http://www.mediapost.com/publications/ Must-read daily news for online media, marketing and advertising professionals. en-us Copyright 2009 MediaPost Communications http://www.mediapost.com/rss Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:16:05 EST For the fifth time since May, Google has been sued for trademark infringement on AdWords. Like other recent cases, this lawsuit, brought by computer software company Ascentive, alleges that Google wrongly allowed other companies to use Ascentive's trademarks to trigger pay-per-click search ads. But this latest action has an additional wrinkle: Ascentive also alleges that Google wrongly removed the company from the organic results listings. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=108953Wendy Davis <wdavis@mediapost.com>Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:00:44 ESTConfirming the need to move more toward real-time search, Microsoft began indexing Twitter streams to serve up on its search engine Bing. Microsoft is hardly the first to serve up Tweets in search results. A host of others have tapped into Twitter through application programming interfaces (APIs) to pull in Twitter streams, too. Some lesser-known search engines include Search3.com and Spezify.com. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109132Laurie Sullivan <>Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:00:44 EST(Oh, and what the cow eats, too). Chew on this at your weekend barbecue. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109155George Simpson <>Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:00:44 ESTNude and explicit photographs have become more common on Twitter, and while the site began to gain momentum for marketing and customer service departments looking to promote products and services, or connect with customers, it has taken a bit of a dark turn into the world of spam, pornography and escort services. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109159Laurie Sullivan <>Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:45:56 ESTFriday Winamp launched the latest version of the Winamp Media Player, Winamp 5.56. The new version boasts of a bunch of new features, including, most natably, the oddly named Winamp Orgler. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109158 <>Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:50:32 EST FierceMobileContent points to a teaser video on the BlackBerry Web site suggesting Research in Motion is teaming with Irish megaband U2 on the release of a "mobile album." http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109157 <>Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:41:36 ESTIt's musical chairs over at Paris-based video-sharing hub Dailymotion where, less than three months after naming Ian Brotherston as CEO, Cedric Tournay has come on to replace Brotherston. But, while there was never any mention of Brotherston's "interim" status in April, his time at the top was always understood to be short-lived, a company spokesman said. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109151Gavin O'Malley <gavin@mediapost.com>Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:14:59 ESTAre people social networking at work? More than half (55%) of office workers with Web access have at least one social networking account, but only 43% use it at work, and typically for less than 30 minutes per day, according to a new survey by WorkPlace Media. It might please employers to know workers aren't hanging out on MySpace or Facebook all day, but social media advertisers probably won't be overjoyed. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109046Mark Walsh <>Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:23:42 ESTAn appellate court in California has dismissed four lawsuits against MySpace filed by teen girls who were assaulted by men they met through the site. The court ruled that MySpace is immune from liability under the Communications Decency Act, which protects Web sites from lawsuits when people use the sites to facilitate crime. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109121Wendy Davis <wdavis@mediapost.com>Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:35:32 EST[from D: All Things Digital] - Tim Armstrong is now two weeks shy of completing his first 100 days at the helm of AOL. At the beginning of his quest, the former Googl...http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109124Ross Fadner <ross@mediapost.com>Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:45:47 EST[from Los Angeles Times] - Twitter has applied with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to trademark the word "tweet." The L.A. Times' David Sarno notes that thi...http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109125Ross Fadner <ross@mediapost.com>Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:45:47 EST[from Fortune] - When the Iranian government started cracking down on journalists following its recent election crisis, the world turned to social media...http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109123Ross Fadner <ross@mediapost.com>Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:15:57 EST[from BusinessWeek] - What do Hans Pandeya and Global Gaming Factory, the company that just bought The Pirate Bay for $7.9 million, plan to do with the Web's...http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109115Ross Fadner <ross@mediapost.com>Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:04:28 ESTFaced with the prospect of new regulation, a coalition of the major ad industry trade groups have issued new privacy principles for online behavioral advertising, or tracking people as they surf the Web and serving ads based on sites visited. But consumer advocates say the self-regulatory principles aren't likely to adequately protect Web users' privacy. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109057Wendy Davis <wdavis@mediapost.com>Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:00:11 ESTFacebook is overhauling its privacy controls to make it easier for users to determine whom they share information with on the social network. The changes will allow people to decide whom to share content with, from only friends and family to "everyone" on a per-post basis. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109075Mark Walsh <>Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:00:11 ESTThe Mobile Marketing Association has released the latest version of its consumer best practice guidelines for mobile content services, setting out standards for things like SMS text messaging, MMS, shortcode programs and the mobile Web. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109076 <>Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:00:11 ESTThe advertising industry, more than many others, is intimately connected with the economy at large. Now that hurricane season on Wall Street shows no signs of passing over any time soon, it is time that the vision gurus at our ad agencies rethink their approach to marketing. