Microsoft pays users for searching with Live
has decided that the best way to drive users to its search engine is to pay them a nice cheque. Turning Microsoft’s cash mountain into user clicks must have been agreed at the highest level in Redmond. According to the Live Search cashback site, Microsoft will dole out money to online users who find and buy select products through its Live Search engine. There is a fair bit of cash involved too. The amounts range from two per cent of the purchase price to 30 per cent. Microsoft has signed up a long list of merchants to participate in the programme including Barnes & Noble, Sears, Home Depot, J&R, Office Depot and others.
It is not a marketing system that Microsoft is hiding either. Bill Gates mentioned it yesterday when he was chatting to online advertisers at a Microsoft conference in Redmond. Gates said that in a few years time punters will look back and say, ‘Wow, search started to get a fair bit more competitive around that time.’ Consumers would have to sign up for a free Windows Live cashback account to participate in the program. Rebates would be issued after a 60-day waiting period to make sure there are no returned products.
Source: Inquirer, Reuters
Comments(28)
Its sad they cant compete with google, so they need to pay people to use their search engine lol
Another Microsoft attempt to attract buyers.
yeah i just bought something on newegg LOL
It makes sense. Google has such a strangle hold on the not only the market but also the mind share. This move by M$ is only to make people think of Live Search when they think to search for something online. Advertising’s main purpose is to get people to think about something… Money is an excellent motivator, imagine if Coke paid you to drink Coke instead of Pepsi…
Nothing new, google checkout gives 10$ off on partner sites too like buy.com
That seems kind of desperate… It’s almost* sad seeing MS plummeting to the bottom like this…
*ALMOST!!
amazon did this with a9.com; i stopped using a9 ever since the % off disappeared last year.
good. Death to MS and the underhand way they do business
ebates, fatcash, there are tons of sites like this. and the title is misleading yet again. they don’t pay you for searching; it is only a cashback if you make a purchase through them. BIG DIFFERENCE, monsieur editor.
Instead of paying ppl, why not to spend the money to improve their search engine…
I agree with #9. Tons of sites actually do this. What makes this noteworthy is the size of the company and search presence they have compared to most others. (still way smaller than google but sizeable none the less)
This could actually change the search world if it catches on.
In the name of the lord I would never use this search engine. It is the worst there is, too bad its initially tied to Internet Explorer
lol, J&R, like… jennings and rall??
ROFLMAO
Quick english lesson: Percent is one word. As in: I can tell by the way you spell that there’s a 99 percent chance you’re either foreign or 10 years old.
IAM happee tat meye Englisk ish goot!
Only for US users
@ jiggaboo
“foreign” has no meaning on the internet. We’re all foreigners to some extent are we not?
M$ Paying for people to use their search engines… isn’t that sort of bribing? Maybe we should sue M$ for bribing
“30 per cent”. 30 WHAT per cent? Or you mean “percent”?
why they need to own everything on the market???
MY GOD GATE!!!
OMG! M$ is becoming more and more idiotical every day.
Bill Gates does not have enough money to make me forget about google, GOOGLE FTW!!!
This is a very curious new, maybe there should be more news like this now and then.
@ jiggaboo
that was pretty hilarious
If you are uncmfortable searching with MS live. Try using this instead its great and they pay you for all your searches whether it be for purchases search or common googleing. You get your results in google and get paid to your bank or paypal. And once you sign up for each friend you invite or send the link with your account ending number you get a cut from mysearchfunds share (ie; not from your friends share of pay but the companies). If you don’t mind me getting a share from the companies cut for referring please use this link to sign up
https://www.mysearchfunds.com/apply001.asp?Friend=20016
or use the site address itself.
Yep they pay for a common no brainer thing as searching.
they are based in UK but they can pay you regardless of geographical location.
Enjoy
Agreed with #9. Title is misleading
You get pay only if you buy something. I bet the participating merchants pay Microsoft too to get listed. Win-win for all.
@jiggaboo, no dude, you are wrong, Martin is a moron.
You should see how he calculate percentage, that’s funny.
they should pay as to use their window$!