PR industry profits boosted by MySpace phenomenon

The popularity of social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace is driving unusually strong growth in public relations business, as companies tap into the power of recommendation, according to Sir Martin Sorrell, head of advertising group WPP.

‘Become a spy’ ads target gamers

GCHQ is to run an ad campaign in online games, including Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent, to tempt web-savvy graduates to become spies. By Mark Sweney.

Ads set for BBC.com website

BBC News and BBC Worldwide have agreed a deal that paves the way for advertising on the corporation's international website BBC.com. By Mark Sweney and Tara Conlan.

Internet stars ‘get in bed with Virgin’

Tip of the hat to Valleywag for that headline. Virgin America has got internet stars from BoingBoing, Engadget and DiggNation to help get the airline brand off the ground. With power, ethernet and USB plugs at every seat, it's easy to see why they are going for the internet angle. That and the fact that they are flying from Washington DC and New York to internet capital, San Francisco.

Do web users want branded content?

The agency contentworx decided to mark its third anniversary by asking 1,000 people whether brands are wasting their time creating "entertaining" content on social networks and on-demand video channels.

Surge in growth for web classifieds

Internet classified advertising has surged 72% year on year - the biggest increase in two years - putting further pressure on the print sector, a report said today. By Mark Sweney.

Facebook watch: Friend grouping – at last!

Those of you that wish you said no to random friend requests on Facebook now have a discreet filtering tool in the form of friend groups. The site flagged up yesterday that it would be introducing the new feature to allow organisation of friends into different groups, like old school friends, work and drinking partners, for example.