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News and commentary for online media, marketing and advertising professionals - from MediaPost.

Online Media Daily: Meredith Invests In Real Girls Media Network
Positioning itself as the premiere online destination for women ages 25-54, Meredith Corp. has made a minority investment in the Real Girls Media Network. The San Francisco-based Real Girls Network is made up of about 30 female-focused communities and social networks, which will add about 3 million unique visitors to Meredith's existing stream of roughly 12 million unique visitors a month.
Out to Launch: Out to Launch
Alton Brown digs Welch's. PC can't get no satisfaction. Let's launch!
Daily Online Examiner: Hear No Evil: ISP Deletes Consumer Complaints In Forums
In a comically inept move, U.K. Internet service provider BT Group has decided to delete posts on its forums about its deployment of Phorm's controversial behavioral targeting platform.
Social Media Insider: Social Media And The Motrin Controversy: Or, Will Social Media Kill Advertising Creativity?
Perhaps, even if your brand preference is Advil, you spent the early part of the week mired in the Motrin controversy. If not, I'll recap, and then we can turn to my big question of the day.
Email Insider: Driving More Value From Your Email Investment
It's fourth quarter -- budget time -- and in this economy many of us are focused on maintaining our budgets rather than obtaining approval for additional spend. As marketers, just like our colleagues, we need to step up and contribute. We have to do more with less or make a solid case for how we'll do more with more. Email remains the most efficient direct channel there is. It's time to stand up, pound our chests and make sure senior management knows it!
Search Insider: Thoughts On Google's SEO Starter Guide, Voice Search, and YouTube Sponsored Ads
Here are thoughts on three topics this week (that are coincidentally all from Google). The first: Google gives natural search optimization its blessing with the SEO Starter Guide.
Mobile Insider: Not Mobile Customers, But Mobile Audiences
From the time I started this column several years ago, one of my persistent laments of the mobile industry has been that tech companies are not by their nature and culture media companies. It never was in their DNA to think of themselves as content platforms that need to market and merchandise media. They don't think of third-party publishers and advertisers as partners and benefactors with whom they share audience data in order to better target content. And, most of all, they don't really think of their customer base as an audience that constitutes an asset it can use in dealing with all of these third parties.
Just An Online Minute: Just An Online Minute... Fireworks For Lunch With The IFC Media Project
Unfortunately, because of my baby face, I'll never be taken seriously regardless of how many asexual pants I own. This is also how traditional "we were in the trenches during the civil war" journalists treat bloggers. Gauging from many an eavesdropping session and even at the panel that inspired me today, matured career reporters, journalists, and columnists still view blogging and online news dissemination as kid stuff. Gideon Yago and the ballsy team at IFC aim to scoop out the current news media litter box and identify what the cat really dragged in, good or bad, with The IFC Media Project. Hefty lunch conversation.
Behavioral Insider: Behavioral Targeting In Context
One of the major achievements of behavioral marketing has been to allow advertisers to expand from an excessively singular focus on WHERE ads run to an emphasis on the more important question of HOW to get the right message to the right people, regardless of where they are online. Just because behavioral marketers can reach a prospect literally anywhere, David Cooperstein, of Burst Media explains, doesn't mean that choice of context for placement has become unimportant or irrelevant.
Around the Net In Online Marketing: News Corp. Exec: 'Very, Very Ugly' Recession For Media
Around the Net In Online Marketing: As Recession Looms, Marketers Turn To Social Media
Around the Net In Online Marketing: Google Settles Suit With Authors, Publishers
Around the Net In Online Marketing: Yahoo's Five Big Mistakes
Around the Net In Online Marketing: Microsoft Waiting On New Yahoo CEO To Close Search Deal
Around the Net In Online Marketing: The Future Of Voice Recognition Technology
Around the Net In Online Marketing: Facebook Launches Verified App Program
Online Media Daily: Making Sense Of Results From Online Campaigns
When I talk to marketers these days, one of the most frequently cited needs I hear about is the ability to measure (and make
Online Media Daily: Bigmouthmedia Promotes Careers In Search
Online Spin: Advertisers Will Not Lead Online Video Advertising -- They Follow
While engaging in a discussion this week on the "Truth in Online Video Advertising," I came to the quick realization that many of the people and companies involved in online video share a distinctive similarity: impatience. If you know me well, then you know I'm an impatient man. This character trait makes me extremely well-qualified to take note of the same trait in other people. Everyone involved in online video asks the same question; "When will advertisers, specifically brand marketers, begin to support online video as a viable advertising vehicle?"
Online Media Daily: Mobile Game Market Stifled By Business Model
Online Media Daily: Video Search Startup Taboola Raises $4.5 Million
Online Media Daily: Glam Unveils Applications Network
Online Media Daily: iPhone Overtakes Razr In Mobile Ad Requests Worldwide
Online Media Daily: Pixsy Expands Video Syndication Network
Online Media Daily: Tech Company DivX Sues Yahoo For Breach Of Contract
Online Media Daily: Agency.com Raids Digitas Techie Hemmings
Agency.com Tuesday named Stuart Hemmings director of technology, responsible for driving strategy and execution for accounts serviced by the agency's Chicago office. He joins from Digitas, where he was vice president-director of technology enablement, managing interactive campaigns and technology for brands, including Miller Brewing, Whirlpool, Philip Morris, Kellogg's, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Samsung.
