Advertising Age - Digital

Ballmer Won't Rescue Yahoo, but Opens Door to Search Deal

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer ruled out another run at acquiring Yahoo, but did say the software giant would be interested in a partnership in search to create a stronger No. 2 to Google.

Ad Network Tries Money-Back Guarantee
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- How tough is it getting in the online ad market? Undertone Networks, which only works with so-called premium online publishers, is offering to refund advertisers up to $50,000 if an ad ends up on a site that it shouldn't.

Bazaarvoice Multiplies the Power of Product Reviews

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Bazaarvoice, the company that introduced online consumer reviews to sites such as Bestbuy.com and Walmart.com, is introducing a service that would help increase the number of reviews on retailers' websites, driving sales. The idea is that consumers can submit product reviews on a manufacturer's website and then those reviews can be forwarded to the retailer sites.

How Twittering Critics Brought Down Motrin Mom Campaign

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Johnson & Johnson did manage to offend some mothers with an online and print campaign for Motrin that implied moms carry their babies as fashion accessories. But was it a genuine groundswell that felled the effort -- or an alliance of the few, empowered by microblogging service Twitter?

Google's PageRank Is Best Way to Rate Online Influence

Google had reportedly created a method for ranking the influence of social networkers. But it might be moot, because bloggers are more influential.

Why News Feed Is Growing While RSS Has Stalled: Peers

It took a while, but last month the U.K.'s Guardian became the first major newspaper to offer full-text feeds. They should be lauded. Unfortunately, the move comes just as there are signs that RSS won't reach critical mass anytime soon.

Social Networks Steal Time From TV, but There's Hope

Over 25% of those using social-networking sites say that their TV viewing is being cannibalized.

Google Gives Marketers More Places to Put Ads

It's an invasion of ads on Google. They're showing up in places where the search engine has never had them before, with formats we've never seen.

Play-by-Playing Well With Others

Whether you're attending an event or want to follow one from afar, one of the most useful tools is Twitter, the 140-characters-or-fewer messaging service.

Finding the Right Blouse With Your Mouse

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Allurent, a small technology shop based in Cambridge, Mass., has been testing Desktop Connection, a prototype meant to augment and eventually replace a piece of the catalog business