Search Engines and VoIP: Why? - How Search Can Enhance Communication
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The connection is not as far-fetched as it might seem at first glance. Back in October of 2004, both Google and Yahoo launched search features for cell phones. The two services were quite different, too. Yahoo offered localized search results that included maps and website icons with which users could point, click, and call. Google went for a more stripped-down approach, sending text-only messages to users. The offerings may have been in reaction to the fact that U.S. cell phone users show relatively little interest in surfing the Internet by phone; the companies probably hoped that these services might encourage cell phone Web surfing by making it easier for users to find what they want.
A number of observers believe that search, combined with carefully targeted advertising, has the potential to do much more. Let us say, for instance, that a search engine asked you to share some personal information, which they shared with advertisers only under certain conditions as part of a service. The service might work like this: if a New Jersey resident who signed up for the service uses the search engine to look up information about Broadway show dates in New York, he might also receive a coupon from a restaurant, a parking garage, or maybe even a hotel in the area. Carefully planned, this kind of marketing would not be considered obtrusive; it would be more like presenting information and options exactly when someone wants it most.
VoIP, as already mentioned, is a growing field. Two VoIP competitors alone boast half a million subscribers between them. One of them saw their subscriptions jump 1000 percent in just one year. Both cable companies and telecommunications companies are getting into the VoIP business. For regulatory and infrastructure reasons, VoIP can offer its users unlimited phone calls for monthly rates that are more than competitive with cell phone rates. Additionally, for some versions of VoIP, the user is not tied to his or her computer.
Let’s put these two thoughts together. Take the potential for targeted search, and combine it with VoIP. Given that VoIP is relatively cheap to maintain, and is not – as of yet – regulated in the same way that older telecommunications forms are, a search engine faces relatively few barriers to entry. At that point, putting its own search service with targeted advertising on its VoIP service becomes a no-brainer. Since a user needs to include some personal information anyway when signing up for VoIP, the targeted search service could be offered for free. The search engine would then make its money from the advertisers it signed up as part of the service – a now-familiar revenue-making model among the major search engines.
Next: Now That We Know Why, What Can We Expect? >>
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