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109077Zephrin Lasker <>Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:51:26 ESTIn its quest for global dominance, Facebook lately is making inroads in Brazil and India -- countries where Google-owned Orkut is the leading social media property. The number of Facebook users in the two countries has doubled in the last two months after failing to gain much traction against Orkut previously. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109045Mark Walsh <>Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:33:53 ESTMicrosoft's new search engine Bing continues to take share from Google, Yahoo and Ask, albeit small. In June, Google shows a .3% drop, Yahoo a .17% drop, and Ask a .1% drop in usage share, according to NetApplications, a research firm. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109042Laurie Sullivan <>Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:28:22 ESTDespite Perez Hilton's fading star, the entertainment news and gossip trade is booming online. According to comScore, nearly 55 million U.S. consumers visited an entertainment news site in May 2009, representing a 7% increase year-over-year. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109074Gavin O'Malley <gavin@mediapost.com>Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:08:30 ESTGoodby, Silverstein and Partners is designing a series of marketing and advertising campaigns that focus on Sprint's little-known technology products and partnerships, says Rob Smith, an associate partner and group account director running the Sprint campaign at the agency. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109044Laurie Sullivan <>Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:10:50 ESTIn a perhaps belated effort, Prudential Real Estate and Relocation Services has tapped ad technology firm Dapper to show potential home buyers "how much house" they can actually afford. After consumers provide rent information and ZIP code, the new tool calculates the mortgage-payment equivalent of their current rent, along with some similarly priced Prudential Real Estate listings in their desired neighborhood.http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109052Gavin O'Malley <gavin@mediapost.com>Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:43:12 ESTDespite a "definite uptick" in recently weeks, mergers and acquisitions in the broader media markets continued to decline during the second quarter of the year, according to new analysis from Jordan Edmiston Group. JEGI attributed the recent signs of life to sellers adjusting their expectations, along with buyers regaining some modicum of confidence.http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109041Gavin O'Malley <gavin@mediapost.com>Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:31:16 EST[from Read Write Web] - A new survey from Webroot, a security solutions firm, shows that 78% of social networking users are concerned about privacy, but most f...http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109032Ross Fadner <ross@mediapost.com>Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:18:49 EST[from GigaOm] - "Stick a fork in it; Joost is done," proclaims GigaOm's Om Malik following the news that the online video startup is shifting its focus...http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109035Ross Fadner <ross@mediapost.com>Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:04:46 EST[from Silicon Alley Insider] - According to a new survey from Polachi Inc., "exits" are keeping VCs up at night -- as well they should be, says Silicon Alley Insider'...http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109034Ross Fadner <ross@mediapost.com>Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:03:06 EST[from Forbes] - "What's the value of a site with millions of unique visitors, massive press attention and traffic that has doubled over the last year?"...http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109033Ross Fadner <ross@mediapost.com>Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:59:47 EST[from D: All Things Digital] - Nobody seems to have noticed, but YouTube cofounder Steve Chen vacated his post as chief technology officer last fall, and has yet to b...http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109031Ross Fadner <ross@mediapost.com>Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:51:57 ESThttp://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=108950Joelle Kaufman <>Wed, 01 Jul 2009 07:00:36 ESTWhat do you really know about your targeting data? All this information is supposed to focus our efforts and make it easier to reach the right prospects. However, blind attention to targeting algorithms may be leading us astray. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=108951Joelle Kaufman <>Wed, 01 Jul 2009 07:00:36 ESTStrongMail Systems reported late Tuesday that it acquired social media marketing company PopularMedia. The deal gives StrongMail customers a method to publish and track content on social media sites Facebook and MySpace, among others. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109006Laurie Sullivan <>Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:31:04 ESTMsnbc.com has launched an iPhone app providing access to breaking news, videos, photos and other content. It lets users to watch video, read news stories and use Twitter to share articles and track the Twitter feeds from NBC News and MSNBC Cable anchors. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109004 <>Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:09:12 ESTInstant messaging platform Meebo Tuesday announced that Toyota is the first marketer to run advertising across its network of Web publishing partners. Announced in March, the network now consists of 85 Web sites reaching more than 100 million unique monthly users, which agreed to begin running Meebo's ad units. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109005 <>Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:08:44 ESTMarketers responsible for sending email promotions may find it more challenging to keep spam botnets at bay. Spam levels hit 90.4% of all email traffic scanned in June by MessageLabs Intelligence. That's the highest level since 2007, according to Paul Wood, MessageLabs analyst at Symantec. