More good news for rich media advertisers. Nielsen//NetRatings today revealed that high-speed Internet access, including ISDN, LAN, cable modems and DSL connections, jumped 148% among home users in December 2000 as compared to the same period in 1999. Nearly 12 million home Web users accessed the Internet with a high-speed connection in December, as compared to five million people a year ago. Interestingly enough, "Streaming media is one of the chief incentives prompting users to switch to high-speed Web access, which is fast becoming the must-have service in the home," said T.S. Kelly, director of Internet Media Strategies …

Just as we were beginning to understand the differences between Media Metrix and Nielsen//NetRatings numbers, a third service has entered the web traffic measurement game, destined to confuse us all even more. This one is called netScore and, according to the official announcement, utilizes parent company comScore's network of 1.3 million opt-in members to measure consumers' Internet buying and surfing behavior anywhere on the web. I'll let you pick a favorite, but here are the three advantages netScore claims over the other two: First, it utilizes comScore's new technology to track and record visitor traffic on a …

These days, anytime I read the words "next big thing" used to describe an advertising concept, I hear warning sirens. Especially if the story mentions upcoming launches of corresponding services from notable companies. So forgive me if the jury's still out on the following: The concept at hand is "co-registration" - a process commonly referred to as lead-generation, which allows a web user to sign up for an advertiser's service or opt-in to their email list while filling out a form on another website. It's generally paid for on a cost-per-acquisition basis ranging from 50 cents to several dollars …

I supposed if it had to happen, Valentine's Day is just as good a time as any for email and postal mail to get together. A press release titled "Romeo Never Used Email to Win Juliet's Heart" landed on my desk this morning, announcing a new Internet service that helps romantics send real letters on Valentine's Day as opposed to email. Intrigued? There's more. The letters are not just advertising supported, they're targeted to the demographics and personal interests of the letter recipient. According to the release, Zairmail - http://www.zairmail.com - is the first company to facilitate the …

Sorry to end the week on a depressing note, but yet another company - AllAdvantage - has given up on trying to succeed by paying people to look at banner ads as they browse the Web. A message on the company website states, "We are sad to report that the major changes in the marketplace that occurred during the last year now require that we close the AllAdvantage Viewbar [a window that displayed banner ads while users surfed] and our pay-to-surf, sweepstakes and other incentive programs. "Since our founding in 1999, the advertising and capital markets have changed …

Enough about dot-com layoffs. How about some media use data? About a month ago, Interep released data on core users of the major media and I thought you might be interested. As Michele Skettino, VP of Marketing Communications at Interep, said, "Since the introduction of the Internet and various other media options, it is important that we continue to track who is using each medium, and to what degree." Not surprisingly, radio and online continue to dominate among the 18 to 44 audience. Interep's "Profiles on the Core Users of the Major Media," says online media shows its …

As you've probably already heard, Amazon.com today announced 1,300 layoffs nationwide, in an effort to turn a profit. Obviously, no dot-com - even a giant one - is immune to the current elements. But, instead of allowing the visions of dead dot-coms to dance in our heads, let's remember that this does not signal doom for the advertising industry. This could even be considered a sign of the Internet growing up. Ad spending is due to rebound in the fourth quarter of this year, says the newest Myers Mediaenomics report, which indicates far greater optimism on ad spending than …

As you've probably heard by now, Disney yesterday became the latest media company to slash its online operations, saying that it will close the Go.com website, resulting in 400 layoffs. What got my attention was the widely quoted statement from Disney head Michael Eisner, who indicated that Disney still believes in the net, but - ready for this? - "The advertising community has abandoned the Internet." Perhaps, Mr. Eisner hasn't been paying attention. According to every reputable research and data tracking establishment out there, larger, more established companies are increasing their online ad spend. Just this …

So much for television being a passive medium, incapable of inspiring people to get up off the couch and log on to the web. Nielsen//NetRatings, reports that daily traffic to SuperBowl.com at home spiked 269% on Sunday. Hour by hour traffic jumped in the fourth quarter, with 16% of all visitors logging on to vote for the game's most valuable player. Daily traffic to the official Super Bowl site peaked on Sunday with 359,000 unique visitors as compared to 97,000 visitors the day before. Fans watching the broadcast were prompted to visit SuperBowl.com during the end of the game …

With kick-off only two days away, here are some final Super Bowl numbers (and some trivia) for you about the big game. * Expected total TV viewership for Super Bowl XXXV: 135 million. * There were 17 dot-coms advertising on Super Bowl XXXIV. * There are 3 dot-coms advertising on Super Bowl XXXV. * Number of dot-coms advertising on Super Bowl XXXIV that are no longer around for Super Bowl XXXV: 2. * Total game-time minutes in an NFL contest is 60. * Total commercial time minutes during Super Bowl XXXV: 30. * 58% …