Friends to the end

Stock investors are getting their own social networks, according to Business Week. The trend is improving trader confidence, who in turn are brandishing other active community members with stock tips.

Brokerages are riding the social wave as well setting up blogs and podcasts to keep customers in-the-know on every move.
On TradeKing.com and Zecco, risk-averse investors are making tougher trades with a feature that allows traders to see what others are doing. Both plan on adding more features to connect traders with shared stock interests.

Thinkorswim.com President Tom Sossnos says the reason for the inclusion of social features in the stock market world is not to find investor buddies, but to challenge customers to be more effective traders.

While online Wall Street gets more collaborative, the online ad market has seen itself evolve more into a stock-style trading platform.

Firms like the ADSDAQ are popping up to bring Wall Street fever to the average media buyer planner, and Microsoft recently acquired AdECN, a similar ad exchange offering.

Ebay's ad exchange marketplace saw budding popularity when Oxygen purchased the first ad on the platform.