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The Top 10 Tech Trends

Venture Summit West — Thu, 15 May 2008 12:21:37 -0700

Each year, 5 of Silicon Valley's top luminaries convene at the Churchill Club to make 10 predictions for the near future. Prognostications must be specific and non-obvious. Archives coming soon!

[...]

The OnHollywood VC Survey

Packy Kelly — Mon, 12 May 2008 13:59:32 -0700

KPMG is excited to be a sponsor of the 2008 AlwaysOn OnHollywood event. The power structures in the entertainment industries are shifting. Or are they? This event will bring together the leaders from the most recognized media and entertainment companies and the ones looking to disrupt the industry. There will be ample opportunity to hear from the people making the biggest splashes in the marketplace.
[...]

Lightspeed Closes $800M Fund

AO — Mon, 12 May 2008 12:04:02 -0700

Startups better be thinking global from the get-go if they want in on Lightspeed's Fund VIII. The $800M will have a heavily international focus, managing director Ravi Mhatre told AO.

[...]

Jurvetson: We Can Create Life

AO — Mon, 12 May 2008 12:12:45 -0700

DFJ's Steve Jurvetson is bullish on nanotechnolgy, and he believes the future is just a few years away...

[...]

Journalism Drives Innovation

AO — Fri, 09 May 2008 12:54:23 -0700

On May 21st and 22nd, the Innovation Journalism conference at Stanford is bringing the driving forces of journalism and innovation together. For the AlwaysOn members and bloggers, it’s going to be a great time to network and interact with innovation and journalism bigshots.

The conference will also host a visit by the World Economic Forum (WEF), which will present its new Global Agenda[...]

Giant Realm Lands $2M from Softbank

AO — Mon, 12 May 2008 12:11:20 -0700

Male entertainment portal Giant Realm today announced a $2 million investment from Softbank Capital, bringing their series A total to $5.5 million.

[...]

Ambushing Ed Harris

Hooman_Khalili — Wed, 07 May 2008 12:20:54 -0700

Shrinking production costs are creating huge opportunities for startup studios. That's a good thing for young directors with inspiring stories--and the guts to ambush a Hollywood superstar.

Three months after their homeless father died in jail, twin brothers Logan and Noah Miller cornered 4-time Oscar nominee Ed Harris in an alley outside the Castro Theatre and pitched him on their autobiographical[...]

mShopper Goes Global

AO — Mon, 12 May 2008 11:58:06 -0700

mshopper, a mobile shopping service, was launched in September of last year and has already had over 3 million unique visits. The company powers Sprint's private-labeled mobile shopping platform, is available on Verizon's mobile web portal, and will be partnering with another unnamed major Telecom soon. They're also getting their feet wet in UK and have received an Asian investment, with plans to launch in China before the Olympic games.[...]

Dying Professor's Last Lecture

mattwbowman — Sun, 04 May 2008 23:45:19 -0700

If you haven't seen this yet, it's worth an hour of your time--skip Blockbuster next Friday and just watch Randy Pausch's last lecture. The CS prof at CMU expects to die from cancer at any moment.

The professor is one of Carnegie Melon's most popular, thanks in part to his pioneering project-based Virtual Reality class. Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, he summed up his life's lessons last September before a packed hall at CMU's McConomy Auditorium.[...]

Dong Recharges Electric Cars

AO — Mon, 12 May 2008 12:14:18 -0700

Dong Energy teams up with entrepreneur Shai Aggasi to deploy massive electric car networks in Denmark–using 20,000 wind-powered recharging stations.

[...]

Fisker-Tesla Debacle Continues

GoingGreen — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 10:18:23 -0700

By Phyza Jameel
The Fisker camp has broken its silence about the Tesla suit. Last week, Tesla Motors alleged that KARMA, Fisker Automotives' new hybrid electric car, is a copied design of Tesla's own white sedan. Tesla sued Henrik Fisker for stealing trade secrets and design concepts to design his own eco chic automobile- the Karma. Here is what Alan Niedzwiecki, President and CEO of Quantum Technologies had to say:
[...]

Venture Summit East Archives

Venture Summit East — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:52:48 -0700

April 7-9, 2008 @ the Four Seasons Hotel. Venture Summit East features the most influential institutional investors, VCs, corporate buyers, ibankers and analysts in the Eastern US.

The Archives are now online! Check the out here: http://alwayson.goingon.com/page/display/26310

Rocketboomer May Sell Reputation

mattwbowman — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 16:52:35 -0700

Andrew Baron, founder of Rocketboom, is selling his Twitter account with all 1500 followers on eBay. Call it a publicity stunt or a meaningful speech act (ala Chris Anderson's pr email expose)--either way it'll spark some interesting debate about credibility and privacy.

[...]

Nordic Green, Palo Alto

NordicGreen — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 07:22:48 -0700

What to Expect
Nordic Green is where cutting-edge green tech CEOs from Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Norway, Finland, and Estonia mix it up with the leading entrepreneurs, investors and industry heavyweights from California's Silicon Valley in order to build lasting partnerships and develop the next generation of collaborate global climate solutions.

[...]

OnMediaNYC Redux

OnMedia — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 09:10:19 -0800

Our friends at Boston.TV put together this video recap of OnMedia NYC. We're looking forward to having them at our upcoming Venture Summit East in Boston.

This is one of the slickest examples of quality niche online programming we've seen, and they've got plans to grow the product for other cities. They've got interviews with local Red Sox heroes, high school sports rundowns, and an upload section thats getting traction from local bands.[...]

More Social, More Mobile, More Money

OnMedia — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:41:33 -0800

Where is the Media Industry headed in 2008? What new user behaviors and technologies are disrupting the ad market? How will M&A and IPOs be affected? KPMG and AlwaysOn asked over 300 VCs, CEOs and industry insiders in Silicon Valley and New York City to tell us where they see the media world headed in 2008. Here's what they had to say...