Online Media Daily: Yahoo Shares Rise On Yang's Fall
Online Media Daily: Citysearch Geo-Targets Locations, Ads
Citysearch has ripped out its backend system and overhauled the local online guides to offer social and mobile application. The redesign is intended to let consumers uncover hidden gems in local businesses, and share opinions in views and reviews. Features unveiled today offer a quick registration process, easy review writing features, and search and navigation tools. The follow-along map has content that moves as users scroll down pages, making it easier to see everything in one place.
Online Media Daily: Networked Insights' Music Chart Challenges Traditional
Last month, Networked Insights released a study challenging the Nielsen Co.'s ratings system by measuring what content is being discussed and shared online. Today, the social media research startup is releasing the second part of its study to take on Nielsen-owned Billboard Magazine and its weekly "Hot 100 chart." While traditional music charts like Billboard determine song rankings, based on sales and radio airplay, Networked Insights' report attempts to offers a new take on music audience measurement by analyzing the millions of interactions occurring online everyday around the most popular songs.
Online Media Daily: Washington AG Targets Tattoo Media's MyLuvCrush.com
To settle a probe by the Attorney General of Washington, online ad network Tattoo Media has agreed to stop running a campaign that preyed on the romantic hopes of members of social networking sites. Tattoo Media allegedly displayed ads for MyLuvCrush.com to users of Facebook, MySpace, Reunion.com and other sites. Those ads offered to provide the social networking users with the name of a "Secret LuvCrush" in their area.
Online Media Daily: Publicis Puts Another BRIC In Its Wall: Acquires Brazil's Tribal, Expands Digitas Footprint
Paris-based global ad giant Publicis Groupe this morning announced the acquisition of one of the leading digital agencies in a key emerging market - Sao Paulo, Brazil-based Tribal - which will become part of the burgeoning global network of Publicis' Digitas unit.
Online Media Daily: ContextWeb Hires Time Warner Exec To Lead Effort Targeting Spanish-Speaking Audience
ContextWeb, which operates the Adsdaq ad exchange, has added the ability for marketers to target the Spanish-speaking audience online by category and keyword. The new capability is the first time the company has offered targeting through its exchange in a language other than English. To lead the effort spanning the U.S. and Latin America, ContextWeb has hired Time Warner veteran Joe Kutchera as director of Spanish language markets.
Online Media Daily: Digital Ad Optimism Ebbs, Remains Higher Than All Other Media
The confidence of U.S. ad executives continues to erode, and the plans for their advertising budgets continues to decline, according the most recent in a semi-annual tracking study of top marketer and agency media executive perceptions about the media economy. The study, the first fielded since the credit crisis and U.S. and global economic meltdown began in October, however, reveals that digital media options such as online and mobile marketing remain the most immune to reduced spending expectations.
Online Media Daily: Analysts Mixed Over '09 Online Ad Spend Predictions
Borrell Associates raised eyebrows recently with its bleak prediction that online ad spending will top out next year. But following a brief radio silence, industry thought leaders are responding--and in some cases, challenging the research firm's prognosis.
Research Brief: Retailers Make Online Shopping More Attractive For Christmas
According to results of the 2008 eHoliday Study from Shop.org, 56.1% of online retailers expect their holiday sales to increase at least fifteen percent over last year, compared to 77.5% of retailers surveyed last year who expected their sales to grow more than 15 percent. Scott Silverman, Executive Director of Shop.org, says "...Retailers will be heavily promotional to attract shoppers on a budget, but have also invested in new site features to improve the online buying experience."
MediaDailyNews: Game Boy: 'Nat Geo' Goes Video
The National Geographic Society, which distributed its first magazine in 1888, is entering the video games business, seeking to further expand its for-profit operations. National Geographic Games is launching with three products this month.
Video Insider: Online Video: Redefining How Businesses Connect With Their Customers
Why should corporate America take notice of a small household appliance maker? Because that company is a prime example of a small but growing group of businesses that have cracked the code on the video-centric Web.
Notes from the Digital Frontier: Memories of the way we used to call
Notes from the Digital Frontier: Comfort music
Notes from the Digital Frontier: History is made.
Notes from the Digital Frontier: Toasted Cheese
Notes from the Digital Frontier: Vista -> The Devil
Gaming Insider: Reality Check
This past week an article from ClickZ got some love for its extreme take on the state of the industry. Which was of course that consoles are going to die to the masses of newer, younger casual games. Of course, the author of the ClickZ article didn't actually qualify any of his opinions with numbers. I mean, it's obvious that casual games are going to eat consoles alive, right?
Performance Insider: Selling Hope
"These are perilous economic times" is the incessant media mantra. Indeed, as a country, we are experiencing a perfect economic storm. In this very grim environment, a young, first-term, African-American senator from Illinois had the chutzpah to strategically position and conceptually frame his long-shot run to the White House with the audacity of hope. And he won by a landslide -- so maybe there's something to this hope thing. Hope is defined by Webster's like this: 1) to desire with expectation of obtainment; 2) to expect with confidence. The obvious lesson for marketers and media, along with the folks in the online performance marketing space, is: we are in the hope business.
Online Publishing Insider: And the Next Contestant Is...
As we enter an age of government bailouts and buyouts for investment banks, mortgage companies and auto manufacturers, one begins to wonder who the next contestant will be in the Uncle Sam Handout Sweepstakes. While the Internet juggernaut is showing signs of slowed growth, it is hard to imagine the kind of meltdown the financial industry has experienced in recent months taking a similar path in our industry -- or is it?