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Why is Microsoft (MSFT) struggling so badly in the search wars with Google and Yahoo? Perhaps one factor is its hypercensorious advertising software. A Business 2.0 Beta tipster reports that seemingly innocuous terms like "startup team" and "board of advisors" are getting rejected by AdCenter, MIcrosoft's answer to Google's (GOOG) AdWords and Yahoo's (YHOO) Panama.
Microsoft's published advertising guidelines, which forbid things like firearms and hate speech, shed no light on the subject. Unless, perhaps, Redmond now views startups as dangerous weapons, hateful things which have no right to advertise on its search pages.
I've asked Microsoft why those words have been banned, and am waiting to hear back. But for now, I'm taking it as a sign of the general disarray in Microsoft's Web efforts - hastily built, shoddily constructed software that randomly annoys its users. No wonder Microsoft has been falling behind. Yet another reason why Bill Gates & Co. should surrender gracefully and hand their ad operations over to Yahoo.
Update: Microsoft PR has gotten back to me with an utterly nonresponsive response: "Unfortunately, we do not have any information to provide at this time. We apologize for this inconvenience. Thank you for your
understanding." Sorry, Microsoft, I don't understand - and neither do your customers.



Source:Business 2.0 Beta