[...]

Unleash Mobile Advertising!

OnMedia — Mon, 12 May 2008 12:21:23 -0700

Given the ubiquity of cell phones, you'd think advertisers would be all them. So why did mobile advertising account for less than 2/10ths of a percent of the total advertising spent in 2008?

[...]

Media M&A Appetite Still Growing

OnMedia — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 13:02:59 -0800

We all know VCs and startups have to be bullish about 2008, despite a rocky economy, but when a top analyst says digital media M&A will be up, even after an explosive 2007, it's worth another look.

JP Morgan's Imran Khan said at OnMedia NYC this month that we'll continue to see Google, eBay, Amazon, Expedia and company dole out big bucks for media startups, because hunger[...]

OnMedia 100: Where Are They Now?

Tolman Geffs — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 13:45:42 -0800

Released in January 2007, the AlwaysOn OnMedia 100 list highlights “game-changing players in advertising, marketing, and promotion”. These online media, technology and marketing services companies were very active in M&A and financings throughout the year. Taking a look back on 2007:

Ten of the OnMedia 100 companies were sold;
Another 10 made acquisitions; and

[...]

Omnicom on Metrics: Hits v Sales

OnMedia — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 12:33:42 -0800

Bruce Nelson, Omnicom's Vice Chairman, gave his historical perspective of the evolution of 20th/21st-century media at AO's OnMedia conference last week. He had some interesting things to say about metrics - if you measure hits, you'll end up with a lot of frat humor. As lead and sales tracking improves, maybe the quality of online content will too.
[...]

Cracking the Online Branding Code

OnMedia — Mon, 12 May 2008 12:25:21 -0700

Last week on a panel of big-name marketing execs, Ben Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies, said the key is niche social networks. He cited Dogster and Momster as ideal targets.

[...]

Will a Recession Hurt New Media?

OnMedia — Mon, 12 May 2008 12:23:41 -0700

Top media entrepreneurs say the viewer exodus from TV to online content will keep dollars flowing to new media companies, regardless of market turmoil in 2008.

[...]

OnHollywood, Los Angeles

OnHollywood — Thu, 15 May 2008 19:45:28 -0700

Save the Date! OnHollywood 2008 will take place June 10-11 at the Sofitel in Hollywood, CA.

OnHollywood is where cutting-edge technology CEOs from the back streets of Silicon Valley meet the Hollywood digital entertainment and media elite.[...]

OnHollywood 100 Competition

OnHollywood — Thu, 15 May 2008 20:59:49 -0700

The third annual OnHollywood 100 competition has begun!
Disruptive technology forced big changes in Hollywood this year: new contracts, new genres, new stars. As the behemoth industry steps into the digital era, entertainment execs will be paying even closer attention to the global Silicon Valley--especially the startups that are writing the rules and creating the tools for the digital entertainment age.
[...]

Summit at Stanford

Stanford Summit — Thu, 15 May 2008 14:27:01 -0700

Save the Date! The AlwaysOn & STVP Summit at Stanford will take place July 22-24, 2008 at the Arillaga Center on the Stanford campus in Palo Alto, CA

The AlwaysOn & STVP Summit at Stanford is a two-and-a-half-day executive gathering that highlights the significant[...]

GoingGreen, San Francisco

GoingGreen — Fri, 09 May 2008 21:49:08 -0700

Save the Date! GoingGreen will take place September 15-17, 2008 at Cavallo Point in San Francisco, CA.

GoingGreen is where cutting-edge greentech CEOs meet the movers and shakers from the biggest industries on earth. Green technology innovators are transforming the global energy, water, agriculture, transportation, construction, manufacturing, and resource recovery establishments.[...]

Mad as Hell at Big Media

OnMedia — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 11:19:56 -0800

[...]

OnMedia VC Survey Results

Brian_Hughes74172 — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 16:53:17 -0800

In preparation for OnMedia NYC, AO and KPMG wanted to find out how the forces of new media have affected the marketing, branding, advertising, and public relations industries. Below are the results of a survey we conducted of more than 300 VCs, CEOs and insiders in the media industry.

So where are the investment dollars going and will they turn a profit?[...]

The 2007 BOB Awards

OnMedia — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 16:01:06 -0800

AO honors the top Internet advertisement videos of 2007.

AlwaysOn is pleased to announce the winners of the first annual Best of Broadband (BOB) Advertising Awards. In 2007, the marketing industry scrambled to follow the eyeballs onto mobile, user-generated, online and interactive content, and launched several experimental campaigns, often failing miserably.[...]

The Madison Avenue IT List

OnMedia — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 16:34:50 -0800

AlwaysOn and KPMG are pleased to announce the first annual Madison Avenue IT List. At a time when advertisers and marketers are scrambling to catch up with new online behaviors, these 10 executives have proven that they "get it" -- they're cracking the online-interactive code and finding effective ways to incorporate mobile, social-network, virtual-world, and especially cross-platform marketing to produce results for their clients.[...]

The OnMedia 100 Top Companies

OnMedia — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 09:27:20 -0800

We proudly present this year’s OnMedia 100. With this list of top private companies, AlwaysOn’s editors and our panel of industry experts introduce a new generation of game-changing players in the marketing, branding, advertising, and public relations industries.

These 100 companies have emerged in an exciting year in the world of digital media.[...]

Cleaning Up in Cleantech

Jeff_Lipton — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 22:49:54 -0800

Over the past two and a half years, a number of North American cleantech companies have accessed the public markets. Much of the activity has been focused on well known, established sectors such as solar energy and biofuels. The overall trend of cleantech IPOs has been generally positive, although there has been underperformance in some sectors, particularly ethanol.

[...]

