From the outside looking in, it appears Yahoo is making a lot of moves to counter Google. Google is going local with radio and newspaper, and so is Yahoo. Google is seeking to capitalize on the social generation of marketing opportunities, and Yahoo is following along as well.

Yahoo will need to drop the "me too" approach in favor of championing its own assets. This focus on satisfying the needs of shareholders has been largely thrust upon the portal due to erroneous comparisons to Google in the financial world.  

Much in the same way Rolls Royce and Buick have four wheels and brakes in common, Yahoo is not Google, though they share a few of the same revenue models. Yahoo's heritage as a rich content destination along with specialized channels is a blessing, not a curse. In a nutshell, it is in this area the rest of the world has it wrong.

Can Yahoo catch up? Sure it can, as soon as it stops playing follow the leader. Yahoo must capitalize on its existing assets without forcing a focused change that the industry may not be ready to accept. Social needs and UGC are important, but they take a back seat to tried and true methods of generating revenue.