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Today In Online Marketing News – Wednesday May 21, 2008

Here are some of the articles that caught my attention today: Wednesday May 21, 2008

• Online Search Ads Faring Better Than Expensive Displays By Stephanie Clifford and Miguel Helft | The New York Times. “In the past few years, Web publishers have made a big bet on booming online advertising revenues. But the economic slowdown may be throwing a wrench into those plans.”

• M&A: The Big Thaw? By Ben Steverman | BusinessWeek. “The financial crisis put mergers on ice, but there are signs the deals are starting again. This time corporate buyers are calling the shots.”

• PubMatic AdPrice Index By Pubatic | Pubmatic.com. CPM’s are dropping across the board, but not if you’re a small web site.

• Social-networking sites work to turn users into profits By Jon Swartz | USA Today. “Facebook, MySpace and other social-networking sites have been the rage of the tech industry for more than a year. Following investments by Microsoft and News Corp., the companies are valued in the billions of dollars and are considered blueprints for how to build a website. Yet a deeper question lingers: How are they going to consistently produce profits to match their soaring valuations?”

• Do-It-Yourself Display Ads May Reshape Online Marketing By Shira Ovide | The Wall Street Journal. “Much of the valuable online-ad real estate is sold the old-fashioned way: through a salesperson.”

• Understanding the Value of ‘Friends’ in Social Media Websites By Dosh Dosh | DoshDosh.com. “Most social media websites give you an individual profile page alongside the option of befriending other site users. The adding of someone as a ‘friend’ on a social media website is not just an empty gesture. Usually when you add someone as a friend, you’re giving them greater access to you through the social media channel.”