McCain's Urgent Climate Appeal

Election 08 — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 09:50:11 -0800

In July, at the Churchill Club and at AlwaysOn’s 2007 Stanford Summit, John McCain addressed Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and insiders about using technology to alleviate global warming. This article first appeared in the winter edition of the AO Magazine.

On the Importance of Global Warming
[...]

Move Over, Joost

OnHollywood — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 22:32:23 -0800

This article appears in the winter edition of the AlwaysOn Magazine.

First-generation internet video companies like YouTube did a great job of getting millions of users to feel good about watching video online. These days, if you read Big Media headlines, you might think that Joost—the fledgling Internet video network started by Skype founders Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom—is the hottest of the new generation of Internet video startups.[...]

The Eco-Effective Future (II)

GoingGreen — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 09:41:36 -0800

This is the second part of William McDonough’s opening-night keynote at GoingGreen. His discussion of the technical and philosophical aspects of eco-effective buildings and cities received a standing ovation. For part 1, click here.

[...]

Open Media Warfare

Tony Perkins — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 16:54:37 -0800

Over the last five years, AlwaysOn has frequently declared that there’s an Open Media Revolution going on and that many of the silly and arrogant old practices of Big Media are toast. “Editors controlling all the content that pops up under their brands—gone. Subscribers and viewers being invisible to each other—gone. Hello, user-generated content! Hello, online community!” You know our shtick by now.
[...]

The Eco-Effective Future (I)

GoingGreen — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 09:02:39 -0800

At AlwaysOn’s recent GoingGreen conference, visionary architect and designer Wiliam McDonough received a standing ovation for his opening-night keynote presentation, outlining his “strategy of hope” for sustainable design. These words are excerpted from that presentation. We’ve also posted a short excerpt , and the entire speech online.[...]

KPMG OnMedia Survey

OnMedia — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 17:22:39 -0800

KPMG is excited to be a sponsor of AlwaysOn's 2008 OnMedia NYC event. The very definition of Media is constantly changing. Are you “Old Media” or “New Media” or, more likely, somewhere in between? We hope this conference will give you an opportunity to discuss the forces disrupting how media and marketing operate and are perceived.[...]

The 2007 Shake-Out

AlwaysOn — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 09:07:44 -0800

This article appears in the Winter '07 edition of the AlwaysOn Magazine.

As the subprime mortgage crisis rocked Wall Street in the latter half of 2007, the Nasdaq struggled to maintain its independence. Despite keeping its balance—M&A activity experienced an uptick in the fall and IPO filings were up in Q3 2007, according to Dow Jones VentureOne—the choppy market conditions caused VCs to take a second look at the private company valuations in their portfolios.
[...]

Best of 07: Tony's Confessions

AlwaysOn — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 12:46:07 -0800

For our New Year's reflection piece, we're resurrecting the most trafficked series of posts on AO this year: Tony Perkin's 7 lessons learned during the first dot-com bust, and what they mean for entrepreneurs today.

Here are the three parts:
Confessions of an AlwaysOn Executive 1
[...]

Best of 07: Redfin Bares its Data

AlwaysOn — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 22:40:39 -0800

Not many startups are willing to air their financial data online. In October, Redfin's Glenn Kelman printed his financial plan and actual data on Guy K's blog in order to share lessons learned. Check out the post here.

Photo Credit: Cheri Baby![...]

Best of 07: New Media Sweet Spot

AlwaysOn — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 12:29:41 -0800

A year ago, AO's Tony Perkins outlined a new role for online media companies - one focused on intelligent aggregation and social networking. Makes for an interesting reflection piece as the year comes to an end. Check out the post here and let us know how you think we did.[...]

Best of '07: Open Culture Debate

AlwaysOn — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 10:55:22 -0800

Many write off Andrew Keen's anti-Web 2.0 manifesto as a publicity stunt, but there's no question that his contrarian post in July sparked a welcome debate about democracy and culture. Revisit the conversation here.

Best of 07: Virtual Worlds

AlwaysOn — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 12:38:37 -0800

Virtual worlds drew a lot of attention in '07, and Irving Wladawsky-Berger became one of its leading evangelists. His post on the true long-term applications of technology got a lot of people thinking.

Check out Irving's post here.

Images: MindBlizzard Blog, Sundance Channel[...]

Best of 07: Writing a Biz Plan

AlwaysOn — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 10:28:22 -0800

Guy Kawasaki's down-to-earth interview with business guru Tim Berry drew high hits in July, suggesting AO's entrepreneurial readers appreciate Guy's "practical blog for impractical people." Check out the post here.
[...]

Best of 07: New Broadband Network

AlwaysOn — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 10:11:03 -0800

This week we'll be reposting the top AO posts of 2007. To kick off the walk down memory lane, we harken back to March when John Doerr predicted that the FCC would open the way for a new broadband network that would eventually break the stranglehold of Telecoms on the broadband spectrum...

[...]

4 Screens; 1 Net; Not There Yet

Seth_Alpert — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 11:01:52 -0800

Smart entrepreneurs and investors will bet on the growing consumer demand for a more universal experience.

By Seth R. Alpert and Jordan L. Greenblatt. This article appears in the Fall 07 Issue of the AlwaysOn Magazine.

Electronic devices—mobile phones, PDAs, computers, TVs, iPods, and game consoles—are transforming traditional media companies’ business models as well as the way advertisers interact with consumers.[...]

Unleash the Green Entrepreneur

Ed Ring — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 09:31:47 -0800

Entrepreneurs will turn us green faster than government mandates.

Whether you think raising the price of fossil fuel will stop climate change, reverse the acidification of the ocean, or help nations achieve energy independence, the political momentum to do so appears unstoppable. With that as a given, then, the current debate should focus on what mechanism should be used, how much the price should[...]

