WebProWorld

Time spent on social networking and blogging sites accounted for 17 percent of all time spent on the Internet in August 2009, according to a new report from Nielsen.
"This growth suggests a wholesale change in the way the Internet is used," said Jon Gibs, vice president, media and agency insights, Nielsen’s online division.
"While video and text content remain central to the Web experience – the desire of online consumers to connect, communicate and share is increasingly driving the medium’s growth."

Google released an early version of the Google Chrome Frame today. This is a plug-in for Internet Explorer, which lets the browser use HTML5 and…Google Wave (starting next week when the product’s preview is extended).

Have you ever seen what a flooded amusement park looks like? It’s quite a sight, and the web is getting a look as news of Atlanta, Georgia’s Six Flags park being under water buzzes around the web.

Videos have been posted to YouTube, Tweets are rolling in, and "six flags under water" is currently number one on Google’s Hot Trends list. Here’s a clip:

The majority of marketers are using multichannel campaigns, but less than half know what channels their customers prefer, according to a new study by Forrester Consulting, sponsored by ExactTarget.
The study found the key to selecting the best channels for customer communication is to know something about customer preference and behaviors. Only 32 percent of marketers know how customers behave across channels and only 37 percent know what channels their customers prefer to use.

Symantec’s MessageLabs revealed a list of the most spammed states in the US today, with some somewhat surprising results. And the award for state that receives the most spam is…Idaho.

It is an interesting time for email marketing right now. Though it is still a quite effective medium for marketers, there are many challenges to deal with. This was the subject of a session moderated by David Daniels of Forrester Research at the Shop.org summit in Las Vegas this week.

Fox Mobile Studios is launching "Brainstorm," an eight-episode comedy series for viewing on mobile and online.
The Brainstorm series revolves around Altoids mints and is Fox Mobile’s first entry into branded entertainment.
"We feel very fortunate to have partnered with Altoids, a brand that has an innovative history of challenging conventional thought and behavior, to achieve this milestone," said Michael Wallen, vice president and creative director for Fox Mobile Studios.

Search guru Danny Sullivan got an early scoop on a new Google Product that wasn’t supposed to be announced until later today. Its called the Sidewiki, and is a feature of the Google Toolbar. What it does is allow users to comment on any page on the web. These comments can only be viewed by others who have the toolbar/sidewiki installed.

For the second year in a row, ARAnet has shared survey results about the news consumption habits of Americans. This year’s survey found that Americans are increasingly turning to online sources, as well as radio for their news, while going less to daily newspapers and television.

Knowing what online shoppers expect when visiting an ecommerce site is just one part of the puzzle. Online retailers need to offer consumers a variety of useful features to build loyalty and get conversions.