I don't think the exclamation pointectomy is necessarily a sign that Yahoo is transitioning to a full-on name change. The hollerin' "!" just got in the way after a while.

Since there's the unfortunate "yokel" alignment with definitions (though I've always pronounced that use as "yay-hoo"), maybe they can just get fully Homeresque and be "woo-hoo" instead. Exclamation point optional.

Hooked on Phonics worked for me.

But considering we're the number one homepage on the Internet, I don't think people mind getting their content from a yahoo.

Now this is an interesting topic.

We can be certain of one thing. Yahoo! is definitely here for the long haul and plans to milk every revenue stream they can; even though they have missed a many opportunity, that their largest competitor has not, thus appearing to some that they are not making wise decisions. While you’re point seems to be whether or not Yahoo! (Yahoo, Y!, !) is purposely leaving off the exclamation mark and that perhaps because of their name people may not take their content seriously, I would like to offer a completely different lesson to learn from Y!. I will address both points you make first and then add my own.

You can rest assured that nothing the Yahoo! marketing team (internal branding and ad agencies they hire) will release to the media will ever leave off the exclamation mark unintentionally. It is actually the exclamation mark that they ultimately want to brand in the consumers mind. What you’re witnessing are actually independent writers who publish material without the exclamation mark. And sorry, you’re definitely wrong about it being predominately published with out the mark. This is however an interesting observation. It is actually a compliment for any company to be recognized when their logo is altered. This actually proves that Yahoo (notice that the exclamation mark is missing) is doing a great job of branding. If you’ll notice, Y! is also just as recognizable – they use this logo everywhere they can. This is great marketing. Soon, if they really want to do it right, when a consumer sees a purple exclamation mark (!) they think of Yahoo!. That is simply a classic marketing tactic. When you see a swoop you know its Nike. When you see a red target you think of Target. No names are needed – just a symbol. It takes years for companies to accomplish this. Yahoo is flattered when writers publish their logo altered and they know their readers will recognize them. So while you make an interesting marketing observation you are making something out of nothing when it comes to making strategic business decisions.

Does the Yahoo! name make consumers believe their content is not “serious�. I don’t want to get too deep in marketing, specifically branding, but I do want to answer this thought. The quick answer is, “no, it does not make any difference at all�. Perhaps if they named it badsearch.com or crappycommunity.com it would make a difference but the rest of the world is not concerned with the real definition of Yahoo!. It was the first to market and captured the largest market in the beginning. The people who were branded by Yahoo! and their entire consumer “hooks� (value added services) trust their content and search ability. Just trust me on this one; it is not the same as GM trying to brand the Nova in Spanish speaking countries.

The real point that should be made here (and why I like this topic) is that it proves the power of one-to-one marketing or decentralization within corporations. Yahoo! is making strategic decisions but it has absolutely nothing to do with their name. So, what are we really witnessing? Let me tell you. You are witnessing, first hand, the power of specialization in internet marketing. Somehow Google resisted the urge to be all things to all people. They were simply search. Now they offer great apps, maps, email, etc… Sure they do. But why are those other consumer hooks even successful? Because each one is separate. Independent. One to one marketing, brother, that’s all. Straight up, decentralization at work. Specialization is the key to internet marketing. Want to play in the search market? Google has proved that all you need to offer is ‘search’ to be number one in the market. Yahoo now realizes that when they purchase other niche online companies that its better to leave the branding alone – keep it separate. Decentralize. I bet, if they could have bought Facebook.com they would do have done nothing more than adding their logo (yes, Yahoo!) somewhere very small on the site. Yahoo is a dinosaur who is just now starting to realize that the future is specific communities. Let me drive this home. If a consumer wants to use email on Google they go to gmail.com. If they want to look at current news they go to news.google.com. If they want to use YouTube (which Google owns) they go to youtube.com. Google knows that to be successful as an online company you must decentralize. Now, to really drive it home… If you want… let’s say, Biolage shampoo. Who would you buy from? The site that sold every shampoo brand on the market or the one that only sold Biolage. Ninety percent of all online shoppers would buy from the one who only sold Biolage. Yahoo! was first to market and while they captured the largest percentage of consumers they have had to be the ones who experimented in a space where no one else was. Now they are learning from Google and are starting to realize that the portal that offered everything must decentralize and brand separately – even the news content.

I think it’s a good time to let you know that Yahoo! is very much in the search space and will continue to try to grow this market. That was the main reason of their acquisition of Overture. Yes, Yahoo! is making their living off paid search. The Overture acquisition was the best decision they have ever made to date. It is their bread and butter. Now they are starting to realize that social networking is the future and you can see that as they are focusing on purchasing sites like Facebook and other community sites. When they do buy them, you’ll see that they keep it separate – decentralization is the key to online companies like Yahoo! and Google being successful. I’ll say it again, one-to-one marketing.

What are we really witnessing? Let me tell you. You are witnessing first hand the power of specialization in internet marketing. Somehow Google resisted the urge to be all things to all people. They were simply search. Now they offer great apps, maps, email, etc… Sure they do. But why are those other consumer hooks even successful? Because each one is separate. Independent. One-to-one marketing, brother, that’s all. Yahoo now realizes that when they purchase other niche online companies that its better to leave the branding alone – keep it separate. Decentralize. Yes you’ll always see a little Yahoo! logo somewhere but it will most likely be nestled along paid search within these niche sites.

In conclusion, it is not that consumers do not take them seriously because of the meaning of their name or the fact that Yahoo is being published without the exclamation mark that is news worthy. It is the fact that Yahoo was the first to market in a new space and is now being taught valuable lessons from their largest competitor (which they should have bought when they had the chance) Google. It is tough to be the first. Others learn from your experiments and use them against you. At least, it appears that Yahoo! is starting to get it. Decentralization. Specialization. One-to-one marketing. Stop trying to be all things to all people and watch your business grow. Even Amazon.com will evolve into this type of business – I know its hard to imagine but just watch.

If you want my loyalty you better talk to me – not everyone. I mean, this isn’t Utah we’re talking about. Only one-to-one marketing works online; not one-to-two, or one-to-many marketing tactics.

You get my point? Yes, I’m talking to you, but you know that don’t you.
So, I’m curious. Do you get it? No, not you, you. Yahooooooooooooooooooo!

On behalf of all Californians... You can do it, Y!

Thanks for the schooling, Jim. Was this from a !(purple) keynote? Feels like oratory.

This would be such a perfect time for Yahoo Serious to make a comeback.

Replace the ! with ? -- and Yahoo can OWN "Y?", which is perfect for search.