Media

A story out of Boulder, Colo., today might be of particular interest to those who meet people through social networking sites, or at least their parents in the case of young MySpace users.

Six men were arrested in connection with the rape and robbery of a woman who they had become acquainted with through MySpace, authorities told The Associated Press. The group met for a party that turned violent, with blood left in almost every room and some $40,000 in electronics, jewelry, clothing and other items taken, the story said.

Detectives used profiles on MySpace to identify the men, … Read more

According to the Associated Press, "Spam King" and online drugstore operator Christopher William Smith, aka Rizler, was caught conspiring by phone from his jail cell to have a prosecution witness killed, as he awaits trial on charges of illegally selling prescription drugs over the Internet and phone.

Smith was indicted this week on one count of conspiracy to tamper with a witness and one count of endeavoring to obstruct justice, the AP said.

The AP reported that the indictment says Smith's phone call to an acquaintance from inside a jail in Elk River, Minn., was recorded by … Read more

Video effects by Logitech, the digital toolmaker, are receiving a viral marketing boost from YouTube.com and a quirky home movie produced by a 17-year-old.

"Breakup" was the third most-watched clip Wednesday on video-upload site YouTube, one of the Internet's fastest growing Web sites. The 75-second clip, which has generated more than 100,000 page views in two days, is little more than a young girl discussing a recent breakup with her boyfriend.

As "Bowiechick," a YouTube username, frets over the relationship, she alters her on-screen appearance with a click of a button. One minute, … Read more

Want to know which sexy celebrity was eating at that trendy new cafe in uptown New York this week? How about which too-thin model barked at her personal assistant in public for no apparent reason? The answer to these and life's other important questions can be found at Gawker Stalker.

The site has first-person accounts of celebrity sightings, complete with the where and the when, alongside an interactive Google map of Manhattan. Using hybrid software that combines content from more than one source, the site, or mashup, has the exact locations of the sightings and balloons with more data. … Read more

A new study shows that most people who use Web searches to look for products end up purchasing them offline. The study, set to be released on Tuesday, was sponsored by Google and conducted by ComScore Networks. It shows that 25 percent of Web searchers purchased an item directly related to their query. Within that group, 37 percent completed the purchase online, and 63 percent bought the item offline.

The study looked at the impact of Web search on consumers' holiday-related purchases, excluding comparison shopping sites. It reflects the searching behavior of 83 million Americans who conducted more than 552 … Read more

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day, Smiley Central, a free-smileys Web site, has announced the release of its Irish-themed Talking Smileys, along with a list of the top 10 ways to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. The list features an animated St. Patrick's Day themed animated GIF image to go along with each suggestion.

Here, Smiley Central's top 10 list:

2. Lift a glass to your lass.

3. Smooch a stranger.

4. Consume an oddly colored beverage.

5. Get jiggy with it.

6. Crack yourself up.

7. Green … Read more

Blogs are burning up with rumors about a pending return of America Online's Netscape.com.

The Web home of the Net's one-time leading browser is going to re-emerge as a technology news site modeled on Digg, according to PaidContent.org and Valleywag.com.

Spokesmen for AOL declined to comment.

The revamped Netscape.com is to be led by Jason Calacanis, the CEO of Weblogs, a blog publisher acquired by AOL last October, according to PaidContent.

The large following Netscape.com once drew, mostly fans of the Netscape browser, prompted Dulles, Va.,-based AOL to try and fold the site … Read more

Federated Media, a blog network started by John Battelle, founder of The Industry Standard and Wired, said Wednesday it closed a Series A round of financing led by JP Morgan Partners (JPMP)

The amount of the investment was not disclosed. But JPMP was joined in the funding round by several of FM's original investors, including The New York Times, the Omidyar Network and Mitch Kapor. JPMP partner Chris Albinson also joined FM's board.

FM essentially brings together many well-known blogs and provides backend services such as advertising sales. Blogs in the network include BoingBoing.net, Digg.com, Fark.… Read more

CARLSBAD, Calif.--Pay-per-click advertising has caused Google's ad revenue to explode, but it's also meant a mad rush for URLs, Stratton Sclavos, CEO of VeriSign, said at PC Forum, a conference taking place here.

A little while ago, there were only about 450,000 new requests a week. Now it's 7 million. A substantial portion of these URLs are essentially abandoned after five days or so, Sclavos said. The idea is that these URLs will crop up on searches and allow the owner to nab a portion of ad revenue.