Consumers are 2.5 times more likely to encounter malware today than six months ago. Three in ten will click on a malicious link this year. And between 500,000 and 1 million mobile users were affected by malware in the first half of 2011. That's according to a study released Wednesday by Lookout Mobile Security.

Two-way interaction between brands and consumers continues to separate the Internet from other forms of media. It gives new meaning to the phrase "social butterfly." Now more than ever, search marketers need to pay attention to the interaction and intersection between search and social.

Solve Media CEO and Co-founder Ari Jacoby turns boring Captcha boxes into brand awareness and revenue-generating ads. That's according to Steve Ekdahl, director of brand marketing for the Americas at InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), which owns Holiday Inn, Crown Plaza and others.