Articles of the Day
Priceline, Travelocity, Cingular Fined For Adware - Online travel sites Priceline and Travelocity and telecom Cingular Wireless have agreed to pay fines ranging from $30,000 to $35,000 to settle allegations stemming from the companies’ use of adware. The settlement appears to mark the first time that marketers have been fined for using adware purveyors that allegedly engage in deceptive practices.
SI.com Revamps With Added Video, Personalization And Gossip - As part of a push for online ad dollars, Sports Illustrated has redesigned its Web site. The revamped site offers new marketing opportunities, including home page roadblocks and additional streaming video inventory.
Harris: YouTube Fans Reject Pre-Roll - As YouTube prepares to share ad revenues with contributors, it may want to think twice about slapping pre-roll ads on videos. Nearly three-quarters of frequent YouTube users said they would visit the site less if it started including short video ads before every clip, according to a recent Harris Poll released Monday.
Newspapers Advised: Offer Free Merchandise Ads - When it comes to competing with arch foe Craigslist, newspapers and other local publishers should stop charging for merchandise ads and develop an online classifieds brand separate from their traditional Web site. That’s the advice offered by market research firm Classified Intelligence, based on an 18-month study of Craigslist in a dozen markets.
eBay Nixes Sales Of ‘Virtual’ Goods - Online marketplace eBay has begun delisting all auctions of “virtual property,” such as currency or avatars used by players in online role-playing games like “World of Warcraft,” “Everquest,” and “Neopets.” eBay spokesman Hani Durzy said the move stemmed from growing legal concerns surrounding the sale of virtual property.
IFILM Hosts Super Bowl Spots Online - MTV Networks’ iFilm is again this year offering up Super Bowl commercials online as they post immediately after they air during the Feb. 4 telecast on CBS. This is the sixth year in a row that IFILM has brought the big game’s ads online. IFILM is also featuring an archive of Super Bowl ads from the 2002-2007 seasons at ifilm.com/superbowl.
Microsoft Chief: Time To Zero In On Google - Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer offered some fresh words on the software giant’s struggle to compete with Google in the world of online advertising. Now that Vista is out, Ballmer says Microsoft’s next big challenge is to tackle Google’s territory. But wait a minute? Hasn’t Microsoft been saying that for years? Ballmer says that heretofore, the threat of open source software has been Microsoft’s principal concern. Well, Bill Gates and Ray Ozzie may have been piping on about the Google threat since mid-2005, but this time, Microsoft is serious.
