net briefs..

Next For YouTube - Google's announcement in March that it was acquiring Next New Networks has created speculation about YouTube forging into the next dimension of Web video production and programming. Rather than creating it own original content, however, Google's focus seems to be on improving the existing platform that has become so valuable for millions of online businesses. The acquisition has spurred a new program called YouTube Next that will leverage the expertise gained in the partnership by offering training in video production and audience development. The next few months promise to reveal plenty about Google's long-range plans for YouTube and the future marketing value it will continue to provide for Web professionals.

bing's Been Busy - Microsoft's search engine Bing was the subject of several announcements in March that will impact countless businesses on the Web. Most recently, Bing confirmed the launch of its instant search feature that it had been promising since the arrival of Google Instant last fall. Prior to that a partnership between the search engine and travel search aggregator Kayak was announced, and jus t hours before that was Bing's entry into the daily deals space via a partnership with another aggregator, The Dealmap. Perhaps most interesting is the fact that Microsoft has opted for outside technologies to drive Bing in the local deals and travel search categories.

Four for Four - MasterCard has reported that February was the fourth straight month to see a double-digit, year-to-year online spending increase. Web shoppers spent $13.8 billion during the month, marking a 13.2-percent increase from last February and up from the $13.1 billion spent in January 2011. Consumers spent more online apparel was the biggest gainer with a 15-percent increase. What is good news for the e-commerce industry may not be a sure sign of an economic recovery, however. MasterCard attributes much of the boost in online spending to rising gas prices.

Got Widgets? - They come in just about every size, shape and color and they are fast becoming one of the most common sights on the Web. That's according to a company called Lijit, which develops widgets and recently released a study tracking their deployment. Defined in the report as "any regularly occuring functionality on a website powered by an external service, voluntarily installed by the site owner and powered by Flash or Javascript", most users know them as little buttons that ask them to "add this", "share this", Tweet this of Like that. Social media widget adoption has soared by 80% in the past year, and those for Twitter & Facebook alone have nearly doubled--climbing from 6.96% overall usage to 11.86 percent.

Paid Search - As a result of all of the twists and turns the search industry has endured over the past year, the value that Web companies put on SEOs has never been higher. That's according to the data that Crandall Associates released in the 2011 edition of the annual Online Marketing Salary Guide, which reports an increase of 17.5% for average starting salaries in the search field. Starting salaries in the U.S. have gone up to $59,100 from $50,300, while the average salary has reached $75,000 and high-end salaries climbed 2.6% to $87,300. E-commerce directors will earn the highest Web salaries overall in 2011, but the rise from last year was fractional.


BEAUTIFUL DAY!!! SUN WAS OUT STRONG; SMILES ALL AROUND; BE NICE TO OTHERS THIS WEEK!