Spotlight Features

In search, 2006 was a year of launches, re-launches and major partnership deals. Microsoft launched its ad platform. Yahoo started rolling out its improved paid ad platform, Panama. Google partnered with AOL and MySpace and bought YouTube. The search engine once known as "Jeeves" booted the butler a...

Afternic, the leading U.S.-based domain name reseller, has been purchased by NameMedia in a deal announced on Nov. 28. The acquisition is significant because of the traffic generated from the 1.8 million domain names listed for sale on Afternic's marketplace. The full terms of Afternic's sale have...

Following on the phenomenal success of Apple's iPod, there is a second wave of companies looking to ride the digital music and media convergence waves -- assembling a mix of music artists, private label "indie" music producers, and the giants of the PC and consumer electronics industries. It is too ...

More than a third of shoppers who have a poor experience on a Web site abandon the site entirely, according to JupiterResearch, and 75 percent are likely not to shop on that site again. That's a loud and clear wake up call to e-tailers. Now that you are awake, it's time to find out exactly what "poo...

From the apparently sudden arrival of Web-based video distribution options to the growing sophistication of TV-like advertising online and the social networking phenomenon, the Internet drew attention and dollars away from newspapers, TV and radio in 2006. This coming of age did not take place overn...

Spending on online video advertising will soar throughout this decade with sales predicted to break the billion dollar barrier in 2008, according to a report released this month by research aggregator eMarketer. This year outlays for Net video ads grew more than 82 percent over 2005, to some US$410...

As the holiday shopping season approaches, most large retailers have already locked down their Web sites as they prepare for a profitable ride. Nonetheless, e-tailers should keep an eye on their search strategies -- and change what is not working -- en route to seasonal sales. Experts recommend cust...

Throughout history, broad groups of species have undergone periods of rapid evolution and radiation. The same can be said today of digital music technology. From MP3 streaming and live Web simulcasting to the emergence of iPods and the numerous other brands of MP3 player/recorders, to music clips an...

Do you wonder if technology has given us more information than needed? Perhaps, but sometimes it is very helpful, if not invaluable. There is so much good, solid data on the Internet that today, researchers can use it with great comfort and assurance. The days when academics were stuck in libraries ...

Opening up an online high-yield savings account for Jeff Dennis, 57, of Brighton, Mass., was a no brainer. "I deposited $200 into an account and got a $25 bonus at a time when interest rates were in the basement," he told the E-Commerce Times. That was three years ago. Interest rates on savings are ...

In the retail world, Black Friday has long been a red-letter day on the calendar. The Friday after Thanksgiving, while not always the busiest shopping day of the year, is notable for kicking off the mad-dash toward the finish line of the holiday season. In the world of e-commerce, Cyber Monday has q...

Labor market analysis needs to be part of the decision process on whether or where to locate or terminate operations around the globe. Managers of globalized or labor-intensive operations such as software development, customer service and back office support should be able to guide labor market ana...

The holiday shopping predictions are in. Forester Research reports online retail sales this holiday season will reach US$27 billion in the United States alone. JupiterResearch is a little more optimistic, adding $5 billion more to that cheery figure. Jupiter further predicts that a record 114 millio...

An explosion of musical and technological innovation is resulting in a profusion of new, cross-cultural musical styles and influences. Digital music technology is the "core enabler" changing the face of the music industry -- as well as the habits and preferences of musicians and listeners around the...

Although the U.S. alternative energy and clean tech industry is still playing catch-up with Europe, investments have been picking up in recent years -- and quickly. Despite a lack of strong leadership at the federal level, governments in prominent states, notably California, are increasingly taking ...