As the latest in a series of steps that has changed the use of video and long-form footage online, Google opened YouTube up to search ads last week, allowing advertisers to tie their com­mercials to specific words entered into YouTube's search box.

Lotame has released its Time Spent technology, which is part of its Crowd Control advertising platform. This technology allows companies to track how much time consumers spend in front of and engaged with advertisements on social networking sites such as Bebo, Flixter, Meez and Fotolog.

Entercom Communications Corporation, a US-based radio broadcasting group, has tapped SplashCast, an emerging media content syndication service, for its social network marketing efforts. SplashCast microchannels, which are virtual, interactive, embeddable TVs, will be available on the Web sites of 70 of Entercom's radio stations.

Innovative Interactive, the parent company of 360i and SearchIgnite, has acquired Netmining NV, a provider of landing page and on-site behavioral optimization technology.

Marketers' two big weapons have been judged very differently. Brand market­ing — managing consumer perception — has been gauged by studies that measure brand health. Direct marketing — moving consum­ers to purchase — has been judged by sales response.

T-Mobile USA has partnered with AOL's Platform-A to create a new Web advertising campaign promoting the new Google Android phone today and tomorrow.

Razorfish's Baehr discusses the accountability of online

I've overheard a number of my colleagues whining over the lack of Internet media spending, given that 80% of the population is on the Web and spend considerable time there. According to Forrester Research, 9.5 hours are spent online while 12.7 hours are spent watching television.

Prospective college students no longer have to visit campuses, thanks to a new video Web site that brings the schools to them through downloadable videos. CollegeClickTV.com was created by Pere Partnership agency head Glenn Pere. So far, the site has more than 30,000 professionally produced videos for more than 200 universities, including Pennsylvania State University and the University of Colorado.

Google has pulled out of its proposed advertising services agreement with Yahoo, which would have enabled Yahoo to use Google-provided ads on its Web sites and partner sites.