Wired, January 20, 2005 I detest the word "blog." It sounds like the noise a bulimic makes after a hearty meal. Nevertheless, we are in the midst of a new kind of internet boom, thanks in large part to this weblog phenomenon. It's not an economic bubble, where scores of startup companies run by fresh-faced 20-somethings are blowing through wads of venture capital in the hopes of becoming the first eBay or Amazon.com in their digital niches. Rather, it's a revolution in the dissemination of intellectual capital.

DMNews.com, January 20, 2005 A new research study confirms that affluent consumers tend to use the Internet more for information and shopping. Packaged Facts, the publishing division of MarketResearch.com, released a study yesterday based on a poll of 29,000 consumers conducted in the spring of 2004. The research company found that while 32 percent of respondents overall said the Internet was their primary information source, 42 percent of "mass affluent" consumers and 50 percent of "highly affluent" individuals said this.

Reuters, January 19, 2005 Online music stores broke into the mainstream in 2004, with more than 200 million tracks sold in the United States and Europe, a tenfold increase from the previous year, according to data released on Wednesday.

Personal Computer World, January 19, 2005 Search giants Yahoo and Google have teamed up with a group of high profile internet firms to back a technique designed to help combat weblog comment spam.

DMNews.com, January 19, 2005 Many consumers think commercial e-mailers sent them too many pitches this holiday season, according to a new study. Return Path, a New York e-mail marketing firm, surveyed consumer attitudes regarding e-mail marketing. It found that while 18 percent welcomed added holiday e-mails and 49 percent were indifferent, 30 percent said the additional pitches made them distrust permission-based e-mail. And 14 percent said they were "exhausted" by the deluge.

Guardian Unlimited, January 18, 2005 The sight of Kiefer Sutherland's anti-terrorism agent Jack Bauer with a flip-top mobile phone clamped to his ear, barking orders as he once again goes about saving Los Angeles from annihilation, has become one of the enduring images of hit real-time drama 24.

AP, January 18, 2005 Starting next week, football fans will have a new way to listen to games: on their iPods. The National Football League on Tuesday announced an agreement with Audible Inc., an online distributor of audiobooks and other spoken-word programming, to make recordings of this year's remaining playoff games available for portable audio players, including Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod.

Fortune, January 14, 2005 A legendary ad executive tells how he uses blogs and how companies can use them in their marketing-without being crushed.

Reuters, January 18, 2005 Web search leader Google Inc. said late on Monday it has added a variety of new features to its Picasa digital photo service, including the ability to e-mail pictures via its Gmail service.

ClickZ, January 18, 2005 An international group of veteran ad executives are expected to launch a creative agency this week, Banerjee & Partners, which will use what it calls "blended outsourcing" to provide U.S. brands with traditional and interactive services.