Digital Week in Review: Facebook’s Anti-Google Fiasco

Google Borrowing $3 Billion in First Ever Bond Offer; Business Insider
Google is borrowing $3 billion in its first ever debt offering, according to a filing with the SEC.
The Takeaway: In the filing Google says it will use the money to “repay outstanding commercial paper and for general corporate purposes.”

Bing “launched” Like-that is if you haven’t had it for months; LiveSide
Bing is next Tuesday, will be launching the inclusion of Like buttons on search results.
The Takeaway: Bing, which remains in beta in many countries around the world, has a penchant for “flight testing” features without officially launching them, such as the Bing Like on the home page image, and Bing HTML5, which came and went (we’re still waiting for the official launch of Bing HTML5).

Microsoft grabs internet phone company Skype to keep Google away; Australian IT
Steve Ballmer agreed to pay $US8.5 billion ($8bn) for internet phone company Skype, whose software is used by 170 million people around the world to make free or low-cost voice and video calls. Many observers thought Ballmer had gone balmy because Skype, for all its wide acceptance, has little income, its software is basically free and has never made a profit.
The Takeaway: Many observers guess Ballmer is simply desperate to keep Skype out of the hands of Google, which is seeking to replace Microsoft Windows and Office on the world’s computers with its all-online Chrome OS, and Google Apps and Docs, the brave new world of free or low-cost cloud computing.

Facebook’s Anti-Google Fiasco; Wall Street Journal
Facebook was caught red-handed last week being socially unfriendly to Google, its Silicon Valley competitor. It hired a public relations firm to plant negative stories about Google’s privacy policies, and then it tried to hide its involvement in the whisper campaign. This is ironic, considering that Facebook is all about getting people to disclose everything about themselves.
The Takeaway: Facebook doesn’t need to hire a PR firm or run to the FTC. It can simply inform its users of any privacy concerns. Competitive markets will take care of the rest.