July 9, 2004 9:21 AM PDT
Bubble trouble writing on the wall?
Spending on marketing is still well below levels of the dot-com heyday, but there have been a few too many signs of 1999 all over again. The latest harbinger is a press release from a start-up saying it has bought a billboard along the "commute-intensive, Highway 101 corridor through Silicon Valley". TenFold CEO Nancy Harvey defends herself by noting that few people have heard of her company.
"It's time for us to change that," Harvey said. "It's time to get the message out that TenFold's technology exists. What more promising place is there to generate a little awareness and some interest than among the technology entrepreneurs and giants of Silicon Valley?"
Perhaps in this space.
During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina. 
