The Secret Life of Search

Some interesting domain transfers for Google and a new MSN domain for NBA star LeBron James have the blogosphere in high speculation. Google may have no plans for the domains, but Microsoft and James plan to tell us all about it on Monday.

Let’s start with Google. Garett Rogers’ obsessive attention to Google’s subtlest moves have once again raised some interesting questions – both about Google, and Garett’s social life…ten bucks says you can’t refrain from using the word "Google" on you next first date, Garett.

Anyway, Rogers notes some interesting domains now registered to Google:

GOOGLE-EXPRESS.COM
GET-ME-ON-GOOGLE.COM
GETMEON-GOOGLE.COM
GETONGOOGLE.NET
GETON-GOOGLE.COM
GET-ON-GOOGLE.COM
GETUSONGOOGLE.COM
GETUONGOOGLE.COM
UONGOOGLE.COM
YOUONGOOGLE.COM

The question now is if Google actually plans to use them for anything, or if this is just part of protecting their trademark. Andy Beal at Marketing Pilgrim doubts they mean anything:

I love speculation as much as anyone, but I doubt Google would launch any new service with a hyphenated domain or a “.net”. My guess they acquired the domain names as part of an effort to police their trademark.

Philipp Lenssen, whose name I can never spell right the first time, thinks that "get-on" domains may be telling:

…the scope of variants of the “You On Google" name seems to be too broad for that, so there’s probably a new Google product or service lurking around the corner. What could it be?

To quote Mr. Owl, the world may never know. But the world will know what MSN has planned for LeBron James. Corporate veep and chief media officer for MSN, Joanne Bradford and James will be holding a press conference on Monday in Las Vegas to make an announcement it, alongside Maverick Carter, CEO of LRMR Innovative Marketing and Branding.

The Windows Live Spaces blog team said only that it was "part of the upcoming LeBron James challenge on MSN."

Microsoft has been using James to combat the empty suit stiff image Apple has recently slapped the company with. LeBron is already promoting Vista for Microsoft.

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