Scoble: It's Facebook and Microsoft vs. the open public Web

IDG News Service — Mon, 19 May 2008 12:22:05 -0700

As if the news of rekindled deal making between Microsoft and Yahoo wasn't enough, rumors fly that Microsoft will move on to buy Facebook after buying Yahoo's search business.

And according to Robert Scoble, the move would serve to block Google search out of a huge swath of the Internet. He argues that Microsoft would keep Facebook closed to lock out the Google search spider, even as the Microsoft-purchased Yahoo search sifts Facebook at will.

Scoble calls it a potentially brilliant move, even as he calls for the "open public Web" to fight back, if and when it happens, with Google's FriendFeed.

The New York Times has a piece on the renewed Microsoft/Yahoo negotiations, as well as a column arguing that Yahoo could "have its Google cake and eat Microsoft's market share too." Silicon Alley Insider, meanwhile, quotes CNBC's David Faber as saying that Microsoft won't buy Yahoo's search, but instead have some other sort of "joint venture."

And for the Facebook rumors, Techmeme's collection of stories includes the John Furrier post that may have kickstarted the rumor mill.