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New Media News Every Morning

Time Warner to decide on AOL’s future by end 2007

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aol.jpg For AOL it is either a spin off or merger with another company. According to Reuters, Time Warner will decide the fate of the online company by the end of this year.

“By the end of this year, we can make the call on AOL (on whether) we have found a business model or approach that can result in sustainable growth over time,” Parsons said in the Webcast presentation. “We’re in the right area.”

“It all comes down to the ability to transform AOL into a destination for the 12- to 35-year-old generation relative to surviving on their former dial-up or access subscriber base. If they can, they should keep it,” said Pali Capital analyst Richard Greenfield.

Originally posted on June 10, 2007 @ 8:23 am

DadCanDo highlights father’s role in child care

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dad.jpg Just in time with the upcoming Father’s Day, a new startup Web site DadCanDo offers useful and helpful advice to dads of all ages. It is a labor of love and the brainchild of one time advertising industry Creative Director and single father of four, Chris Barnardo, who just happens to be a descendent of Dr. Barnardo’s family, founder of the original children’s charity.

Chris is passionate that dads are heroes to their kids and wanted to create a site that celebrated fatherhood in a practical way, one that gives single dads easy ways to connect with their kids. He also wanted to create an environment where single dads would find positive support. DadCanDo is the culmination of those two aims.

I hope this Web site will help revitalize the celebration of Father’s Day. According to a study conducted by TIVO, 86 percent of Americans shell out more money on Mother’s Day than they do on Father’s Day. Worst, only 51 percent of those surveyed plan on celebrating this special day!

Originally posted on June 10, 2007 @ 7:29 am

Earthlink unveils new online security center

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earth12.jpg In line with Internet users’ mounting concerns on security, Atlanta-based Internet service provider Earthlink has launched a new Web site called EarthLink Security Center to provide up to date news, information, and recommendations about Internet threats.

“The EarthLink Security Center is a comprehensive destination where consumers can go online to stay up-to-date on the latest virus and malware threats, better understand their computer’s potential vulnerabilities, find useful tips and information from industry experts and make more informed product decisions.” The EarthLink Security Center is meant for the typical Internet user who has limited time to search through multiple sites and wants a trusted guide to help make the appropriate security choices for themselves and their families.

Originally posted on June 8, 2007 @ 3:04 am

Amazon boosts investments in China online shopping site

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joyo.jpg Aiming to seize a sizeable share in the world’s 4th largest economy, leading online seller Amazon has announced its plan to increase investments in Joyo, a leading online shopping Web site in China. However, exact figure was not disclosed.

In 2004, Amazon acquired this Chinese company for $75 million despite its negative bottom line. To date, Joyo has been growing fast but still behind its main competitor, Dangdang.com.

“One of the mistakes that many American companies could make is that when they come to China and hire management team in China, the Chinese leader sees it as his or her job to make their boss happy in America instead of making their customers happy in China. We are not going to make that mistake,” said Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos.

According to Analysys, China’s B2C market reached $133 million this first quarter or about 20% increased compared last year.

Originally posted on June 7, 2007 @ 11:03 pm

Ask.com goes 3D

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Ask

Leveraging on its underdog image to experiment on new search engine features, Ask.com has radically altered its search results display from static stack to 3 vertical panels spread across the screen. Hence, the moniker Ask 3D.

The far right of the screen will display photos, music clips, and videos even without leaving the page. Results vary according to location of pc used and type of search requests.

“In some ways, we are becoming a convergence engine. We want to bring you the right information from the right source at the right time,” said Jim Lanzone, Ask’s chief executive.

The search engine is aggressively seeking ways to improve its performance. Based on the April data from comScore, Ask remains a minor player with only 5.1% market share. On the other hand, Google shares about 50%, Yahoo! 27% and MSN 10.3%.

Originally posted on June 5, 2007 @ 5:06 am