Social network membership is growing among Americans, according to a recent Forrester Research study. The most rapid growth has occurred among consumers 35 and older; however, all ages and demographics use social networking sites regularly.

Business-to-business marketer Janus Capital Group launched a Web site last month as part of a digital strategy to reach customers and prospects one-to-one.

In a crowded online retail market, Web analytics have become essential. But visitor counts alone aren't cutting it anymore for e-commerce firms looking to provide ultra-personalized shopping experiences.

More brands are looking to add the mobile channel to build relationships and be a part of the CRM mix.

E-books still represent a small percentage of overall online book sales. But this could soon change, thanks to several recent and upcoming developments in this category. In a new report, How Big Is the Reader Opportunity, Forrester Research forecasts that the US market for e-readers will rise from 1 million to 2 million users in 2009.

On May 26, Nokia launched its Ovi Store, an online software and content repository, to an estimated 50 million Nokia device owners worldwide.

Following Apple's announcement of 1 billion iPhone app downloads in just nine months, Compete released its quarterly Smartphone Intelligence report, indicating 28% of smartphone users have spent $5 to $50 on a mobile application. These early signs of ancillary revenue have marketers asking what it takes to build a successful mobile application — and what the price is.

Analytics can play a key role in optimizing any campaign, and for brands Channel 4 and HowStuffWorks, tying analytics to their ad network buys is a new way that both publishers are optimizing their display ad campaigns. Earlier this month, data services firm Omniture and ad network 24/7 Real Media formed a strategic partnership with these and other publishers to track visitor site behavior and tie this information into their display ads.

With last week's announcement that Owen Van Natta, a Facebook alum, would replace Chris DeWolfe as CEO of MySpace, the social networking giant still finds itself quickly losing more friends to Facebook.

Over the past decade, self-publishing platforms, such as blogs and YouTube, have made it significantly easier for a market­ing manager to both craft the message and press "send."