Is that a Google or Yahoo ad?
What a maddening riddle!

Ad Platforms:

• Microsoft SVP of advertising and publisher solutions Brian McAndrews expressed his belief that the only real competitor Microsoft has in the ad platform space is Google, dismissing AOL and Yahoo as lacking the components to survive in the field.
• IDG has introduced the IDG TechNetwork, a blog ad network with 100 sites in various technology-related fields that have been approved by editors.
• DoubleClick will use Flash to deliver high-def ads online.
• Jivox has debuted a self-service online video ad platform for small and mid-sized businesses.

Acquisitions, Funding and Executives

• XM Satellite Radio is working on a distribution plan for its podcast content through Apple's iTunes.
• Comcast is buying e-commerce site GolfNow.com for $40 million. The site will likely be linked to Comcast's Gof Channel.
• YieldBuild will use the $6 million it just raised to improve its system, which allows publishers to see which ads are likely to perform the best on their sites.
• Online wedding information destination TheKnot acquired online pregnancy information destination TheBump.
• NBCU's Beth Comstock is heading to General Electric to head marketing and digital media.

Analytics:

• TNS Media Intelligence is spending $75 million to acquire traffic tracking service Compete. Compete focuses solely on the top 500,00 sites online and reports visits and engagement.

Gaming:

• There's speculation that RealNetworks may buy Scrabulous, a popular Facebook app game that was shut down by Mattel and Hasbro, which own the copyright to Scrabble.
• Video game publisher Take Two followed up its rejection of EA's takeover bid with a statement on how it has received similar bids from two other unnamed companies.
• Soap Opera Digest has launched a batch of online games, some of which can be customized with the faces of soap stars or promotional images from shows.

Google:

• IAC may ditch Ask's proprietary search engine technology in favor of Google software.
• Google is working with San Francisco shelters to offer homeless visitors free phone numbers and voicemail through GrandCentral. Such service could help those folks find jobs and connect with family members.
• Google's recently launched health portal project Google Health will not have ads, according to CEO Eric Schmidt, which will differentiate it from efforts by other players.

Mobile:

• The Weather Channel says two percent of its 2008 ad revenues will come from ads on mobile devices.
• Microsoft signed a deal with Nokia to put Silverlight on Nokia phones. The move could eat into market share enjoyed by Adobe's Flash.
• Yahoo has taken the wraps off OnePlace, a mobile browser link bookmarking tool that lets mobile users save favorite online destinations.
• ClassifiedFlyerAds.com launched Ad2Cell, making digital flyers posted to its site viewable on mobile devices.

Newspapers and Magazines:

• While the programs differ in many respects, it's informative to note that Google runs Print Ads in 750 newspapers while Yahoo has 634 papers in its Newspaper Consortium.
• Hearst has teamed up with Clearspring to disseminate widgets across its online properties, including Seventeen Magazine and The Daily Green. Widgets are embeddable across social networks and aggregators like iGoogle and Netvibes.

Online Video:

• ESPN is planning to offer more exclusive video online, mixing new shows with clip packages and wrap-ups.
• VeriSign found success with a series of videos on YouTube that walked the line between being promotional and entertaining.
• YouTube will more closely analyze where traffic comes from and what's interesting to audiences, to better target advertising in videos.
• Mansueto Digital's Fast Company has launched FastCompany.TV, a video website. It debuts with a show called "Scobleizer TV," featuring Robert Scoble and sponsored by Seagate and Global Neighborhoods TV.