The torrent of Web chatter unleashed in the aftermath of Facebook disclosing its $1 billion acquisition of popular photo-sharing app Instagram didn’t seem, well, supportive. The gist: Another promising startup getting swallowed up by a once promising startup-turned-Internet behemoth about to get even bigger after going public. Now social media monitor NetBase has the numbers to back it up. After listening closely to the online conversation yesterday, the company found negative chatter about Facebook increased about six percentage points to 46.5% from 40.7%. Conversely, positive talk dropped from 59.3% to 53.5%. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s takeaway might be that a …

Time Out New York has upgraded its digital platforms including a revamped Web site and new iPad and iPhone apps. The new e-commerce-enabled site allows users to buy theater tickets and book restaurant reservations as well as get daily discounts and deals through its “Offers and Experiences” section. The new iPad app is designed to serve as a personalized recommendation engine, using technology from LikeCube, a semantic analysis company Time Out acquired last year. It will also offer editorial critics’ picks across the arts, entertainment, food and other areas. MasterCard is launch sponsor for the iPad app. The iPhone …

Facebook has agreed to acquire mobile photo-sharing application Instagram for $1 billion in cash and stock. The transaction, Facebook’s largest to date, is expected to close later this quarter, the social networking site announced Monday. Under the deal, Instagram will continue operate as an independent business under the same name. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a post the acquisition would enhance the site’s ability to serve as photo-sharing hub. “We need to be mindful about keeping and building on Instagram’s strengths and features rather than just trying to integrate everything into Facebook,” wrote Zuckerberg. “That’s why we’re committed …

Internet advertising rose 16% in 2011, reaching $84.8 billion, compared with the previous year, accounting for more than 17% of all global measured advertising expenditures, according to a new report from GroupM. How much did marketers spend per region? Those in North America led investing an estimated $34.5 billion; Asia-Pacific came in No. 2 with $24.8 billion, followed by Western Europe with $21 billion, according to the study -- This Year, Next Year: Interaction 2012. The study released Monday by London-based GroupM Futures Director Adam Smith and New York-based GroupM Interaction Global CEO Rob Norman i part of GroupM's media …

Visible Technologies said Friday it will acquire Cymfony, a Kantar Media analytics company. Richard Pasewark, former president of Cymfony, with lead the combined companies to support clients in a variety of industries, including financial services, pharmaceutical, automotive, consumer products, retail, travel and hospitality, telecom, technology, and agencies. The companies did not release details or price of the transaction.

A new Consumers Reports survey finds 71% of respondents are very concerned about online companies selling or sharing information about them without their permission. More than half said they were likewise very concerned about advertisers targeting kids with personalized ads based on data collected while they browse the Web. Beyond that, people were worried about companies holding on to user data, even when they don't need it anymore, and collecting data about their online activities and purchases being used to deny employment or affect their ability to get a loan. When it comes to smartphone owners, 65% were very …

A federal appeals court on Thursday revived Viacom's copyright infringement lawsuit against Google, ruling that the case shouldn't have been dismissed before trial. The court ruled that "a reasonable jury could find that YouTube had actual knowledge or awareness of specific infringing activity on its website."

Mobile ad network Greystripe is integrating the online advertising data of parent company ValueClick to leverage the information for mobile campaigns. The new ValueClick Audience Mapping technology from Greystripe provides access to some 200 million anonymous user profiles in the U.S. to geotarget mobile ads. ValueClick promises its targeting capabilities result in 5.5 time the lift in unaided awareness and increases purchase intent by as much as 73% when compared to other online norms. The company says the platform analyzing hundreds of different attributes and actions including site traffic, clicks and conversions on ads. It the segments the data and …

Google has released a video that demonstrates augmented reality glasses controlled by voice commands. A team within its Google[x] group started Project Glass to build the technology, according to Google. The company also launched a Web site that allows folks to follow along on development. The glasses integrate music, search and social media.

James M. Moroney III, publisher and chief executive officer of The Dallas Morning News, has been elected to serve as the Newspaper Association of America's next chairman. The gavel was passed to Moroney by last year's chairman, Michael E. Reed, CEO of GateHouse Media Inc., during NAA mediaXchange 2012 held here April 2-5. Reed will continue to serve on the NAA Board of Directors as immediate past chairman.