Microsoft's Offers Users Prizes for Using Live Search
Source: Tom's Guide | Keywords: SearchPerks, Microsoft, Live, Search | Themes: Business, The Internet
Microsoft is up to its old tricks to try and garner itself a bigger a share of the search market. The company has announced a new system called SearchPerks, which allows customer to earn tickets which they can then exchange for prizes.
SearchPerks is another way in which Microsoft is trying to bribe, er, encourage users to use its Microsoft Live Search search engine. Sitting pretty in a comfy third place after Google and Yahoo! is not where the Redmond company wants to be and over the years they’ve tried a couple of tactics to lure users away from competitors.
In May the company announced it would pay users to use Live Search to shop online. Alright, so technically it’s a cashback savings deal with participating retailers but the idea is the same. If you search for a product on Live Search and it happens to be one of the 10 million products from over 700 sellers (including eBay, Barnes & Noble.com, Overstock.com, Sears, Zappos.com, and WPP) you receive a couple of cents off your purchase. Once that number builds itself up to $5 dollars you can cash it in.
SearchPerks is sort of similar. Users install a counter which then calculates how many times they use Live Search and awards “tickets” for each search conducted per day. The offer is running through until April and prizes actually seem pretty decent with video games and Air Miles on offer. While this is clearly another ploy to poach users, it’s probably going to work, at least for some people even if it is only open to U.S. users.
-
Previous News Article
Motorola Confirms Plans for... -
Next News Article
T-Mobile Sees Overwhelming...
I do like free money... If this can actually earn some cash whats with all the negativity? I do remember google offered 10 free bucks on your first purchase when you used google checkout.
. Bought a book that would cost me around 80 bucks from my schools book store for just over 10 dollars after my 10 dollar coupon from google. Using media mail I got 99 cent shipping.
I used google checkout once
If people wanna give me cash to use their search engines, weather I'm buying books or just browsing, who cares. Its not like I really had a choice not buy the book (ie you don’t pay $8,000 for 18 credit hours and not buy the books), I would get if off Amazon of from the book store of from searching google. I gotta have a reason to get the same book from somewhere else. Generally that means whoever can get it to me the cheapest.
Not gonna pay $20 to order it from amazon when I can get the same book from google for $10. If Microsoft rewards work in a convenient manner I'll use that to get some free stuff.
*Note article makes it seem like Microsoft is doing something underhanded in order to get customers. That’s what I mean when I ask what’s with all the negativity.
3% off at Newegg is the only one that matters
*Note article makes it seem like Microsoft is doing something underhanded in order to get customers. That’s what I mean when I ask what’s with all the negativity.
Well, if you know the history of Microsoft very well, you'd be suspicious of their motive and means. They were mustering their advantage on OS market to expand their territory, and basically eradicated many competitors in the process. To name a few, Lotus, Novell, Borland IBM and Corel. Apple Corp only survives because they are part of the system. They could have easily killed Mac OS by stop MS Office on macs or stop providing network support. That didn't happen.
The real competitor of M$ is Google, and both are battling for control of cloud. Apple Corp is not even close to be M$ competitor. To be an M$ competitor, you must have: OS solution on various platforms, office suite solution, server solution and search engine solution. Apple Corp has no real server solution and no real search engine, while Google got all these end user support almost free, and they are pushing Android now. M$ ignored phone market for a few years and they shall regret about that. Their Windows Mobile isn't anywhere inferior to iPhone, and M$ Form programming makes Xcode like shit.
I am not sure that M$ will win this time, since they had advantage but wasted by market myopia and lack of imagination. Google is pushing really hard on cloud and they have some other ideas as well. But, again, I wasn't sure M$ will win when I was extremely happy with Lotus 1-2-3 on Windows 3.1.
It's definitely a good opportunity to practice your scripting skills. With a basic broadband connection you should be able to generate millions of searches daily.
They've been doing stuff like this for a while. I played some silly anagram and word search games with my wife while she was on bed rest and we earned enough points in two weeks to purchase Scene-It for the 360, a Rachel Ray cookbook and a few song downloads. They actually did this search thing before and they limited it to a ridiculously small amount of tickets you could get each day by searching to reduce abuse of the system. I assume the limit is back in place. It's still a good deal though.
Its lame on Microsoft's part is what it is, really lame. There is a difference between 'grand opening' type deals and this. They're flat out buying customers (cause they can)...and not making money on it right now I would bet...so they can take market share. Talk about an investment strategy.
But I guess if people want to use it and both sides benefit then there isn't really anything wrong with it legally or morally.
Pei-chen +1
Just saved myself $20
Nothing lame about this at all. This is just offering another service that your competitors don't. In this case, it's gifts.
If gifts from MS mean more to you than using google, then by all means, use MS. But if it's not worth it, than don't switch
If I got a dime for every minute I played my xbox360 more than wii, i might be inclined to play it more. But i would never fully leave me wii because 6 bucks cents an hour is not worth leaving Smash Bros Brawl!!!