AOL to Buy Online Ad Outfit Quigo

New set of standards could make email more trustworthy

(NEWSER) - A new anti-phishing effort, backed by the big email service providers as well as banks, PayPal, social networks, and other companies, could dramatically reduce the number of scam emails you get in your inbox. Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, and AOL are backing the new plan; 15 companies in total have come together to create DMARC.org, which officially launches today and will promote standard technologies to authenticate email. The hoped-for end result? If you get an email that claims to be from paypal.com, you could trust that it is actually from paypal.com. If it works, companies would be able to communicate with customers in new ways, the Wall Street Journal reports. More»

They say other 'players in the industry' are welcome to join them

(NEWSER) - Declining tech powers, unite! Microsoft, Yahoo, and Aol have agreed to a deal that will let them sell each other’s display ads, in a bid to drive revenue up and help them compete with Google and Facebook. A Microsoft VP characterized the deal as a "rising tide that lifts all boats"; Reuters notes that the companies would still be competing with each other for ad spending and publishing partners. And the trio is betting that such a setup will ensure the deal passes antitrust muster. More»

Google wants more users for Google+, more advertising markets

(NEWSER) - Google is trying to buy rival Yahoo and has talked to at least two private equity firms about financing the deal, reports the Wall Street Journal . Despite Internet ad revenues soaring around 20% a year, Yahoo revenue has foundered for several years, spurring talk the Internet giant could go private to regroup away from the pressures of the stock market. Google is apparently interested in finding a new outlet for its omnipresent ads, Yahoo's exclusive publishing relationships, and the boost that Yahoo's 700 million unique monthly users could give Google+ . More»

Delisting could buy space for former online leader

(NEWSER) - Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang is warming to a deal with private equity investors that would take the iconic Internet player private, reports Reuters . Among the rumored buyers—Chinese online giant Alibaba, Microsoft, and Bain Capital. Experts say going private could solve pressures coming from the market, where investors have punished Yahoo's share price because of the company's lack of growth in recent years. Yahoo accounted for 16% of the US Internet search market in August, down from 19% two years ago. More»

Remember when AOL was king?

(NEWSER) - Back in 1996, AOL was king of the Internet; its closest competitor was Webcrawler; and the University of Michigan owned a top 10 domain. Things have changed, as comScore data reveal in Business Insider:

1. 1996: AOL. Today: Google sites.
2. 1996: Webcrawler.com. Today: Yahoo! sites.
3. 1996: Netscape. Today: Microsoft sites.