When Microsoft was casting about for name to its search engine, it wanted something short that couldn't be misspelled.

In an interview with Ina Fried at CNET, Microsoft chief marketing strategist David Webster says he first thought "Bang" would be the answer.

It almost fit all the criteria, except when used as a verb. Most people don't want to say they "banged Obama's dog" when they look for Bo Obama on the Internet.

So, David and Microsoft went with Bing instead, which hit many of the same notes without the gross verb usage. Says David, Bing is "the sound of found."

Read the whole interview to learn more on Bing and Microsoft's advertising plans.

See Also: Bing, Revisited: Still Toast (But Slightly Less Burnt)