Microsoft Exec Thinks DoubleClick Buy Is Risky

That Microsoft is thinking of acquiring online advertising company DoubleClick has been the gently vibrating buzz all week. A Microsoft executive, though, says a deal is unlikely.

The buzz seems likely generated by the PR machine, for as soon as I heard about it from a surprising tipster, everybody else seemed to have heard about it as well, bloggers and reporters alike. Let the speculation begin: nothing like a little buzz to justify a $2 billion asking price.

.XXX Rejected by ICANN

The ICANN board voted to reject the application for assignment of the .xxx top-level domain by a vote of 9 to 5, with 1 abstaining. Today’s decision brings to an end the current round of domain name proposals that began back in 2004.

Porn site owners will now be able to rest easy knowing that they won’t have to let go of their .com domains anytime soon. Likewise, opposition from the religious realm proclaims victory in their efforts to thwart the mainstream appeal of pornography across the Internet.

Yelp Poised for Breakout?

Yelp has been the most-watched company in the seemingly-narrow but fast-growing niche of user-generated content specifically with regard to bars, restaurants, and clubs, and "youth" oriented hotspots and retail. For them, it’s beginning to expand to the point where they’re a bit of a social community and a "go-to" site if you’re looking for local review content.

Celebrity Sites More Popular Than Ever

Celebrity news sites remain more popular than ever as the public’s fascination with the latest gossip continues to see growth. Nielsen//NetRatings select sample of 19-celebrity gossip Web sites finds that audience growth increased 40 percent year over year in February.
While gossip sites are seeing more traffic, visitors are also devouring more content with total Web page views increasing 108 percent during the same time period.

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