Virtual Magic Kingdom lovers
protest Disney shut-down

Ad Networks and Analytics:

• Podcast publisher Podiobooks enlisted Wizzard Media to serve ads against its content.

Agencies and Marketing Execs:

• Marjorie Martin is leaving About.com, where she was SVP and general manager, for more or less the exact same role at Waterfront Media. Martin will be in charge of health content initiatives.
• The Associated Press (AP) has made Michael Lutzky the director of product development in its AP Sports division.
• Former Digitas and Avenue A exec Torrence Boone was snatched away by WPP to head its in-house integrated division, solely focused on client Dell.

Biz Buzz:

• Microsoft's Windows OS software is now available on One Laptop Per Child machines. Because of its ubiquity, knowledge of the Windows environment is a job skill worth learning, particularly in developing nations.
• Online marketing tools vendor Hubspot raised $12 million in its second round of funding, which it plans to use to bulk its staff.
• Outside.in has raised $3 million in funding. The site syndicates blog content by region and category.
• Bad news for Microsoft: General Motors and other big companies are opting not to embrace Vista. Its bugginess and lack of "must-have" tools drove them to wait for the next Windows iteration — assuming Apple doesn't win them over first.
• Comcast made a strategic investment in GridNetworks, which specializes in ISP-friendly P2P file-sharing.
• Wiki creation site Wetpaint raised $25 million in funding, its third such round.

Campaigns of Note:

• Levi's found unexpected success with online video "Jumpin' In," which was viewed 3.5 million times in 10 days, according to BrandWeek. (YouTube pegs the figure at close to 3.1 million.)
• BBDO New York was named Agency of the Year at the Clios last weekend. It earned nine Clios total and was notably responsible for the HBO Voyeur effort, which won multiple honors at both the Clios and One Show.
  
• Mountain Dew is using Zumobi mobile technology to release a mobile casual game/widget featuring brand mascot Willy the Hillbilly.
• A campaign by MTV and the Kaiser Family Foundation hopes to shock people into HIV awareness with a Hot Or Not-style site that shows how regular people with the disease look.

Cross Media:

• Cable operators increasingly draw revenue from non-cable operations like phone and Internet service. Bundled packages of services are big money-makers.
• ESPN is launching ESPN Rise, a cross-media property for high school athletics.
• Publishers at the IMAG industry trade show were exhorted to either embrace this brave new multi-platform world — or die resisting.
• TV networks are focusing on cross-platform opportunities for advertisers as viewer numbers decline.

E-Commerce:

• Sears is slowly expanding the product selection on its website to better compete with other online retailers.
• Statistics from consulting firm MotiveQuest helped BMW draw a line between online Mini buzz and actual Mini sales.

Entertainment:

• Netflix is introducing Roku, a streaming movie set-top box that in some ways models Apple TV. Subscription plans range from $8.99 to $99 a month. The company is also rumored to be in the acquisition sights of Best Buy.
• Napster is launching a re-vamped music store that sells downloadable music, much of which will be DRM-free, in a direct challenge to Apple's iTunes.
• MySpace may be on the verge of signing a $300 million contract with rapper 50 Cent, giving it control over many of his cross-media projects.

Legal, Government and Regulation:

• In a lawsuit against Yahoo over its rejection of Microsoft's takeover bid, disgruntled investors say the company is withholding potentially embarrassing documents from the public record that provide insights to the failed negotiations.
• Eight former executives from AOL were charged with fraud for the inflation of ad revenue by up to $1 billiion.
• Charter Communications' decision to test NebuAd's behaviorally-targeted ads has sparked the interest of two concerned Congressmen.

Online Content:

• Diggnation and other web shows from Revision3 are now available on Hulu.com.
• NBC is trying again with its NBC Direct programming download service. This time the downloads are powered by Pando.
• Indie movie streaming site Jaman is introducing 100 titles free with streaming ad support.

Publishing:

• Not only has Condé Nast acquired powerhouse site Ars Technica; it's swooped up HotWired and Webmonkey as well. The latter will relaunch as a collaborative wiki where readers help organize and flesh out the archives.

Signs of What's to Come:

• A survey by SEMPO reveals 57 percent of search engine marketers plan to use behavioral targeting online and are willing to pay 11 percent more for such targeting.

User Experience:

• According to a new study, the internet service of Cox Communications customers are being blocked and throttled selectively, violating the de facto "net neutrality" understanding between lawmakers and ISPs.
• Facebook has opted to block Google's new Friend Connect tool, stating it's done so because users cannot opt out once they opt in. Google claims otherwise.
• Network operators are working on high-speed internet connections that are significantly faster than existing connections. The hope is they will generate extra revenue from bandwidth-thirsty consumers.

Virtual Worlds:

• Fans of the Virtual Magic Kingdom refuse to let it go gently into that good night after Disney announced it would shut it down. The company says it was only intended as a short-term effort.
• Lack of metrics and goals are factors that compel 90 percent of companies that set up shop in virtual worlds to abandon their efforts.