Starting Up is Harder to Do

Venture Summit West — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 13:35:14 -0800

Seed investors Andy Bechtolsheim, Tim Draper, and Jeff Clavier say the cost of launching a startup is rising, despite reports to the contrary. Hardware prices, marketing efforts and Google-sized salaries are all pushing up the launch cost, which may account for the shrinking number of seed investors. The three spoke last week at Venture Summit West.

[...]

Draper & Conway: What Angels Want

Venture Summit West — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 13:35:21 -0800

At Venture Summit West this morning, Tim Draper announced he wants to pour money into enterprise startups, and Ron Conway let out that the falling cost of starting consumer internet companies means there's a huge untapped market for more angel investors. The two also gave their insider take on the YouTube startup story. Check out the highlight video for more.

[...]

Making Millions with no VC

Venture Summit West — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 13:35:35 -0800

Yesterday at a Venture Summit Panel led by Guy Kawasaki, Fark founder Drew Curtis described how he became a millionaire with a 4-person staff. Blake Commagere, who created the Vampires Facebook application and founded Mogad, explained that IM is for grandfathers, and outlined the online behaviors that have replaced it. The panel was hilarious, and is well worth watching in its entirety (we hope to have it up within a few weeks).[...]

2nd Life is Still Alive

Venture Summit West — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 13:35:38 -0800

The vital signs are there, says Bill Gurley: $5 million per month in revenue, and 43,000 members are making a profit net of fees.

Lise Buyer says Second Life is the least understood young company in Silicon Valley. Those who criticize the over-hyped brand marketing campaigns, or the “virtual goods” business model may by missing the point.

[...]

Legal Fear Hurts Stock Prices

Venture Summit West — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 13:35:39 -0800

Are public companies too afraid of lawyers? At least two leading analysts think excessive concern over the SEC’s Regulation Fair Disclosure rule (Reg FD) has hurt companies' stock prices. The controversial rule aimed to prevent the two-caste system of investors: those privileged with access to tradable information – and all other stock holders.[...]

Global, Green and Bullish

Packy Kelly — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 11:12:45 -0800

In anticipation of Venture Summit West, the gathering of investors, VCs, corporate buyers, investment bankers, and research analysts taking place this week in Half Moon Bay, CA, we surveyed the key players in the industry to identify the significant economic, political and technology trends impacting the global growth markets. We want to thank the respondents for taking a few minutes out of their busy schedules to provide their opinions.[...]

Who's More Green?

Election 08 — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 08:34:23 -0800

Greentech is now the third largest class of venture investment, but it may be more of a wild card for VCs than internet is, since so much depends on governmental policy decisions yet to be made. As the election season heats up, VCs, entrepreneurs and consumers will be scrutinizing candidates' green credentials.

[...]

Latest Thing in eCommerce: You

Ezra Roizen — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 14:30:57 -0800

Many of the experiences we have were conceived and designed by someone else prior to us having them. When we go to the supermarket, for instance, it seems our entire experience – however idiosyncratic - has been played out and anticipated. The same is true when we go out to dinner, to a movie, or the airport. Disneyland is probably the extreme case.

[...]

Where the Green VCs are Betting

GoingGreen — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 10:39:55 -0700

Four top VCs revealed where they were placing their cleantech bets last month at the GoingGreen event at UC Davis. Topping the list were energy efficiency, utility scale projects, plastics, building materials, carbon reduction, and transport. The panel included Susan MacCormac of Morrison & Foerster, DFJ's Raj Atluru, Samir Kaul of Khosla Ventures, Ray Lane from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and Vantage Point's Bill Green.
[...]

The Future of Distributed Power

GoingGreen — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 10:23:37 -0700

Today's power crisis has given rise to many innovative smart-grid solutions. But do these remedies rely too much on Big Brother for enforcement? Will our energy consumption be rationed, house to house? Check out what our panel of greentech pros had to say about the future of distributed power.

[...]

Biofuels: a Dangerous Bet

GoingGreen — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 14:11:43 -0700

Many taut corn ethanol as the flagship technology to launch the biofuel industry. But increased production of corn can cause food costs to skyrocket, hurt third-world countries, and cut into the fuel supply. Is corn ethanol worth the risk? Check out the video below to see what our panel of biofuel experts had to say. The panel features:

Peter Hanschen, Partner, Morrison & Foerster

[...]

The Big Skype Write-Off

AlwaysOn — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 08:46:33 -0700

EBay announced yesterday that they're taking a $1.4 billion third-quarter charge related to Skype, acknowledging that their biggest acquisition ever has failed to live up to expectations.

Boy, how things have changed since we interviewed Niklas Zennstrom back in January. At the time, Skype was riding high on it's $2.6 billion purchase price, and EBay was hands-off, letting Skype operate[...]

What Angels Want

Venture Summit West — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 13:26:21 -0800

Click To Play

[...]

Making Sense of a Million Voices

Ezra Roizen — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 11:09:50 -0700

Wize brings the “Wisdom of Crowds” to consumer product research.

Words cannot describe the degree to which I hate shopping. Over-stimulation is probably at the root of my shopping aversion. There are too many choices and too many questions that go unanswered. Which invariably raises the possibility for future regret, abundant choice being the precondition for buyer’s remorse.

[...]

Green Predictions: Next-Gen Autos

GoingGreen — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 10:25:11 -0700

In the next 12-18 months, electric-vehicle (EV) battery efficiency will increase dramatically and vehicle-to-grid communication technology will be implemented, according to a panel of EV entrepreneurs speaking at the GoingGreen conference last week. The improved battery efficiency and charging convenience will turn the cost-penalty for EVs into a cost-benefit, enabling massive consumer adoption.
[...]

