A little-known technology company wants to extend the success of search engine advertising into new territory.

Dick Parsons is brushing off suitors for AOL. With the picture beginning to improve at the long-troubled Internet giant, the Time Warner boss is thinking twice about bailing out.

Yahoo Inc. and Lycos Europe, rival Web portals now turned business partners, will swap Web chat and instant-messenger technologies in a cost-savings move, the companies said on Thursday.

Erb Avore used to torment companies with spam. Now, the vegan activist, who changed his legal name, says he's starting a call center in India. As more consumers and companies use sophisticated software to thwart unwanted e-mail, and anti-spam lawsuits mount, spammers are ditching the business. Last week, federal prosecutors in Detroit filed the first criminal charges against four spammers.

Apple would profit nicely from spinning out its digital music biz now -- before the market gets commoditized, which it will be for sure.

Sony Corp. entered the bourgeoning digital music market Tuesday, launching an online music download service that the electronics and media conglomerate is banking will also generate sales for its line of portable audio players.

Microsoft Corp. said on Wednesday it has adopted an e-mail "whitelist" program by IronPort Systems Inc. that will allow legitimate marketers to thread the gauntlet of spam filters protecting its inboxes.

Silicon Valley snickered when 58-year-old Terry Semel took over Yahoo!: He could barely use a computer and had never surfed the 'Net. But the native Brooklynite is getting the last laugh, along with a fortune nearing $500 million, for three hard years spent reviving Yahoo! into one of the online world's biggest powerhouses.

Target your advertising expense at 25 percent to 30 percent of net sales, Steve Trollinger told attendees in his packed session at yesterday's Annual Catalog Conference here.

Two California anti-spyware bills won committee approval Tuesday, one in the Senate and one in the Assembly.