Despite the rising prominence of new media, newspapers and other "traditional media" still generate the bulk of original news that gets to US consumers, according to a study by the Pew Research Center. more

You recently got the skinny on Square, the service that turns your iPhone into a card-swiping device. Here's another quick, easy and secure way to flow payments to your business via mobile (or even social networks): mPayy. Unlike Square, mPayy is more of a user tool than an enterprise one. It ... more

Display advertising is forecast to grow 13% in 2010 after a dismal performance in 2009 (down approximately 5% in the US), while US search advertising is forecast to grow 13%, up significantly from 2009's roughly flat year, according to research from JP Morgan. more

Consumers who contribute to online forums are overwhelmingly more engaged in "influential" activities–– both online and offline––than people who don't use forums, according to a study by PostRelease and Synovate. more

Let's say you sell trendy furniture for family-friendly prices. What's the best way to push product and spread brand awareness? Well, you could try developing and offering: A showroom. Pros: People see products in context, and they can buy them right then and there! Cons: You don't reach potential buyers who aren't ... more

It looks like Facebook is definitely here to stay. As of this writing, based on Alexa site rankings, it's the second-most-visited website on the Internet. That kind of reach can pack a whale of a punch for any B2B brand that gets its Facebook presence right. So, what's your best point ... more

US Spending on paid social network advertising is forecast to reach $1.3 billion in 2010, a 7.1% increase from the estimate of $1.2 billion for 2009––but a decline of 4 percentage points as a share of worldwide spending, according to research from eMarketer. more

Online US holiday spending from November 1 through Christmas Eve 2009 reached $27 billion, a 5% increase over the same period a year earlier, according to comScore. Consumer electronics led among product categories, recording sales growth of 20% over 2008 levels. more

During 2009, nearly a hundred million words a day were posted in status updates on Facebook—well over a thousand per second during peak times and up by a factor of four from the previous year, according to Facebook's Data Team. In addition, Farmville became the most talked-about application in status ... more

Finally, a barcode-scanning app that works like a charm. For a mere $1.99 at the App Store, RedLaser, an application developed by Occipital, turns any iPhone into a functional barcode scanner. All you have to do is open the app and snap a still picture of a product's barcode. Once ... more

For small and midsize businesses, the advent of social media has created a host of lead-generating opportunities. LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media have leveled the playing field for SMBs with a variety of affordable, effective channels for initiating and nurturing the kinds of B2B relationships that produce sales ... more

In a fun but informative short video, Ann Handley talks with PR guru/gadfly Peter Shankman about how he turned a natural gift for schmoozing into a successful business, why his company's email is "the ultimate forwardable email," and what the latest tools do and don't mean for marketers. more

As the decade draws to a close, only 27% of Americans have positive things to say about the past 10 years and 50% say they have generally negative feelings about them, according to Pew Research. The Internet, email, and cell phones, however, are viewed by many consumers as a ... more

Though 2009 may have been a trial run for many companies using social media, CMOs expect social initiatives to have a direct impact on their bottom lines in 2010, according to a study from Bazaarvoice and the CMO Club. more

Twitter rocks their world, say online marketers, and Facebook gets some serious attention. But LinkedIn, despite its name, gets almost no love at all. more

If you're the owner or marketer of a small business and are trying to make sense of wikis, WOM, blogs and buzz, you know the challenges of creating a social-media strategy from scratch. After all, it's an emerging channel with emerging rules—and everyone worries about missing something or heading in ... more

PayPal made it possible to start an online business that transcends physical boundaries. Square takes that notion a step further, making it easier for you to process credit cards or debit cards wherever you are—right from your mobile phone. Here's how it works: Apply to use Square. The company sends you ... more

Despite reports of its demise, email continues to beat out emerging social media channels such as Twitter and Facebook as the favorite way to share information with colleagues and friends, according to a study from ShareThis. more

The use of Facebook, Twitter, and blogs for business purposes has skyrocketed in the last six months—with indications of wider adoption and more frequent sessions, according to research by Palo Alto Networks into application traffic patterns of computer networks. more

Ever heard of Movember? It's a movement of men who shave their faces at the beginning of November and spend the rest of the month growing a saucy moustache, which they proceed to show off on Flickr, in blogs and across their social networks. It's now a worldwide phenomenon! What's Movember about? ... more

Small business owners are planning to engage customers in new ways in 2010, according to an Ad-ology Research study: 28% say they will spend at least the same or more on online video, an increase of 75% over last year's plans; 25% say they will commit more resources to social ... more

Small business decision-makers who use social media say they do so because of the convenience and speed with which they can access business-relevant information, according to a study by Business.com. In addition, those leaders who rely on social media for business purposes use on average 5.9 different social media resources. more

When McDonald's launched its specialty coffees earlier this year, its banner ads inviting consumers to "McCafé Your Day" were all over the Web. Great branding, but does such online advertising send customers to local establishments? The short answer: When combined with search, it does! According to Christa Hoyland, editor of QSR Web, Google research ... more

If there's anything Second Life has taught us, it's that people like having a place to come back to—a virtual hideaway where you're always well-coiffed and surrounded by friends, and everybody knows your (avatar's) name. Well, here's some good news for mobile marketers: virtual living just got a whole lot ... more

Americans 65+ comprise less than 10% of the active Internet, but their numbers are growing: In the last five years, the number of seniors actively using the Internet grew 55% to 17.5 million in November 2009, up from 11.3 million in November 2004, according to a survey by Nielsen. more