Text Link Ads Inc Acquired By MediaWhiz!

Breaking: We just discovered that Text Link Ads Inc got acquired By MediaWhiz!. Deal terms were not disclosed but the team seems to be moving from Cincinnati, OH to New York. The first reactions as captured from the blogs around are mixed. Would anyone tell us the deal price / value anything?

Google tries the print ads market for fourth time

Today, Google announced its fourth time at the print bat. The print ads market seems pretty attractive to be further pursued and it appears that Google is attracted by the $48 billion spent every year in the United States on newspaper advertising.

"As with many of our products, we constantly test different models and features to ensure we are providing the best experience possible. We incorporate learnings from each test into the core product and are following the same model with our offline print ads tests." said Google spokesperson, Michael Mayzel.

Although Google is dubbing its latest effort at bringing the Google “targeted, measurable advertising” magic to the world of offline print advertising, it is actually Google’s fourth time at bat.

The Washington Post cited Richard Holden, product director, Google AdWords, last month:
Google tried three ways to make its magazine and newspaper advertising efforts work.

More on the topic:

• Google failing to snag $116 billion print, radio, television ad markets
• Why Google can't make it in the "real world"

The original story

Daum Communications seeks ties with Google

South Korea's second-largest Internet portal, says it is in talks with the world's top Internet search portal Google about possible business links.

Daum said Google or another US portal could be its business partner in the on-line PPC (pay per click) advertising market.

"We are in talks with Google and another US company on establishing ties in the PPC market. Our partner could be decided by the end of this year," a Daum official told AFP.

Daum president Lee Jae-Woong said his company would keep its door open for mergers with other companies but nothing was on the cards at present.

"There are no ongoing talks about mergers or acquisitions with other firms, although we always keep open our door for such deals," Lee told reporters.

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Topix.net Raises $15m More

News search engine Topix.net has announced that has taken $15 million in additional funding from three large media companies, Tribune, Gannett and McClatchy. The company raised a round about 18 months ago for an undisclosed sum that was only said to be under $5 million. That funding came from Tribune, Gannet and Knight-Ridder, who have since been acquired by McClatchy.

Topix brings a long list of features to news search and focuses on local information.
The company was started by several founders of the DMOZ directory. The company says that it is currently experiencing substantial growth, something that traffic analysts Hitwise confirm. Hitwise reported in September that Topix’s market share in online news had grown 24% in one month since an August relaunch, that the site gets more traffic than the LA Times and the NY Post; Topix visitors were unusually weighted towards states like Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and North Carolina and its users were 29% more likely to be over the age of 55 than the average Internet user.

Full story...

Who is the best CEO, ZDNet asks

DNet asked in their blog who of the 3 CEOs Google's, Yahoo's or Microsoft's is the best CEO....

Eric Schmidt, CEO, is Google's biggest cheerleader. Terry Semel, CEO, is Yahoo's biggest defender. Steve Ballmer, CEO, is Microsoft's indefatigable champion.

Which CEO reigns supreme?

Eric Schmidt recently was inducted as a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE):

Members are elected to NAE membership by their peers (current NAE members). Election to membership is one of the highest professional honors accorded an engineer. Members have distinguished themselves in business and academic management, in technical positions, as university faculty, and as leaders in government and private engineering organizations.

You can also go and vote there...