GoingGreen Webcast Archives

GoingGreen — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 16:32:42 -0700

By all accounts, GoingGreen was a huge success! Thousands of webcast viewers tuned in to join the hundreds of live attendees, bloggers and mainstream media, as high-powered panels discussed the future of green technology and greentech investments opportunities.

[...]

Cautionary Cleantech Metrics

Ed Ring — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 19:38:19 -0700

The cleantech revolution is upon us, but investors and entrepreneurs should exercise caution when placing their bets. Here are some contrarian considerations that could well be vindicated in the coming years and, if they are, subsidies will dry up, the legislative and regulatory environment will shift dramatically, and entire industries that were built on today’s conventional wisdom will no longer exist.
[...]

Declaration of Interdependence

GoingGreen — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 07:33:19 -0700

Cleantech visionary William McDonough received a standing ovation from an audience of hundreds of Silicon Valley CEOs, investors and media at the opening night of the GoingGreen event at UC Davis.

Mr. McDonough painted a picture of future industrial and civil designs that will have net positive impacts on the environment. He described his “cradle to cradle” certification criteria.[...]

Optimistic Outlook for Greentech

GoingGreen — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 00:34:38 -0700

by Packy Kelly

In advance of this year’s AlwaysOn GoingGreen Conference, we surveyed leaders in the greentech community on some of the critical issues facing the greentech sector and the environment. We are very pleased that the respondents took a few minutes out of their busy schedules to provide their opinions. We’ve taken away some very clear from the responses.

[...]

The GoingGreen 100 Winners

GoingGreen — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 10:47:43 -0800

Welcome to the first annual AlwaysOn GoingGreen 100. With this list of the hottest private companies in greentech, we highlight the game-changing players that are making it possible and profitable for big businesses to go green. These innovators are transforming the global energy, water, agriculture, transportation, construction, manufacturing, and resource recovery establishments – all trillion-dollar industries.
[...]

India's Water Consciousness

Ed Ring — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 15:38:11 -0700

At over a billion people and still increasing in population, within a country 3.3 million square kilometers (1.2 million square miles) in size, how India develops poses challenges representative of humanity at large. We have covered India's energy and water issues extensively, in features such as "India's Solar Power," "Nuclear

[...]

The Gurley-Man Take on VCs: Pt. 2

Stanford Summit — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 10:57:34 -0700

Benchmark Capital’s Bill Gurley provides his down-home views on venture capital.
This is part 2 of an interview that appears in full in the AO Magazine. In Part 1, Mr. Gurley outlined Benchmark's current investment strategy and gave his take on competition in the VC world.

[...]

The Gurley-Man Take on VCs

Stanford Summit — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 11:20:40 -0700

Benchmark Capital’s Bill Gurley Provides his down-home views on venture capital.
This is Part 1 of an interview that appears in full in the AO Magazine.

ALWAYSON: What are the top five deals that Benchmark Capital has done, as far as return on investment?
[...]

Unintended Consequences

Stanford Summit — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 11:57:19 -0700

An Anthropological View of the Net: An Internet Marketing Guru takes on the Web's Naysayers and Hysterics
By Bill Cleary

Editor's note: this is an excerpt from Bill Cleary's Article, which appears in full in the Winter issue of the AO Blogozine.

In his recently published book The Cult of the Amateur (Currency, June 2007), author Andrew Keen makes[...]

AO 100: Where are They Now?

Stanford Summit — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 10:24:37 -0700

We always thought our selection team was smart, and now we've a got a study to prove it. This analysis of the AO 100 Exits from the 451 Group reveals where the money is flowing in the tech startup world.

Editor's Note: the following is an analysis conducted by the 451 Group, an independent technology-industry analyst company focused on the business of enterprise IT innovation.
[...]

Stanford Webcast Archives

Stanford Summit — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 11:10:32 -0700

Meet the New Captains of Innovation. The Stanford Summit 2007 webcast archives are now live!

By all accounts, this year's Stanford Summit, produced by AlwaysOn and the Stanford Technology Venture Program was the best yet. In addition to 1,046 live attendees (our biggest crowd ever), we had a record 11,545 visits to the webcast from 134 countries during the event, and 2,054 more visits in the week following.
[...]

The New Captains of Innovation

Stanford Summit — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 10:13:20 -0700

What are the CEOs of the hottest private companies doing to gain traction? Guy Kawasaki drills the chiefs of Gaia Online (AO 100 overall winner), Aggregate Knowledge ("Is that the best name you could think of?") and diy community site Wikia ("We're not trying to make money") on their business plans, growth strategies, and lessons learned along the way.

[...]

McCain Courts the Valley

Stanford Summit — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 12:08:08 -0700

Senator John McCain appeared before thousands of live attendees and webcast viewers Wednesday afternoon at the Stanford Summit. The would-be president laid down a number of promises he would act on immediately if elected. "Specifically on inaugural day, I would say we're going to close Guantanamo and move those prisoners to Ft. Leavenworth.[...]

Against Open Culture

Stanford Summit — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 15:36:45 -0700

“Web 2.0” has transformed our culture into a crowd of mediocrity without a voice.

By Andrew Keen, author of The Cult of the Amateur: How the Internet is killing our culture. This is an excerpt of Keen’s article that appears in the Summer edition of the AO Blogozine.

[...]

Web Discovery: The Next Frontier

Stanford Summit — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 23:58:29 -0700

or, how to find what you didn't know you were looking for
by James Joaquin

With today’s consumers gaining access to a near infinite amount of music, movies, products, and information via the web, traditional Internet search and navigation methods are breaking down—and what’s emerging in their place is a new breed of web services.[...]

Magnify.net

noah.gellman — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 08:47:17 -0700

Today we find ourselves in a YouTube-propelled world of video that is enabled by ever-more prolific broadband capability and access. The user – or for the purposes of this article, consumer – is quickly coming to expect a video offering on the sites he or she visits. At present, three concepts are converging which suggest that we are only at the tip of the iceberg when conceptualizing the opportunity provided by video on the net.[...]

