• by January 26, 2007

No sooner had we put the finishing touches on OMMA’s Agency of the Year issue than we were faced with another difficult task: naming the best online publishers.

What makes a great online destination? What drives us to bond with a site? We did our best to answer these questions by selecting the top online publishers in 10 categories. Our staff and contributors identified five stars in each category but ultimately had to choose one.

Today we are awash in compelling online content. Publishers are producing more robust and more graphically striking information than ever. They’re also incorporating video and user content, and finding creative ways to integrate new ad formats. It’s not just the use of video-based advertising that matters; video-rich content is making an impact on consumers and advertisers alike.

Take, for instance, MSNBC.com, our top pick in the News & Information segment for the second year in a row. The site offers tons of compelling video clips, graphics, and digital slide shows. It delivered an award-winning multimedia package on Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath. In Gaming, we gave the nod to Penny Arcade, which has grown from a simple Web comic to a hugely influential gaming community. In Sports, ESPN took top honors for the second year running by continuing to rack up traffic with a mix of strong content, community/chat functions, and video features. In Blogs/Commentary, HuffingtonPost.com proves you don’t need a lot of flash — just incisive commentary created by in-the-know people.

This month’s Markets Focus is an analysis of senior men and why they are often overlooked by online media and marketing programs. And Industry Watch takes a gander at the burgeoning multimillion-dollar pet-products market.

Next up is the OMMA Hollywood Conference and Expo, March 19-20, at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel. We hope you can make it. For more information, visit mediapost.com and click on “Shows.”