Forget ISP filtering. Cary Sherman, head of the Recording Industry Association of America, says that copyright protection filters should be pre-installed on Web users' PCs. Sherman said this is the only way to circumvent a data encryption war between peer-to-peer file-sharing services and network operators like AT&T. But Ars Technica's Nate Anderson makes a good counterpoint: "Who would voluntarily install software that would continually scan incoming P2P streams for copyrighted material...or software that would watch every song you played and tried to figure out if it was legit?" Well, Sherman doesn't have an answer for that, yet. But …

Big ad shops aren't equipped to handle the ever-changing media marketplace like they used to, says Forrester. In a new report, the research firm paints a grim view of the current state of advertising, because consumers simply aren't paying attention to the messages marketers are producing. Forrester says the future belongs to the so-called "connected agency" that understands and operates in certain communities, rather than marketing disciplines. Pushing messages to certain groups of people--by understanding those people--would encourage them to engage with the brands most suited to them. The conversation--the latest holy grail of the ad business--would …

Just when marketers are starting to ramp up spending on social networks like MySpace and Facebook, usage metrics are starting to fall. Consumers are either becoming bored with social networking, or they're sick of being bombarded by ads. The boom isn't booming which is bad news because social networking was supposed to be the Next Big Thing on the Web. The average time spent per user on social networks has fallen 14 percent in the last four months, according to ComScore. MySpace, the No. 1 social network, has seen its traffic fall from 72 million users in October …

Howcast, a New York City startup founded by former Googlers, wants to be the YouTube of "how to" videos. The Web site launches today with JetBlue as its first sponsor; it's also announcing a fresh round of $8 million in series A financing, led by Tudor Investment Corp. Howcast isn't just a Web site, it's also a syndicated content provider. The company has its own YouTube channel and has other distribution deals in place with MySpace, Joost, ROO and on Verizon's VCast phones, as well as FiOS TV. However, Howcast isn't the only player in the "how to" …

Google on Thursday announced a new product that links Google Apps together with a new suite of social media features. Called Google Apps Team Edition, the new product is designed to spread virally and encourage more user collaboration. Team Apps users can identify other Google Apps users inside his or her company and invite them to share documents and calendars. Team Apps has the beginnings of a kind of corporate social graph, by linking groups of users across platforms like Gmail, Google Talk, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Start Page and Google Page Creator. It also allows …

Time Warner's decision to completely separate AOL's dial-up subscription business from its ad-supported content business could ultimately bring the once mighty Web giant closer to Google. AOL would give Google the ammo it needs in a battle for Web users, intensified by Microsoft's inevitable acquisition of Yahoo. Per the 5 percent stake it purchased in AOL in 2005, Google has the option on July 1 to take its AOL stake public, a deadline that might encourage Time Warner to sell AOL. CEO Jeff Bewkes hinted at an expanded relationship with the Web giant: "As for strategic options, …