The 2007 AO 100 Top Companies

Stanford Summit — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 08:50:12 -0700

The pace of change in the tech sector is accelerating. This year's AO 100 list of the hottest private companies includes a big batch of young innovators paving the way in emerging markets.

(Looking for the Stanford Summit Webcast archives? Click Here)

by Packy Kelley

[...]

Handicapping 2008

Tony Perkins — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 13:48:19 -0700

Americans want to move beyond the juvenile bickering and backstabbing that characterized the Clinton/Bush political era. The next president will be independent, competent, and ready (and willing) to stand-up to terrorists.

Before we engage in Presidential politics, allow me first to extend an invitation.

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Ticket Scalpers Redux

Ezra Roizen — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 17:30:40 -0700

Viagogo brings efficiency to the European event ticket market.

A man’s character can often be revealed by the fantasy football trades he proposes. For several years, I had a competitive, albeit respectful, relationship with a man whose pseudonym and fantasy team name was “Los Angeles Ticket Scalpers.” I suspect he might have had similar respect for “Nasdaq 5000”—my handle at the time.

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FCC Rocks the Airwaves

AO — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 08:39:12 -0700

There’s much to like about the FCC’s draft rules for the coming auction of valuable radio spectrum. The rules designate some of the spectrum for an open nationwide network, deliberately out of the reach of the telecom stranglehold.

FCC’s Chairman Kevin Martin said in an interview Monday that "whoever wins this spectrum has to provide … truly open broadband[...]

Irish Promise Energy Breakthrough

AO — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 06:45:45 -0700

The Irish company Steorn is hyping a technology it calls Orbo that supposedly defies the law of conservation of energy. The makers say they can use magnetic energy to create clean energy essentially from nothing. That much is almost certainly a hoax, but it's a claim that may rise a few VC eyebrows. From their press release:

Orbo produces free, clean and constant energy - that is our claim.[...]

Clipsyndicate, Tremor Team Up

AlwaysOn — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 06:33:06 -0700

Tremor Media, one of the leading online video ad networks, and ClipSyndicate, which syndicates professional video content to web publishers, will announce a partnership today to bring Clipsyndicate’s content into the Tremor network. Both companies made our AO Media 100 list this year.

The deal could be good news for a lot of web publishers. Tremor has an impressive library[...]

Announcing AO's Bubble Watch List

AlwaysOn — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 18:11:23 -0700

Call to action: Join in the fun!

As our loyal members know, AlwaysOn is known for its top private company lists. To date, we have produced the OnMedia 100 (top digital media, marketing, and advertising companies), OnHollywood 100 (top digital entertainment companies), and our venerable AO 100 list (our overall top 100 list

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AO's New President & COO

AlwaysOn — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 15:19:10 -0700

AlwaysOn Taps Hollywood Reporter Executive as New President and COO.

Marc Sternberg joins AlwaysOn founder and editor Tony Perkins to help take the innovative media brand “truly global”

Silicon Valley, California – June 20th 2007 – AlwaysOn , the leading media brand covering the innovation-driven business markets,[...]

Facebook Opens the Flood Gates

AO — Fri, 25 May 2007 06:38:12 -0700

In a much-anticipated move, Facebook open up its platform to third-party applications last night, in an attempt to become the all-purpose social network.

David Kirkpatrick of Fortune gives the best apologia for the hype. Some of the most interesting analysis is happening in the TechCrunch comments section. Steve Spalding writes:
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Delivery Agent Makes Product Placement Ubiquitous

noah.gellman — Thu, 24 May 2007 17:14:43 -0700

Have you ever been watching TV and seen a jacket, chair, or kitchen appliance you’d like to buy but don't know how? Delivery Agent’s SeenON network of sites gives consumers access to product information from TV shows. SeenON closes the monetization loop, letting consumers instantly purchase the items seen within television content.

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Big Music Offers Webcasters a Truce

AO — Wed, 23 May 2007 06:23:40 -0700

SoundExchange

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Google Losing the Fair-Use War?

AO — Mon, 21 May 2007 06:48:59 -0700

According to the Scotland Herald, Google has struck a deal with several large UK news groups to license their content for use on Google News.

If true, Google is keeping the arrangement secret for fear that it may eventually have to fork over licensing fees to some of the 4500 other news companies it carries on the aggregation site.

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David de Rothschild Gets Green

GoingGreen — Tue, 15 May 2007 21:23:53 -0700

As venture capitalists delve into green technology, some long-time environmentalists are gaining more traction.
In Davos this year, David de Rothschild told AlwaysOn's Tony Perkins about his "Adventure Ecology" project, an online venture that educated kids about environmental issues by giving them control over real-life adventures.[...]

Picture Marketing Draws Event Attendees Online

noah.gellman — Wed, 16 May 2007 15:15:35 -0700

Picture Marketing is looking to build a new kind of bridge to turn offline sales leads into online customers. Companies that spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on convention and conference booth space need to bring the potential customers they met and connected with face-to-face into their online world. Picture Marketing is taking participants' photos and turning them into mini advertising campaigns.

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Stanford Summit 2007 Program

Stanford Summit — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 06:13:16 -0700

Meet the New Captains of Innovation

Check out all the action from the Stanford Summit on our Webcast Archives.

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The AO 100 - Open for Nominations

Stanford Summit — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 08:55:33 -0700

AlwaysOn and KPMG have officially kicked off this year’s AO100 competition. We're looking for the top emerging companies that are creating new business opportunities in globaltech. This includes private companies that are demonstrating significant market traction and pursuing game-changing technology in the following sectors:

Consumer and Entertainment
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Perfect Startup Aerodynamics

Ezra Roizen — Fri, 18 May 2007 12:33:51 -0700

Oversee.net holds a clinic on how to start an Internet company.

