Bullet Points
Microsoft and Yahoo are competing to acquire eBay.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is arguing in court that piracy lawsuits should require proof of dissemination of files, opposing the RIAA’s stance that simply uploading files to a P2P network is enough for them to sue.
Marketers think “ad engagement” is nice, but still consider reach the number one criteria for media planning.
Holiday shopping sales are were down in 2007.
http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/01/microsoft-and-yahoo-bidding-for-ebay-plausible.html
http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.san&s=74219&Nid=38222&p=910435
http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=123057
http://adage.com/article?article_id=123004
Zynga
Facebook has spawned a cottage industry of widget developers: Zynga Game Network has sold some heavyweight investors on their casual games that take advantage of the social networking abilities built by Facebook and MySpace.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/15/technology/15facebook.html?_r=2&ref=technology&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
http://www.zynga.com/
Online Video Grows
Nielson has released data revealing that online sites like YouTube have doubled their audience since the beginning of the writers’ strike in late October, though not necessarily because of the strike.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7180889.stm
http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=123042
Mommy, what’s an ad network?
Two-thirds of American women say the Internet is indispensable to their daily routines. Burst Media has and Warner Bros. have ad networks just for them.
http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.san&s=74138&Nid=38169&p=910435
Inexpensive Market Research
CIO Today has tips for market research on a shoestring budget.
http://www.cio-today.com/story.xhtml?story_id=02200000R6Q8&page=3
Gesture Controls
Last week’s CES elicited a collective yawn from the tech media. The Nintendo Wii did inspire several manufacturers to develop their own body language-controlled tech. Hi-five! Oops, wait…
http://www.mobile-tech-today.com/story.xhtml?story_id=022000X4OZX0&nl=8
Wired shopping carts
Microsoft will wire some shopping carts to help you navigate the store, track your shopping list, and serve you ads. “Hey, I’ve noticed you’re in the feminine hygiene aisle! Have you tried…”
http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/14/microsoft-and-mediacart-prepping-self-checkout-carts-with-rfid/
Badoo
Up and coming social network lets you pay your way to page views. It’s geared toward celebrities, both the self-made kind as well as actual celebrities.
http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=123010
e-rags
MySpace has launched a celebrity hub at celebrity.MySpace.com, where fans can connect with their favorite stars. But you still won’t know if the stars are “just like us” and tie their shoes unless you read US Weekly.
http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.san&s=74130&Nid=38169&p=910435