• by Gavin O'Malley , Staff Writer @mp_gavin, January 4, 2012

Web watchers are weighing in on Yahoo’s signing of Scott Thompson -- president of eBay’s PayPal business -- as its new CEO.

“He is a genuine Internet geek,” remarks AllThingsD’s Kara Swisher, who broke news of the appointment late Tuesday. Yahoo’s board, Switser notes, had been looking to hire someone with deep tech experience at a large public consumer Internet company in Silicon Valley.

“Thompson proved, with his time at PayPal, that he was capable of growing an Internet-based financial service into a global entity that now has more than $4 billion in revenue,” writes Vator News.

Yet, given Yahoo’s lack of momentum and direction, few seem willing to bet on Thompson’s success.

“He’s in for a ride,” quips TechCrunch, adding: “Thompson needs to hit the ground running. Yahoo needs a clear path. It needs a renewed focus. Yahoo needs help. The company has been adrift lately, lost in the sea and battling takeover attempts.”

Calling the appointment “odd,” Business Insider notes: “Yahoo literally makes ALL of its money from media, content, and ads … Despite this, the company just hired a new CEO who has zero experience in the media industry.”

Likewise, “Given Thompson’s background -- payments -- I am not sure how he fits into the overall plan for Yahoo which is supposedly focused on media and advertising,” writes GigaOm.

Still, as The New York Times reports, Roy J. Bostock, the chairman of Yahoo’s board, said Wednesday that at PayPal Thompson had proved he could take a property with solid assets and build the business. “That is the central challenge at Yahoo, Mr. Bostock said.”

Writes an optimistic VentureBeat: “Yahoo has suffered from a lack of leadership and stability, which is something Thompson should be able to add.”