The startup game is often one of aerodynamics and drag. The number of factors working against a new company is almost infinite, and most companies are unable to ever really achieve lift-off. Beating “startup drag” takes nearly perfect aerodynamics: a beautifully designed product, brilliant marketing, financial acumen, the

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Making Bucks in Hollywood

Tony Perkins — Wed, 16 May 2007 15:17:07 -0700

Digital entertainment is closing the gap between Silicon Valley and Hollywood, and their divergent business practices.

When you want to uncover the economic incentives driving Silicon Valley technology, ask a venture capitalist. If you want to know how the money flows in Hollywood, ask a talent agent.

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Hollywood It List, Part 3

OnHollywood — Thu, 10 May 2007 13:39:26 -0700

Twelve entertainment execs who get the new new tech thing
This is the third installment of our inaugural “Hollywood IT list” of proven and up-and-coming entertainment execs who really “get” technology. View the first four winners here, and the second batch here.

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Bottom Line on the Long Tail (2)

OnHollywood — Thu, 10 May 2007 15:49:32 -0700

CIBC banker Lex Miron runs the numbers on Chris Anderson’s theory. Will the collective bulk of interactive media companies in the long tail outweigh the old media head?

This is the second half of Lex Miron’s article, which appears in full in the Spring Edition of the AO Magazine.[...]

Hollywood It List, Part 2

OnHollywood — Thu, 10 May 2007 13:38:46 -0700

Twelve entertainment execs who get the new new tech thing
This is the second installment of our inaugural “Hollywood IT list” of proven and up-and-coming entertainment execs who really “get” technology. View the first four winners here.

To select them, we solicited nominations from talent agencies, technology insiders, and media watchers.[...]

Pew Survey Pessimism

AO — Tue, 08 May 2007 06:51:54 -0700

There’s a lot of “summing up” going on, thanks to the recently released Pew Survey on Adult Internet Use (.pdf). A gaping blind spot has led to general depression.

The consensus is that Web 2.0 is not as pervasive as previously thought, With *only* 37% of American adults having uploaded media at least once.[...]

The Bottom Line on the Long Tail

OnHollywood — Tue, 08 May 2007 09:19:32 -0700

CIBC banker Lex Miron runs the numbers on Chris Anderson’s theory. Will the collective bulk of interactive media companies in the long tail outweigh the old media head?

This post is an excerpt of Lex Miron’s article, which appears in full in the Spring Edition of the AO Magazine.[...]

The Hollywood It List

OnHollywood — Thu, 10 May 2007 13:38:29 -0700

Twelve entertainment execs who get the new new tech thing
With our first “Hollywood IT list,” AlwaysOn highlights both proven and up-and-coming entertainment executives who really “get” technology. To select them, we solicited nominations from talent agencies, technology insiders, and media watchers.[...]

If We Lose, We Die Trying

AO — Fri, 11 May 2007 11:26:44 -0700

Digg founder Kevin Rose explained his decision to allow posts containing an HD DVD security code during his appearance at OnHollywood. Rose spoke just a few hours after a user rebellion erupted, prompting him to reverse his earlier decision to pull a security code that aids DVD piracy. We thought it was pretty gutsy of Rose to appear in the midst of the front-page controversy and after an all-night discussion with the Digg team about how to deal with the media storm.
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Why I Invested in Arianna

OnHollywood — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 15:29:31 -0700

The Huffington Post broke all the (traditional media) rules and attracted a key investment from SoftBank Capital. Managing Partner Eric Hippeau explains the thinking behind the investment.

Hippeau recently sat down with AlwaysOn to share his secrets on how "voice" is the key when funding a successful Internet media venture.[...]

2007 OnHollywood 100

OnHollywood — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 09:54:36 -0700

We proudly present this year’s OnHollywood 100. With this list of top private companies, AlwaysOn’s editors and our panel of industry experts introduce a new generation of game-changing players in the digital entertainment space.

These 100 companies have emerged in an exciting year in the world of digital content and entertainment.[...]

Carson Daly Gets It!

OnHollywood — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 15:29:58 -0700

Former MTV VJ and current late night host says start your own network.

Carson Daly has teamed up with former MySpace Chairman Richard Rosenblatt on a new project called dotTV that will allow consumers to create their own online TV channel. (The boys will be premiering dotTV at AlwaysOn’s OnHollywood event starting tonight at the Roosevelt Hotel - tune into the webcast[...]

Enterprise 2.0

AlwaysOn — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 18:41:19 -0700

The generation that has grown up interacting on the net will soon bring consumer Web 2.0 functionality to enterprise and mainstream media, Tony Perkins predicted at the 9th annual Top 10 Tech Trends Debate sponsored by the Churchill Club. Bosses, prepare to get Facebooked.

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Pando: FedEx for Filesharing

noah.gellman — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 18:07:57 -0700

Many entrepreneurs invent products because they run into a problem and set out to fix it. Pando was born out of just such a situation. Filesharing via e-mail, IM and FTP isn't known for its speed, and often, larger files can't be moved at all. Pando's consumer application lets online users send files up to 1GB (50GB for premium users) via e-mail, IM, and Skype 3.0 as well as post original content to Web sites and blogs.

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Active Media Overtaking Passive - Advertisers Beware

AlwaysOn — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 07:16:51 -0700

Consumers are increasingly choosing active over passive media, Roger McNamee observed last month at the Churchill Club. This is bad news for the traditional media companies, good news for consumers, and a wake-up call for advertisers, who will have to profoundly re-engineer their business. His prediction was number 6 of the night at the annual Top 10 Tech Trends Debate.

