As a sign of how desperate Microsoft is to draw U.S. Internet users to its Live Search site and away from rival Google, the company is now offering frequent flyer miles to frequent searchers -- but only if they surf with Internet Explorer: Users of Firefox, Chrome or Safari are out of luck.
Frequent flyer miles with companies including American Airlines, Delta and US Airways are just some of the perks Microsoft is offering in a new reward program called SearchPerks .
The company desperately needs to attract eyeballs to its search sites, as it is continuing to lose market share to Google. In August, 63 percent of U.S. searchers turned to Google, up from 61.9 percent in July, according to figures released in mid-September by comScore, a tracker of online trends. In the same period, Microsoft's share of the search market dropped 0.6 percentage points to 8.3 percent, while Yahoo's slipped 0.9 percentage points to 19.6 percent.
Following the collapse of its plan to buy search market share through a merger with Yahoo, Microsoft has been looking for other ways to boost traffic to its online properties.
Back in May, it started paying rebates to U.S. users of its comparison shopping service to generate more traffic on the site. Live Search cashback was based on Jellyfish.com, a company Microsoft acquired in 2007.
Following its acquisition of European comparison shopping service Ciao in August, Microsoft expects to take the cashback program across the Atlantic next year.
For now, the rules of the SearchPerks program restrict it to U.S. residents.
With a Windows Live ID and a piece of software downloaded from the SearchPerks site, users of Internet Explorer 6.0 or later can collect a virtual ticket for each search they make, up to a limit of 25 per day, and exchange the tickets for miles or other prizes. Including a 500-ticket sign-up bonus, it will take them over three weeks to win a T-shirt and almost four months to win a cookery book through the program.
Registration is open through Dec. 31 and is available to the first million users to sign up. Anyone with their eye on the top prize, an Xbox game controller, will have to hurry: the game ends on April 15.
Get the independent advice and expertise you need to support a virtual workforce.
The increase in Linux popularity has increased the frequency and sophistication of malware attacks. Read this 2 page white paper now to learn how you can protect your Linux environment with real-time protection that is certified by all major Linux vendors.
Download now »
Ensuring acceptable application delivery will become even more difficult over the next few years. As a result, IT organizations need to ensure that the approach that they take to resolving the current application delivery challenges can scale to support the emerging challenges. This handbook elaborates on the key tasks associated with planning, optimization, management and control and provides decision criteria to help IT organizations choose appropriate solutions.
Download now »
A common misconception is that mid-range storage requirements are dramatically different than that of a larger enterprise. Mid-range storage users may require less capacity, but they have similar functionality and management requirements. This ESG paper examines mid-range storage needs and reviews a new solution that adjusts size while retaining value, performance and functionality.
Download now »
Recommend This
