What If...?

The two most powerful words in the English language are “What If”.

This simple phrase allows for the pontification of the intelligentsia and it creates opportunities from where there were previously none! Beginning a sentence with “what if” allows for the establishment to be questioned and for authority to be thrown out the window. In many cases it allows for common sense to be suspended and disbelief to discarded in favor of daydreams and so much more. I find that asking “what if” is the best way to begin a brainstorm, to inspire creativity and to uncover new ways of doing business, so this week I want to ask “what if” to all of you loyal readers of the Online Spin.

What if Yahoo gets bought by Microsoft? Will this merger dramatically change the landscape of internet advertising? I hardly think that it will, but I do believe that it will give Microsoft a gentle push in the right direction of shifting towards a media business and away from a software business.

What if Google were to purchase AOL? Would anything really change for the consumers? Most likely it would not, however Google would have another area where it could test new portal-like products and continue to shift itself towards a new generation publisher and become more than just a “search business”.

What if Pointcast hadn’t been such a dismal failure? Would the screensaver still be valuable real estate for advertisers and marketers alike? Would the “widget revolution” have started much, much earlier than it did?

What if the acquisition of Abacus by Doubleclick hadn’t resulted in a massive consumer response regarding privacy and consumer safety?

I don’t know – it’s just a topic for a day like today. Something to think about I guess!