Search Biz: Diller Keeps IAC Control; Googlers To Facebook; Google Earnings Downgraded & More

IAC stays in Barry Diller’s control. US government agencies look to Google’s search hardware to find information. Google’s hotel-industrial complex that’s coming to Mountain View. Those darn declining paid clicks — will they hurt Google’s bottom line? Yahoo breaks out golden handcuffs to retain employees, while Google loses another one to Facebook. And more in today’s Search Biz!

Remember that fight over who gets to control IAC, parent of Ask.com? Judge Sides With Diller Over Malone from the New York Times covers how big cheese IAC CEO Barry Diller is remaining in control. But IAC, Diller Face More Hurdles After Court Win from the Wall Street Journal covers how there might be more issues to come.

Google to TV: We Want to Work with You from Broadcasting & Cable covers how Google is telling TV broadcasters that it wants to work with them, not grab ad dollars. "There are not nearly enough people advertising on television today," said Google TV ads director Michael Steib in a speech. Hey Michael, come live in the UK for a few years. Trust me, there’s plenty of people advertising on TV in the USA, you’ll agree, when you get back.

Google’s also telling the US government that it wants to work with them, to sell them computers. Google has lots to do with intelligence from the San Francisco Chronicle covers how more US agencies are using Google’s search hardware for their own purposes. And see, you thought the Feds already knew everything through Google already. Go buy some more tinfoil!

Speaking of Google (aren’t we always?), Google’s Gamble from BusinessWeek follows up on what we covered Thursday in Drilling Into Google’s Decline In Paid Clicks, that despite declining clicks might not mean declining revenue for Google. It could mean more. However, not all analytics are buying that in doing their expectations of future earnings. Google: Citi Trims Target, Ests On Paid Click Deceleration has Mark Mahahey over at Citibank calling foul on the latest numbers.

Speaking of Google (again!), Google’s privacy team comes to Washington from Google Public Policy Blog talks about how the company is participating in events about user privacy in Washington DC.

Speaking of Google (not again!), Google keeps Mountain View searching for specific development plan from the San Jose Mercury News covers how Google wants to build a "huge office building, hotel and conference center on Mountain View-owned land" but has yet to submit any plans. Googleland, anyone? Oh, wait, we have that already.

Speaking of Yahoo. I mean, finally not speaking of Google, Newspaper CEOs Totally Stoked about Yahoo from ClickZ covers an Editor & Publisher account of a rah-rah Yahoo meeting for its many newspaper partners, getting them all stoked that the Big Y will help generate revenues.

But how can Yahoo do anything if people keep jumping ship — I mean, those that weren’t laid off? Yahoo’s New Rock Star Retention Program from TechCrunch covers "golden handcuff" options now apparently being given to key employees.

Hmm. Google’s had a few ideas along those lines but they haven’t helped keep some people at the Big G. Can Google Stop the Brain Drain? from Wired covers some of the notable people to leave Google. That was spurred by news that Ethan Beard, former social media director at Google, has gone to the Big F. A Google Friend Is Now Facebooks from the New York Times has more, along with other Googlers who are now Facebookers.

Hey, remember that whole Google-Doubleclick thing? Google Now Controls 69% of Online Advertising Market from Search Engine Journal covers how this now gives Google a 69% share of the online advertising market share, according to a new study. Since DoubleClick serves ads rather than controls inventory, I’m not sure I agree with that. But certainly there was a big enough fight over that issue. Indeed, Google lobbied on DoubleClick purchase from CNN Money covers how Google spent $1.5 million lobbying there was nothing to fear about it absorbing DoubleClick. And Online Advertising: 4 reasons why DoubleClickers should ditch Google from Valleywag has fun with why DoubleClickers might want to be happy if they get laid off as part of the Google merger.

Maybe if it was the world’s most successful brand, Google could have spent less. But Apple ‘most successful world brand’ from The Register covers how that honor, from an online poll of marketers, went to Apple. Apple! Yeah. Google took fourth.

Let’s get back to Yahoo. Yahoo to open Yahoo Vietnam covers how the company plans to set up a Vietnamese company to serve that country better. And Yahoo Ramps up Cloud Computing Research from Grid Today covers a cloud computing facility the company will build in India.

Lest you think Microhoo is out of the news, we have a twin pack. Microhoo: When will the mating dance end? from News.com covers how some Yahoo employees aren’t afraid of the marriage (I’ve heard the same). And What MicroHoo Might Be Like from AllThingsD says that silence means golden negotiations are going on.

Finally, Content owners should drop Yahoo for Google from Jason Calacanis says that Yahoo’s new women’s site Shine means Yahoo has jumped the shark in competing with content owners. Jason, Jason, Jason — Yahoo’s long been wanting to play in the “we have content” game but play with content owners as well. Doesn’t mean the points aren’t valid, just not really anything new.