Still more from Always On: Advertising and Services

Somebody's got to help all these Web 2.0 darlings make a few bucks. Here at the Always On Stanford Summit, several advertising and service companies pitched concepts to help companies make money, or save it through more efficient operations.

• Spiceworks is a network monitoring product. It looks like Network Magic, in that it automatically detects what's on your network. Except it's built for business, not home. What's interesting about this IT product: It's free, supported by sponsors and advertisers. I have to try this.
• Baynote is a service that monitors what users do on sites, and applies trendy social science theories to help site operators improve "conversion rate," which is code for getting people to do what you want them to -- buy things, read stories, show relevant ads, etc. See full writeup.
• Ad It Last is billed as the "Travelocity for advertising." It's a system designed to snap up "distressed" inventory -- programs that are unsold and timely. Unlike Google ads, Ad It Last buyers know exactly what they are buying and where their programs will run. This Australian company is hoping to offer its services in the U.S. soon.
• Aleric delivers high-definition media. Here at the conference, they are pitching new channels: ChocolaTV, an educational wiki with video, and Kablu, a high-definition streaming service. "There's no need to copy or download anymore," the CEO says. He must never have used a laptop. This looks like a competitor to Joost (although Joost is not HD), and the company has partnership deals with several content providers, the CEO said.