Microsoft Searching Live for Live Search?

I'm starting to get the feeling that all the components and services under the Microsoft Live brand umbrella are shuffled about at random. Consumer feedback is only pointing to confusion when it comes to Live, and even Microsoft probably needs a map to find out what goes where.

But the Redmond Company remains loyal to this climate of confusion and has announced yet another move inside Live. In this regard, Windows Live Search has been amputated from the Live platform and stitched to the Search and Ad Platform group. Windows Live Search will continue under the same brand but the service's engineering and the development will no longer be subordinate to Senior Vice President Steven Sinofsky. Windows Live Search is now an integer part of Microsoft adCenter, but still a separate group.

Steven Sinofsky used to oversee Windows and Windows Live development, which included Live Search. The new group will be overseen by Satya Nadella, corporate vice president responsible for Microsoft Business Solutions. Nadella will report to Kevin Johnson, president of Microsoft's Platform & Services division.

Microsoft's search is currently lagging far behind Google and Yahoo. However, the Redmond Company did manage to breathe some life into Live Search and increased its market share to 9.6% in February 2007, according to data released by Nielsen//NetRatings.

While on the surface this new shuffle will not initially reverberate to the end-user, the implications will make themselves felt and it remains to be seen if the continuous changes introduced to the Live platform will be a gambit that will sacrifice the audience.