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Top 10 Trends #5: 3 European Countries Leave the G7

AlwaysOn — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 15:36:10 -0700

Western Europe is ceding its economic power to countries like Brazil, India and Russia, Joe Schoendorf said at the Churchill Club's annual Top Ten Tech Trends Debate. Within 5-10 years only one of the four European countries currently in the G7 will remain there, and it'll probably be the UK, he said.

Schoendorff also related some advice he gave German's Chanceller Angela Merkel earlier this year[...]

Top 10 Tech Trends #4: Moore's Law Splits & Continues

AlwaysOn — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 16:49:09 -0700

Rumor has it that advances in computing power have run up against the physical limits of space. But fear not, said Steve Jurvetson at the Churchill Club's 9th annual Top 10 Tech Trends Debate. Moore's Law will march on, but with a new twist: advances in memory will supercede those in logic. This will flip the priorities the chip industry has had for the last 20 years, and allow Moore's Law to continue.
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Top Ten Trends #3: The Consumer Web 2.0 Shakeout

AlwaysOn — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 21:42:16 -0700

Are the days of bubbly YouTube clones coming to an end? Will there be a shakeout of consumer Web 2.0 companies in 2007? In the third prediction of the annual Top Ten Tech Trends debate hosted by the Churchill Club, Tony Perkins paints a dark picture for Web 2.0 funding in 2007. The panelists, however, add a bold silver lining to Perkins' grey cloud. Check out the video below for the full prognosis.
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Top Ten Trends: #2 New Broadband Network

AlwaysOn — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 16:56:40 -0700

John Doerr asserted the FCC will approve at least one new broadband network in the next year, wresting broadband power from the current duopoly of cable and telephone companies. His prediction was the second of the night at the Churchill Club's ninth annual Top Ten Tech Trends Debate.

Doerr was not shy about the impact of this imminent approval: “It could be the single most important thing[...]

Top Ten Trends: #1 Mobile Fragmentation

AlwaysOn — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 09:27:30 -0700

Will the iPhone usher in an age of the all-purpose mobile device? Not even close, says Roger McNamee in his opening prediction at the 9th annual Churchill Club Top Ten Tech Trends. McNamee holds that the mobile market will see increasing fragmentation, requiring more belt space for a myriad of single-purpose devices. While the high-powered panel couldn't resist it's penchant for controversy, an[...]

Google Dishes Up Satellite Ads

AO — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 07:48:23 -0700

In its latest effort to expand its advertising empire, Google has cut a deal to sell and select some of the ad spots seen by EchoStar's 13.1 million satellite TV subscribers. EchoStar (owner of the Dish Network) is the second-biggest US satellite TV service behind DirectTV.

Yahoo! reports:

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OnHollywood Top 100 Companies

OnHollywood — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 15:30:07 -0700

Final Call for Nominations
Below are the finalists AlwaysOn has selected so far for the OnHollywood Top 100 Companies competition. There is still time for last-minute changes, so if you have any names to add or see any companies you think don't belong, be sure to contact Ryan Brenner at [...]

Blogger Cancels Keynote After Death Threat

AO — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 08:08:20 -0700

The blogosphere is often about keeping big media, politicians and companies in check. Now one of its most successful voices has called the blogosphere itself to task.

Kathy Sierra writes a painfully candid post about threats of death and sexual violence – coming from slam sites owned by big names – that caused her to cancel her keynote at ETech. It’s a gut-wrenching call to accountability.
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MotionBox=YouTube on Red Bull

noahgellman — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 16:39:12 -0700

The YouTubes of the world are great places to upload video for the world to watch, but they're not the greatest places for sharing and playing with video. Motionbox takes the basic premise of video file-sharing and mashes it up with great editing and tagging features. After uploading the full video file to its servers, Motionbox transcodes it to Flash to reduce file size and standardize viewing.

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TV Network Deal to Clear the Copyright Air

AO — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 01:09:59 -0700

NBC Universal and News Corp. made their much-anticipated announcement yesterday. The new aggravatingly nameless joint venture will showcase content from the two networks, and as many other big networks as the partners can attract (Viacom spoke positively about the project, but hasn't joined). It's slated to launch this summer.

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Meet the Mayor

AlwaysOn — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 11:44:03 -0700

What does Gavin Newsom actually accomplish at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland? This winter, the San Francisco Mayor told AlwaysOn's Tony Perkins how his Davos schmoozing has affected the city's development, from free Google Wifi to the "the most sustainable development in the history of America."

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News Corp., NBC Universal to Announce YouTube Rival

AO — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 08:06:56 -0700

News Corp. and NBC Universal may announce plans for a new video distribution platform as early as today. the L.A. Times reports:

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Lawrence Lessig on Copyright Chaos

AO — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 08:14:45 -0700

The New York Times is carrying an op-ed by Stanford professor Lawrence Lessig about the role of the Supreme Court in copyright law, in light of Viacom’s suit against Google.

Lessig fears that Viacom may exploit a new precedence for judicial policy making. Up until two years ago, the court had deferred to Congress to decide how to bring copyright up-to-date with new technology.[...]

Google Reverses Privacy Policy

AO — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 00:15:01 -0700

Google announced yesterday that it is changing its data retention practices to better protect the privacy of its users. It plans to anonymize its server logs after 18-24 months, reversing a long-standing policy to retain all the data on its users indefinitely.

While most privacy advocates responded with moderate approval, many are as unimpressed as Jack Schofield of the Guardian Unlimited:
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The Other Adbuy: Brand Building

OnMedia — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 23:39:12 -0700

Since keyword search isn't the only online activity that is available to advertisers, there are open questions about whether--and for how much longer--it will keep the dominant share of all online advertising. At AO Media in New York last month, we brought together several execs who think they know, and tackled questions about branding, ROI, and the growth of alternative means to advertise.
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