With What does Yahoo Exert its Influence on China?

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, August 06, 2003

With What does Yahoo Exert its Influence on China?

When Yahoo acquired the Overture, the Internet co. for search service on pay at a price of US$ 1.63 billion, the influence on the Chinese websites has been brought to show now. As the reporter learnt several portal websites in China are now brewing over a big scheme for their search service on pay.

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When Yahoo the Internet big-wag recently acquired the Overture, the Internet co. for search service on pay at a price of US$ 1.63 billion, the influence on the Chinese websites has been brought to show now. As the reporter learnt several portal websites in China are now brewing over a big scheme for their search service on pay.

Though beyond doubt the Chinese websites have in the past half a year witnessed a brisk business yet the "remaining authority" of the "teacher" in the bygone days can still be felt. During the past few years each and every bit change of Yahoo has stealthily affected the growth of the Chinese websites in China.

Following the trace of development of the Yahoo over a year or so in the past, the domestic portal giants are plunging themselves into business reforms. For instance, the Sohu has severed itself into business departments of Sohu Online and Sohu. Net. The adjustment bore quite some resemblance to that of the Yahoo.

However, When Yahoo (China) made twice revisions of its interface in user's convenience by opening the independent front-page for search and gained the popular appreciation of the users we've discovered that Sino and Sohu have also made noiseless revisions on their search pages. And the key alteration is more or less the same as did the Yahoo and Yahoo (China).

As learned after Yahoo got the acquisition at an astronomical price of US$ 1.63 billion several portal websites in China have also begun to spearhead at the searching domain. As learned from the media circle their grabs for the searching manufacturer have now been brought to a white-hot point with the possible capital at stake to reach around 100 million in the US dollars.

Obviously the Chinese portal websites are rooted on the local market so far as their source of profits and business operations are concerned. However, the influence exerted by Yahoo on them is to lead them in the most fundamental methodology, tactical conception and development trends.

With What does Yahoo Exert its Influence on China?

Yahoo discovered through study that the most profitable means of business is right under its nose. Searching - the very item of business, when spending over a cooling period after the warring states period among the new media in 1990s, has once again bounced up as a spotlight.

In November 2002, Yahoo spent some US$ 235 million for buying over the Inktomi Co., which is almost a match for the Google in the field of searching technology. The move meant to master the core of the searching technique, thereby integrating the classification searching technique developed by Yahoo itself, the user's searching habits known by heart to the Yahoo and the mechanic searching into the one wholeness.

In April 2003, Yahoo made an update in its searching technique, and brought out its own searching page by adding in many such new functions as atlas, contents of yellow page, guideline for tours, weather forecast and impromptu news, thereby making the users' search on the Yahoo to be realized at one step.

And in the meanwhile Yahoo also put forward moves for market promotion on a large scale as by means of TV, broadcasting, outdoor and online publicity. Of all its means for promotion what is the most surprising is the No.1 signboard of the world of 22 stories high erected in the Time Square in New York.

With this promotion and publicity Yahoo describes its new searching technique to be "Faster, Easier and Bingo". Not long afterwards, people come to find surprisingly that Yahoo has unconsciously become a "commander-in-chief" directing the move of the Internet in China.

By R. L. Han, People's Daily Online

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