MySpace is targeting small business with this week’s release of MyAds a low-cost do-it-yourself advertising tool. MyAds allows small businesses to target the social networking giants 122 million users worldwide.

Users of MyAds will be able to create their own banner ads to display in targeted marketing campaigns ranging in price from $25 to $10,000 dollars.

Ads will be targeted at MySpace viewers based on the selected target audience of your choice, markets are segmented based on age, sex, location and the expressed interests of MySpace users.

MyAds provides a simple process, you design your ads using pre-made templates, select the campaigns target audiences, designate a budget, and plan a display schedule and you are done. You can then track the performance of your campaign on MyAds using real time-analytics.

So what does this mean for small businesses?

Jeff Berman, president of sales and marketing at MySpace feels that “MySpace MyAds is a direct marketer’s dream-providing entrepreneurs with the most accessible, personalized, and targeted advertising toolkit in the market,”

MySpace is a very tantalizing advertising platform that will give small business the ability to connect with specific niche markets easily and effectively. MyAds could make a good addition to your current on-line marketing mix.

MySpace MyAds

Tags: MyAds, MySpace, On-line Media.

Throughout our daily grind we all feel a bit struck for creativity. We long for those ethereal moments of clarity when creativity pours like a fountain of great ideas. The rest of the time we fight and work to conjure up the mere taste of a unique and unconfined idea.

Scientist have developed and are now testing a “thinking cap” that might be the key to unlocking the repressed creative genius with in all of us.

The device is a hairnet like cap that uses tiny magnetic pulses to change the way the brain functions. Wearing the cap for just a few minutes has been shown to improve artistic ability and proof-reading skills.

The theory is that the cap uses transcranial magnetic stimulation to suppress the left side of the brain, the side that is generally associated with whole ideas and logic. This temporarily allows details from the right side of the brain our creative side, to flow unfiltered into our direct consciousness allowing us to tap our inner creativity. The effects of this stimulation and the heightened state of creativity that comes with it only lasts for about an hour.

Renowned Researcher and Professor Allan Snyder believes the experiments show we all have hidden talents, we just have trouble tapping into them.

Imagine if every office had a few thinking caps lying around even the left-brain dominant analytical types would be thinking out of the box. Of course we don’t have thinking caps yet but this article reminds us that we need to on occasion look past logic in the hopes of basking in the inner creativity that lives within all of us. 

Tags: Creativity, Thinking Cap.

Recent negotiations between Yahoo and Goggle have lead to a pending partnership. Yahoo will now host Google adwords within its own search engine.

Yahoo will continue to display its own paid search advertisements right next to Google’s ads. An interesting juxtaposition that is sure to cause some initial confusion.

A statement released by Yahoo estimates that the union would bring in an additional $800 million in ad revenue annually. Google and Yahoo will share the revenue generated from the partnership, which is estimated to produce $250 million to $450 million in operating cash flow for Yahoo in year one.

This partnership is sure to increase Google’s preeminence in the search advertising market while increasing the reach of Google’s brand. Google already has a similar ad agreement with AOL and Ask.com.

A Yahoo/Google ad merger has some interesting implications for search marketers. The reach of Google adwords will be greatly increased and the possibilities for reaching new market segments all in one application is a nice benefit, but all of this is going to come with a cost. The pay per click and pay per impression cost of ads will increase due to the rising demand for Google’s ad services.

This move comes at an opportune time for both companies. With the current financial crisis and rapidly declining stock values both companies are sure to benefit from the increased cash flow. But this move is especially important for Yahoo because it will help Yahoo retain their current customer base and help revive the declining usage of Yahoo’s SERP (search engine results page) and allow them to survive in the market place with out a Microsoft buyout.

Anti-trust concerns have been waged. However, most analysts contend that the deal will withstand regulatory inspection. Until committee approval is reached Yahoo and Google have voluntarily delayed the agreement.

I guess in the end sharing is caring. 

Tags: Adwords, Google, Merger, search marketing, Yahoo.

Here are two designs that I came across that are perfectly suited and inspired to complement your Apple computer and accessories.

The Milk Desk

The perfect desks to complement you’re simplistic, functional, creative personality. This desk is clean and clever with a minimal sturdy look that is packed full of I wish I would have thought of that design features.

The Milk desk has built in organizers designed to hide away all of your lose, messy cables in a simple manner. There are four cubic boxes that sit flush with the table where you can stash away all of your office nick knacks. The best features are the cubic fish tank that fits perfectly into the desk what a nice way to add some life to your office.

The desk measures 55.12x 31.49 inches with a massive aluminum footing and electric controlled height adjustability.

http://www.milk.dk/

The D/A Organic Clock

Although this clock is just a prototype I am sure a consumer version is in production. The D/A clock was designed by RISD design student Alvin Aronson. The clock features a cool digital meets analog face that looks like a LCD but is made up computer cut inlays that constantly fall in and out of the face.

 It is a very nice update on the classic power of a good clock and a perfect complement to your Apple computer. Having this clock in your presence just might inspire your next great idea. Once again style, function and simplicity makes the best designs.

http://www.alvinaronson.com/

Tags: Accessories, Apple, Office.

When this month’s issue of Esquire arrived in my mailbox the cover didn’t Immediately grab my attention, it felt like a predictable modern cover design. However as I read through the issue something caught my attention. It turns out that the cover was designed to be printed using a revolutionary new feature “Electronic Ink”.”.

Electronic Ink? Yes Electronic ink!

A limited number of Esquire’s 75th Anniversary issue will feature an experimental cover that is printed with electronic ink. The electronic ink cover displays moving words and flashing images all on a paper-thin sheet know as “e-paper”. 

Esquire is the first publication to utilize this ground breaking technology that is sure to change the way we view and read paper magazines in the future.

The technology for “E-Ink’ has been around for over 7 years but until now the logistics and cost of using it for print media have been to high. We are still a few years off before we start seeing “E-Ink” on newsstands but this initial move is very exciting.

From a graphic design and marketing stand point electronic ink opens up a whole new avenue of design and message flexibility. This application would allow advertisers to provide customized adds to specific consumers quickly and easily. It would also give readers a chance to customize the content of their publication. No longer will we be forced to wade through irrelevant ads and content. Or at the least bad adds will be in bright flashing “E-Ink”.

The future applications are endless but until the cost of “E-ink” comes down we are still left to dream.

Check out a video featuring the cover! Esquire\’s E-Ink Video 

Tags: Electronic Ink, Esquire, New Media.