WebProNews

Can you picture a world without Yahoo?  Well, for your imagination's sake, let's hope so.  This scenario shouldn't become a reality, however, since in the event of an acquisition by Microsoft, the Yahoo name will continue to exist.

"Yahoo, the brand, will live," Steve Ballmer confirmed in an interview with Jay Greene.  Of course, Ballmer, despite being Microsoft's CEO, may not be the most reliable source of information within the company.

Also, we must admit that Yahoo's focus is embarrassingly wide, it's the best in extremely few fields, and its financial performance has been less than spectacular.  And if what Ballmer said is true, it destroys the possibility of having fun naming competitions (Microhoo, Yahoosoft, etc.).

Still, many of the same negative things could be said about Microsoft, and keeping Yahoo alive seems like the smart thing to do.  Yahoo's search site is more popular than Microsoft's, and public perception of Yahoo is positive.  Yahoo Finance, which obviously involves money, is popular, and Yahoo Answers has done well for a long time.

Now, we're just left to see what else will happen with regards to a Microsoft takeover of Yahoo.  Slipping offers, stalling CEOs . . . Yahoo's board of directors may have had its say, but odds are good that there'll be more acts in this play.