Newspapers invest in
online news monitor Topix
Three more newspaper companies have decided to expand their
roles on the internet. Tribune, Gannett and Knight-Ridder
have each bought a
25 percent stake in Topix.net, a site that sorts and
organizes news stories from a variety of sources online. The founders of
Topix.net will retain the remaining 25 percent control. The site launched
just over a year ago and already tracks news from the sites operated by
Tribune, Gannett and Knight-Ridder, but the deal will let the site
approach those papers’ internet advertisers about using its technology
for customizing ads as well as add material it doesn’t currently have
like TV listings. This isn’t the first time the three publishing
companies have teamed for an online venture. All three are involved with
ShopLocal.com, CareerBuilder.com, Cars.com and Apartments.com. ComScore
Networks reports 1.4 million users visited Topix.net in February.
Study: Spam filters still diverting lotsa legit emails
A good spam blocker protects users from having their
inboxes bombarded with junk email. But some internet service providers are
becoming overzealous in that mission. According to a new study by New York
firm Return Path, last year 22 percent of email users wanted to receive
was blocked by their ISP. That is up 3.3 percent from the second half of
2003. Road Runner blocked 35 percent of its users' permission-based
emails. Mail.com blocked 34 percent, and Comcast blocked 31 percent.
EarthLink blocked the fewest at only 5 percent. The study analyzed 50,000
marketing campaigns.
IAB
members target Hispanic online population
Hispanic magazines and radio are hot places for
advertisers. How about the internet? Some of the largest online Hispanic
media companies in the world are joining to launch a marketing campaign
targeted at the Hispanic advertising community. The initiative will raise
awareness about Interactive Advertising Bureau members' ability to reach a
mainstream audience. AOL Latino, MSN Latino, Terra Networks, Univision.com,
and Yahoo! en Espanol, who are all members of the IAB, are involved in the
campaign. Tapestry and Starcom IP will head the strategic and tactical
contact efforts. Work on the campaign will commence immediately and is
expected to launch in the second half of this year.
Judge:
E-harassment is annoying but not illegal
Sending profane email with references to Adolf Hitler
and Osama bin Laden to a web site might tick off the site owner but it is
not a crime. Rachel L. Riffee was charged with misdemeanor electronic
harassment for sending two emails and three web site postings to a
pro-death penalty site run by Frederick A. Romano. Romano’s attorney
said his client felt threatened by the tone of the emails and postings.
But Maryland circuit judge J. Barry Hughes did not find the messages
intimidating and acquitted Riffee. He ruled Monday that Romano’s web
site invited discussion and that state law protects such political speech.
The site focuses on Steven H. Oken, who was executed last June for killing
Romano's sister and two other women during a 15-day spree.
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