Blogs may be the Web's next big land grab, the financial ratings firm Standard & Poors says in a recent report. They're extremely cheap to run, and the most successful ones reach large, loyal audiences. That's a business model traditional publishers would love to emulate as they crossover to digital media. Not only that, but TechCrunch, GigaOm, Gawker, Boing Boing and the Huffington Post have become major media voices, which makes them attractive takeover targets for major publishers like Dow Jones and The New York Times Company. Because they attract niche audiences, S&P says that blogs would be …

Facebook will need to find itself another major differentiator, because developer platforms are becoming commodities just like social networks themselves. Regarding third-party developer platforms, Facebook rivals have followed CEO Mark Zuckerberg's lead. Friendster's platform announcement comes just a week after MySpace; Google is next expected to unveil a similar third-party program. The new Friendster platform is open immediately for developers, but the third-party programs, also called "widgets," will not be available to users until Nov. 30. Friendster, the one-time social networking leader in the U.S., is now the most popular social network in Asia, where it has …

The Motion Picture Association of America is now trying to enlist Internet service providers like Comcast and AT&T in its fight to curb rampant piracy on the Web. Now that network neutrality looks dead, the MPAA can bypass Gnutella, BitTorrent and other file-sharing programs by going straight to the source of Internet access. AThe MPAA has already gone to several ISPs to discuss adopting policies that keep discourage users from illegally downloading and sharing movies over their networks. It's no secret that telecom and cable providers want to manage the traffic on their networks, although it remains …

A major investment in the social network Facebook will be announced in the next day or two, the only question is who the lucky winner will be: Microsoft or Google. The Post expects the search king to walk away with the lucrative stake, worth between 5% and 10% of the social network. As it has in previous deals, Google...has been trying to drive the price up to a point that would scare away Microsoft. But the software giant won't scare easy. One source says Microsoft is "willing to give any valuation possible" to keep Google from winning this one. …

Following an improved third-quarter performance, Yahoo Chief Jerry Yang made his first public appearance since reclaiming office, talking about the company's growth strategy and its plans to compete with rivals Google and Microsoft. Whereas most Web publishers are focusing on the idea of "stickiness," Yang said his goal is to turn Yahoo into a series of reference points that consumers use repeatedly. Its main services would be the My Yahoo homepage, Yahoo Mail, search, and its mobile platform. Y Interestingly, Yang's "openness" strategy sounds more like Google's; it's also one that's being copied by Microsoft and AOL. The …

As opposed to simply giving money away to charity, the process of micro-lending has emerged as a popular way to help the world's most impoverished countries. Lenders help would-be businessmen with a small cash investment, then collect repayments with an equally small amount of interest. The idea is to help create sustainable economic growth for third world countries. And eBay is getting involved in the growing sector. On Wednesday, the company launched MicroPlace.com, a low-interest -- between 1% and 4% -- micro-lending site where loaners can put up $50 or more. MicroPlace founder Tracey Pettengill Turner says her goal …

As Amazon will tell you, Wall Street can be frustratingly tough to please. Despite quadrupling its third-quarter profit, the Web retailer saw its stock fall nearly 10% following its Tuesday earnings report. The reason: investors were already expecting a blowout quarter, but when the company announced a slight operating margin decline from the second quarter, they took that as a signal that the company's boom days were coming to a close. Part of the problem is that Amazon is already trading at a price-to-earnings ratio that's higher than most Web companies. Investors are also particularly sensitive these …

Facebook has sent out invitations to the media promising to unveil "a new way of advertising online." The date is Nov. 6, and the entire business community waits with baited breath to see what, exactly, the company plans to offer advertisers--because right now, simple banners with limited targeting isn't cutting it. Not when its 45 million-plus members voluntarily cough up detailed information about where they live, who they date, who they know and what they like and dislike. It's no secret that Facebook wants to take advantage of that data, too, but how they plan to do …

A day after announcing its first foray into Web video production, News Corp.'s MySpace is now planning to become an online gaming destination, too. The social network is striking a deal with game distributor Oberon Media to feed its new MySpace Games section, set for a January launch. MySpace, with 110 million-plus worldwide members, is already a major player in interactive music and video. Casual gaming, the fastest-growing sector of the gaming industry with the largest audience, is a logical next step. The area will include hundreds of free, easy-to-play, time-waster, puzzle, quest and card games. "This was …

Thanks to stronger than expected sales of its Macintosh computers, Apple delivered 3Q profits of $1.01 per share, crushing analyst's expectations of 85 cents a share. Net income surged 67% to $904 million on revenue of $6.22 billion, up from $542 million in profit on revenues of $4.84 billion a year ago. The company's stock rose 7% in after hours trading to $186.35. Mac sales were the surprise story of Apple's earnings. Most market researchers expected sales to fall within the 1 million to 1.3 million mark, Apple sold a record 2.16 million Macs in the third quarter. …