#5 The Official YouTube Blog lists a few interesting channels to subscribe to, and it’s a safe bet to say YouTube will the be number one destination online for match highlights and interviews.

#4 If you are interested in real-time updates on your team or live matches, what’s better than Twitter? The hashtag spam fest has already begun, as you can see from the screenshot below.

#3 I must confess that the Google football gadget for iGoogle could become my favorite during the next weeks. It seems to offer a convenient way to access information on group standings, fixtures, results and news about the World Cup.

#2 Yahoo! will focus on content and has a dedicated portal for the 2010 World Cup news coverage. The Dirty Tackle soccer blog will offer frequent daily posts filled with humor, nonsense and sarcasm.

#1 If you are into football tactics and appreciate match previews and a well thought post-match analysis with informative graphs and diagrams, Zonal Marking is the football blog you are looking for. The 32 teams playing in the 2010 World Cup have been analyzed in their strengths and weaknesses; we can expect high quality match reports (and many user comments) in the days to come.

Do you know any other good websites or Twitter accounts to follow during the World Cup? Connect with Facebook and share a link in the comments below!

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After signing a new five year deal with Facebook, Zynga is expanding the distribution of casual browser games like Farmville, Mafia Wars and Treasure Island on Yahoo!: Users will be able to share statuses and updates on Yahoo! Mail and Messenger and play on different websites using their Yahoo! ID.

Zynga lost an important virality channel when Facebook turned off third party access to notifications. The introduction of Facebook Credits is a bigger issue for app developers, who have to give Facebook a 30% cut of their profits, but Facebook seems willing to keep the promise of marketing the new virtual currency system to benefit users and developers, at least the official Facebook Credits Page looks like a positive effort in helping small apps getting noticed.

Zynga games are coming to Windows Live Messenger too, and a Zynga Live social gaming platform is in the works. Let the virtual farmer gold rush begin!

Image source credit: Andrew Stawarz on Flickr

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In terms of a time line for this process, Shashi Seth, Sr. VP of Yahoo Search Products implied that it would be a long and slow integration that would not see any sudden switches, but more a gradual implementation of individual features throughout different phases. He mentioned that they would begin in the US (not surprisingly) and then apply the changes globally, with an estimated time of completion in 18-24 months. The first changes to be made are for the Bing algorithmic (natural search) results to begin appearing on Yahoo. Once Yahoo is happy with Bing’s organic results and can be sure of its quality/consistency, then they will begin to bring in the paid search results. In turn, Yahoo users in the US could see Bing results on Yahoo as soon as next week, whereas as European PPC advertisers may have to wait up to two whole years before they will see their AdCenter ads on Yahoo.

Which brings me to the next question that all online marketers are asking: what will this deal mean for advertisers? The first, and most obvious thing that comes to mind, is the fact that Microsoft AdCenter will take over as the management platform for all search campaigns. Although I have my issues with the AdCenter web UI, anything beats that of Yahoo. The next, and far more significant aspect, is the combined scale of the two search engines, which will give advertisers access to a global audience of nearly 577 million searchers. These volumes will speed up and enhance the optimisation process as well as provide more insights into search in general. One thing remains foggy though. Both companies are highlighting the fact that although the results will be the same, the interfaces and in effect, the search experience, will vary. So the question that remains is: With the same ads (or natural listings), for the same cost (or optimisation), surrounded by the same results, will one interface prove more effective for advertisers than the other?

When it comes to building a more solid competitor for Google, I think this deal will succeed over time. The deal plays to each company’s strengths, with Yahoo freed up to spend more time and money on their content network, and Microsoft given the scale and data to build their search product and advertising revenues. As PPC advertisers will now have a credible alternative for their advertising budgets, I would expect far more time and effort to go into running PPC campaigns through adCenter. Personally, Bing does not currently drive enough traffic for me to justify large amounts of time spent on its campaigns. With Google coming under attack for various reasons in all corners of the globe, the search world could provide a slippery slope once the ‘search alliance’ has iced over.

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The TV ads, created by JWT, will feature ordinary people searching for information in everyday settings, only to receive nonsensical answers. This is in reference to the ‘information overload’ that Microsoft has associated with Google and the internet in general. “People feel overawed by the internet and what they turn up when they are searching”, said Ashley Highfield, the managing director at Microsoft UK. He also highlighted that, “We are also in a world where people have forgotten there is an alternative search engine.” The campaign will also be backed by a digital campaign across Microsoft’s network and on some social media sites.

Although it appears Microsoft has a solid campaign in place, with less than 5% of the UK search market share, compared to Google’s mammoth 90%, Bing faces an uphill battle. Furthermore, the campaign is resting on two very large assumptions. Firstly, that people do in fact feel over-loaded with information by the Google search results. Google has 90% of the market for a reason, and assuming that people are unable to comprehend their search results may be chasing the less savvy demographic a little too heavily. Especially with an internet audience as advanced as the UK’s. Furthermore, the campaign assumes that users are in fact dissatisfied with Google and unaware of any alternative. This will certainly make them aware, but it will take more to get people to change their searching habits.

The fact is Bing is trying to push performance statistics ahead of its integration with Yahoo, a deal which was recently granted regulatory approval, and this campaign should build enough awareness to do just that. But Steve Ballmer may be resting on the old saying that you don’t need luck when you have advertising. I’m not saying that Microsoft will fail in clawing some market share away from Google, but they will certainly challenge this notion.

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Overview: It is now essential for all marketers and agency staff to have the knowledge, skills and confidence to make the most of the opportunities offered by digital marketing. Run over three days, the Digital Foundation course will provide you with a comprehensive digital overview. If you or your staff would like to become more confident in embracing digital as part of the marketing mix, this session is essential for you.

Ticket Information: IAB Member £950 plus VAT; Non member £1090 plus VAT

Venue: 14 Macklin Street, Covent Garden, WC2B 5NF, UK

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