Rumor on Wallstreet this week is that Microsoft is bidding on a 5% stake in the social networking platform, facebook.com. According to the Wall Street Journal, the $300-$500M bid would value Facebook at $10B. The rumor, which by the way, seems to have started on the exact day of Microsoft’s release of Halo3, is reported to have been started by Facebook, not Microsoft. There is little doubt to this, as Microsoft wants all eyes on its much anticipated release. (more…)

If you listen to the chatter regarding global markets today, the two power-houses to watch are (drum roll, please), India and China. Although e-commerce is still booming in the US and Europe, year over year growth will, at some point subside and match other ‘brick and mortar’ industries. Internet penetration (i.e. the percentage of users with Internet access) in the US is nearing 70%, followed closely by Australia and Europe. What really fuels the growth of Internet sales now is a shift from retail sales to online sales. So, savvy marketers have their sights set on new game, with the same potential for growth that the US and Europe had nearly a decade ago. (more…)