Advertising, Social Networking | featured news

Digg took a big risk when they added in-line advertisements that users could digg or bury. Four months later, however, early signs indicate that DiggAds are a win for all parties involved: users, advertisers, and especially Digg.

It seems as though Twitter is finally ready to get down to business. Following search deals with Microsoft and Google that put the company at break even for 2009 and the recent hiring of a CFO, Twitter is now said to be readying the launch of its long-rumored ad platform.

Kim Kardashian, Soulja Boy and Lauren Conrad reportedly bank big bucks tweeting. In an effort to drive unemployed people totally insane, The Daily Beast compiled a list of how much celebrities get paid to Tweet. We already told you that Kim Kardashian makes at least $10,000 every time she tweets about a company. And let me refresh your memory: You were majorly bummed out about it.

The Twitter phenomenon, in which anybody can tell his or her followers anything -- in 140 characters or less -- now has a payoff that can go beyond the thrill of self-publishing.

The MySpace social media network’s traffic has dropped so much that it will fail to satisfy a minimum traffic level crucial to parent company News Corp’s three-year $900 million advertising deal with Google, inked in 2006, that made Google the exclusive search advertiser on MySpace — then the world’s most popular social network.

Homemade YouTube videos are becoming a source of entertainment and income.

Scores of complaints can be found at WickedFire, where advertisers are complaining of massive click fraud and an indifferent Facebook. A few of the recent posts (excuse the language):

On Wednesday Digg unveiled a new ad platform that will give companies an ad medium that looks and feels like user-submitted stories which have been promoted to Digg's front page.

Facebook has begun tapping a new revenue stream with the introduction of an internal payments system, a move that might help the fast-growing social networking website achieve profitability while being less reliant on advertising.

Although many retailers are reducing their online marketing budgets, spending on social media is falling at a slower rate than spending in other online marketing channels.