Digital Marketing Blog

Google to buy Feedburner for $100m?

Google is reported to be buying RSS feed management and advertising firm Feedburner, which the price at around $100m (£50m).

The deal has not been officially confirmed by either party, but TechCrunch, and others are reporting that the deal has been confirmed, according to a 'source close to the deal'.

by Graham Charlton 24 May 2007 12:29pm 0 comments

Usync launches 'Backstage Areas' for UK bands

Usync is an online resource which allows indie bands and artists to establish an online presence and distribute their music without the need to go through a major label.

The site was launched by in Australia in 2001 by Aussie band Gabriel's Day, which had been overlooked by major labels yet still had a fanbase.

by Graham Charlton 24 May 2007 09:56am 1 comment

Internet radio stations offered 'reprieve'

Internet radio in the US has been under threat recently, after the US Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) endorsed a plan to retroactively raise the royalty fees paid by webcasters.

However, SoundExchange, the organisation responsible for collecting the royalties from internet radio services, has offered to reduce the rates paid by smaller webcasters.

by Graham Charlton 24 May 2007 09:51am 0 comments

'Philfing' irritates web shoppers

A survey of 2,400 UK online shoppers commissioned by MoreComputers.com has revealed the irritation many feel with the practice of 'philfing', or adding hidden charges on online sales.

The term 'philfing' stands for 'purposely hiding what I'm looking for', and the survey found that 93% of UK web users are annoyed by such hidden charges.

by Graham Charlton 23 May 2007 15:37pm 2 comments

Technorati gets a facelift

Technorati has announced a major revamp of its site, shifting its focus from blog searches to video content, photos, podcasts and music.

by Graham Charlton 23 May 2007 12:33pm 1 comment

Hotels.com sued over disabled access

Travel e-tailer Hotels.com is being sued by a group of disabled Californian dancers because it could not guarantee reservations for customers with wheelchairs.

Bonnie Lewkowicz and Judith Smith of of the AXIS non-profit dance company filed a complaint in Alameda County Superior Court seeking an injunction that would force the internet store to account for disabled shoppers.

by Robert Andrews 23 May 2007 12:32pm 2 comments

Google adds essay writers to banned AdWords list

Google is to stop taking ads for companies that offer essay writing services to university students.

Many institutions in recent years have complained about the availability of proxy writing services that allow candidates to buy stock or custom manuscripts from website retailers.

by Robert Andrews 23 May 2007 12:29pm 0 comments

Ten years of online banking, yet concerns persist

Online banking in the UK will reach its tenth anniversary this week, with the country's first internet banking service launched by Nationwide on 27 May 1997.

Since around 13,000 people registered for Nationwide's online banking service in 1997, online banking has grown rapidly - the company now has more than 3m internet banking customers.

by Graham Charlton 23 May 2007 12:19pm 1 comment

Blinkx shares surge following London IPO

Shares in Blinkx, the video search engine that has floated on London's AIM market, rose by more than 40% on the first day of trading.

The company's share price leapt from 45p to 64p, something that increased Blinkx's valuation to £170m and subsequently prompted a number of mainstream media journalists to dredge up the words 'dotcom' and 'boom'.

Blinkx indexes more than 12m hours of video content, and claims to be the world's largest video search engine. The Times says Blinkx had about 1.1m searches a day last month and about 700,000 unique users daily.

by Graham Charlton 23 May 2007 10:54am 0 comments