months it has acquired e-commerce site Shopping.com and local guide network Zip2. Do you want to know more? Read related news View story in The Big Picture Go to Message Boards Search News.com Related news stories • Compaq spins off AltaVista January 26, 1999