Microsoft renews Bing usage payments

Despite the failure of the Cashback system, Microsoft continues to experiment with the concept of user rewards. This time, a reward is promised to people using the Bing search service.

The Bing Rewards program offers users to collect points for using a search engine, and then change the accumulated virtual points to various real products. To join the program, you need to download the Bing Bar panel and with its help join the Bing Reward program using your Windows Live ID. Bing Bar displays offers that allow users to earn points, as well as counting them.

You can score points in different ways: for searching with Bing, installing Bing as your default search in a browser, or testing new search engine features. Registration in the system immediately brings 250 points.

The program offers a lot of things for which you can exchange points scored: DVDs, dishes, restaurant gift certificates, digital cameras, etc. You can also use points to make donations to charities. So 100 points gives 1 $ donations. Points can also be exchanged for Microsoft Points to make purchases in the Xbox and Zune services.
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Unfortunately, the program has the status of a pilot and is currently available only in the United States, although everyone can get acquainted with it.

The launch of Bing Rewards followed the closure of the Bing Cashback program in late July. The old program offered online shoppers to shop online after searching for them using Bing. Announcing the stoppage of the Cashback project, Microsoft announced that the service was not widely distributed.

The idea of ​​rewarding Bing users is one of the things that Bill Gates “bequeathed” before leaving. Being at the helm of the company, he often spoke about the idea of ​​rewarding users in some way, for example, for using a proprietary search engine.

Since its launch last year, Bing, though slowly and gradually, has increased its market share. According to Nielsen , by August 2010, Bing’s share of the search engine market grew by 30%, compared with last year, at 13.9%.

via Computerworld