Marketers would love to live to see the day when consumers proudly wear brands like badges on their social-networking profile pages. Widgets, those little embeddable software programs you see all over sites like Facebook, provide a means to do that (sort of). The great thing about widgets is that distribution is totally viral (i.e. free) and consumers decide to put them on their own pages. So, if your brand is cool enough or your product desirable enough, then consumers will want to show their friends. For example, Toyota recently launched a new campaign for its Scion line of …

There's a whole lot of hot air underneath the hefty investments propping up many of today's ad-supported startups. Most of the people financing these ventures struck it rich with technology companies and have no operational media or advertising sales experience. Ad sales aren't some figure you can easily calculate using a model. Unfortunately, HipMojo explains, sales people only get respect "reluctantly," which is why VCs often gloss over the process and come away with unrealistic expectations. "It's a bit scary that so much money goes into ad-supported (intended) companies based on false assumptions," the site says, …

Facebook has just seen its first major executive departure since the landmark deal with Microsoft valued the social network at $15 billion. Owen Van Natta, who was first Facebook COO and then Chief Revenue Officer and vice president of Operations, said in an interview that he had done all he could at Facebook and now wanted to become CEO of a consumer Web company. Van Natta had played a significant role in negotiating Microsoft's $240 million investment in the company. He had been a Facebook executive since September 2005, and retains a sizable chunk of Facebook stock. …

Investors have plunged Microsoft's stock 14 percent since the company announced its intention to acquire Yahoo. The original cash and stock offer of $31 per share has now dropped to $28.89. Meanwhile, Yahoo shareholders are holding firm at $29.01 per share, indicating they remain confident that Microsoft will increase its original offer. Just about everybody thinks Microsoft will get Yahoo in the end. However, there are many ways to arrive at the inevitable, some of them more hostile than others. Most Yahoo investors (except those who own more Microsoft stock) want Microsoft to up its offer; some …

As it turns out, Alibaba will have a seat at the Yahoo negotiating table as the Web giant continues to resist a $41 billion (and shrinking) takeover from Microsoft. Yahoo owns a 39 percent equity stake in Alibaba, worth approximately $5.2 billion. Jack Ma, the company's founder, on Monday announced that it recently hired consultants to help influence the terms of a Yahoo sale. As Forbes says, "Alibaba might be used to majority rule in China, but it's making sure that strong connections fortify its minority voice in this possible buy-out." Indeed, if Yahoo is sold to Microsoft, …

Nintendo is forging into new video game territory yet again, with today's announcement of a new exercise product for the WIi called Wii Fit. The product, scheduled to launch on May 19 in the U.S., comes with a weight and motion-sensing device called a Wii Balance Board, which measures users' shifting weight as they stand on the platform in front of their TV sets. Wii Fit has already sold 1.4 million units since its Dec. 2 launch in Japan; it will retail for less than $100. Nintendo says more than 10 third party game developers are working on …

MySpace has held discussions with Universal Music, EMI, Sony BMG, and Warner Music over a deal to bring free music to MySpace's 110 million worldwide members. However, reports across the Web diverge on whether the talks are preliminary or more advanced. UMG would have to settle an outstanding lawsuit it has against MySpace before any deal could take shape. UMG sued the News Corp. company for allowing users to post artists' songs and videos on their homepages without gaining the record label's permission to do so. Should MySpace and the four labels come to an agreement, News Corp. …