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=108949Laurie Sullivan <>Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:07:05 ESTIn what appears to be a first, listings site Craigslist has been sued for trademark infringement based on ads posted by users. The lawsuit was brought by Texas real estate company First Call Properties, which alleges that it began advertising on Craigslist's Corpus Christi site in March. The company alleges that shortly after it began placing ads on Craigslist, rival AAA Apartment Locating began posting Craigslist ads that use the phrases "first call," "call first," and "call us first." http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109003Wendy Davis <wdavis@mediapost.com>Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:04:43 ESTDue to an ironic combination of bravado and willingness to move back in with Mom and Dad, 18- to-34-year-old males have remained more optimistic than most demographics in the face of the ongoing recession. Still, a full 40% of this characteristically brash lot claim to be making "a real effort to cut back" on spending, according to a new study of over 1,000 guys conducted in May by independent market research firm Resolution Research at the behest of men's entertainment network Break Media. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=108957Gavin O'Malley <gavin@mediapost.com>Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:00:19 ESTA recent court ruling stating that sending text message ads can violate a federal consumer protection law has spurred mobile marketers to form a new lobbying group. The new organization, Mobile Advocacy Coalition, intends to ask the Federal Communications Commission to specify that technology companies that act as "mere conduits" aren't liable for wireless ads that violate the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, according to the group's attorney, Scott Delacourt, a lawyer at Wiley Rein. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109002Wendy Davis <wdavis@mediapost.com>Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:43:01 ESTYahoo Tuesday announced that former Young and Rubicam executive Penny Baldwin had been hired to lead its global branding efforts. The move follows a report last week that Baldwin had been tapped as an outside consultant by the Web portal to help repair its damaged public image following its failed merger with Microsoft last year. A Yahoo spokesperson said Tuesday that Baldwin had joined Yahoo a few months ago but hadn't been formally named to her new post until today. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=108994Mark Walsh <>Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:39:23 ESTMicrosoft plans to launch its Windows Marketplace for Mobile application storefront with 600 apps. That's a long way from the more than 50,000 in Apple's App Store but the software giant has to start someplace. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109001 <>Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:33:50 ESTAs marketers put more salt in accountable ad formats, video ad network ScanScout has launched cost-per-engagement video ad unit. Ad engagement is determined by the consumer's actions, either through sustained interaction with the ad unit or via a direct click on the ad. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=108999Gavin O'Malley <gavin@mediapost.com>Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:09:06 ESTScaling back on staff and ambitions, Web TV platform Joost on Tuesday announced plans to restructure as a provider of white-label online video platforms for other media companies, including cable and satellite providers, broadcasters and video aggregators. Initially known as The Venice Project, Joost was founded by the same entrepreneurs -- Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis -- who brought the world Skype and Kazaa. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=108961Gavin O'Malley <gavin@mediapost.com>Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:22:22 EST[from Information Week] - It's been less than a week since a Swedish court denied an appeal for a retrial in the case of major media firms versus The Pirate Bay,...http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=108946Ross Fadner <ross@mediapost.com>Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:01:11 EST[from Reuters] - A new report claims that advertising on mobile phones could reach $28.8 billion within five years, as consumers embrace new Internet-en...http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=108944Ross Fadner <ross@mediapost.com>Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:58:31 EST[from The Guardian] - The Guardian has some interesting stats about Twitter, which were disclosed by Evan Weaver, Twitter's lead engineer in its services div...http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=108943Ross Fadner <ross@mediapost.com>Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:56:20 EST[from TechCrunch] - Carol Bartz continues to swing the axe at Yahoo, closing down weak and under-performing products at the Sunnyvale, Calif. Web giant. Ac...http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=108941Ross Fadner <ross@mediapost.com>Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:52:17 EST[from InformationWeek] - China has banned the trading of virtual goods for real money, putting hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity at risk, Inf...http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=108939Ross Fadner <ross@mediapost.com>Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:49:05 ESTThe Online Publishers Association announced Tuesday that 37 of its members, whose sites reach 68% of the total U.S. Internet audience, have begun offering the three new larger new ad units the group unveiled in March. Several, including The New York Times, CNN and MSNBC.com are already running, or will soon launch, campaigns for brands such as Bank of America and Mercedes-Benz. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=108864Mark Walsh <>Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:01:00 ESTBetting on consumer demand for increasingly complex video viewing, white-label video technology company Digitalsmiths on Monday debuted a new product for premium video content libraries. The new product provides premium video publishers with new functionality like a free-form single box video search capable of identifying videos by dialogue, objects within a scene, locations and other complex criteria. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=108865Gavin O'Malley <gavin@mediapost.com>Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:01:00 ESThttp://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=108903 <>Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:01:00 ESTThe book-selling battle on the iPhone is heating up as Barnes and Noble Monday announced the launch of the BandN Bookstore application for the popular Apple device. The free app, developed with Evryx Technologies and Spotlight Mobile, promises easy access to millions of titles, recommendations, events calendars and a store locator. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=108905 <>Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:01:00 EST