search.msn.com redirected to live.com

....the layout of MSN has been changed.

The search engine on MSN.co.uk uses Live Search as well, but stays on the MSN domain when you conduct a search

MSN's name should of never been associated with search in the first place.

perhaps, but starting out at Zero, expecially with a name that's gonna be confusing and associated with many different things, ... meh

You should also note that search.msn.co.uk goes direct to the new LIVE domain so I imagine its only a matter of time before the search on msn.co.uk redirects to the new LIVE domain also.

They noted it on their blog as well.

http://blogs.msdn.com/livesearch/archive/2006/09/11/750079.aspx

If you listen carefully, you should be able to hear the sound of a few thousand scrapers being updated.

"If you listen carefully, you should be able to hear the sound of a few thousand scrapers being updated."

I almost dropped my coffee on the keyboard GuyFromOz.. :)

Putting the windows icon up there?

Windows = "desktop" in consumers/users/techies minds.

Search is a Web app (don't confuse me with MS' visions related to desktop search).

Plus, G is moving to Web apps.

Live.com is a search site. Competing with other Web-appy sorts of search sites.

So, in a moment of clarity, MS realizes what some of us have been saying for years: If they want to really compete in search they can't run their competitive search product/brand through the MSN entertainment portal. Great.

So, they give the competitive search product a new domain, and style that's related to, but different from, MSN. Great.

Then they put in on Live.com. OK not great, but they coulda done worse I guess. At least it's stand alone.

Now, all's we need is a cool new logo, for this new stand alone search product, on this new domain.

Wait a minute. The logo.

"Hey, guys. We forgot the logo. Ohhhhhhh sh*t!. Now what? "

"Ummmm, dunno."

"Hey, I got it! Let's just grab the Windows logo and pop it on there until we come up with one for Live.com, OK? Then we'll call it "Windows Live". Bill won't notice...he likes windows!"

"We are planning a new logo and brand identity for Live.com, right?"

"Umm, right?"

Man o man o man. Do they really think that they can move the Windows brand name onto the Web and make it a distinct search product? Do they think that the line between the computer/desktop and Web will vanish? Are they trying to use an unestablshed domain with a brand name that is one foot in the door and one foot out to force a change in the perception of Windows away from its desktop heritage?

Maybe this is brilliant, if they have 20 years to break even. Whatever they're thinking, I hope for their sakes that it's not to grow share in the next, say, 5-10 years. Not if this is the plan, anyway.

I'm still not convinced live.com resonates as a brand. Its too generic and ambiguous. At least AskJeeves (nee Ask) has the benefit of its generic name clueing users in on what the website's purpose is.

Noticed the live.com domain showing in the redirects logging into Hotmail. Signs of a major rebranding in the works for all MS online?

MS has been reading my posts. Finally! They are applying the correct format. Dummy down the interface for the most ignorant searcher out there. Tie it into a known brand for trust...and hopefully apply the killing stroke...filter out all adsence websites. Go Redmond Go baby!

Everyone knows that the bulk of Google's control of 50% of the searches is nothing more than ignorant people that don't know how to type a URL into the address bar. Dummy down the interface, and Bingo you capture all the ignorant searchers!

In fact here's a brainstorm Redmond. Just spell it out! Put text over the search box that says,"Put the website you are looking for in this box to find it. Don't forget to make this your homepage!"

Go Redmond Go!

Smartest post of the week.