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Dear Rumor fans,

Don't cry for me, readers, just because I am moving away from you and my partner in rumor sleuthing, Karyne Levy, to voluntarily shovel snow in Massachusetts for the rest of my life.

OK, cry a little bit (aww shucks, guys, I'm going to miss you, too!) but then dry those tears and rejoice because Rumor Has It is continuing on without me. And it's going to grow and change and highlight all the amazing talent CNET has to offer and make me so proud.

The concept for Rumor Has It popped into my … Read more

DANA POINT, Calif. -- Google's chief business officer sees the future, and it is Internet-connected TVs. "The big tipping point we are waiting for is Internet-connected televisions," said Nikesh Arora, speaking with All Things D's Liz Gannes at the Dive into Media conference here today.

"Right now Internet-connected TV is nice to have, not must have. When it is must-have, then we will be able to have advertising delivered off the Web. The moment you can do that, broadcast TV [advertising] doesn't have a role," Arora said.

In the Internet-connected TV world, ads … Read more

In a sign that suggests healthy demand for Twitter's advertising, the microblogging site has reportedly increased the daily price of its Promoted Trends to $200,000.

The new price, which is a 33 percent increase over the previous price, went into effect earlier this year, according to an All Things D report. The price has increased 150 percent since the program launched in 2010 with a daily price of $80,000.

Twitter promotes the feature as a way for business to increase interest in a brand or product. Promoted Trends appear in Twitter's Trends section to the left … Read more

AOL eked out just a 4 percent gain in sales last quarter, but it was the first sign of revenue growth in the past eight years.

For the final quarter of 2012, the company took in revenue of $599 million, rising from $576 million in the year-ago quarter and beating analyst estimates of $573 million, according to Reuters.

AOL attributed the gain to a boost in sales from its global advertising, which grew by 13 percent from a year ago. Ad revenue from third-party networks jumped by 31 percent, while search revenue increased by 17 percent.

On the downside, subscription … Read more

As people increasingly turn to mobile devices for their Web consumption, Google has decided to revamp its keyword advertising service to make it easier for marketers to reach target audiences on different devices.

Google's AdWords Enhanced Campaign aims to make it easier for advertisers to manage bids for ads across a variety of device platforms, locations, and times, the Web giant announced in a company blog post today. AdWords allows advertisers to bid on a given keyword and win premium placement with search results.

Google's goal in retooling AdWords -- a chief money maker for the company -- … Read more

Apparently advertising really works. Well, at least if it contains a nerdy geek making out with a blonde model.

Web hosting company Go Daddy announced yesterday that it had its biggest Super Bowl sales day ever after its infamous ad aired on Sunday. The site got more new customers and overall sales than after any of its other Super Bowl campaigns.

"Attracting new customers is what advertising is all about," Go Daddy CEO Blake Irving said in a statement. "We set all-time Super Bowl Sunday records for mobile sales, Website Builders, website hosting and new customers." … Read more

Google has won a landmark advertising case in Australia with a ruling that the Web giant was not responsible for misleading advertising that ran on its site.

The five judges of Australia's High Court unanimously ruled Wednesday that Google did not violate trade laws by allowing companies to purchase AdWords related to competitors' names. The decision overturned a Federal Court's ruling last April that found four advertisements purchased on the site between March 2006 and July 2007 were misleading and in violation of Australia's Trade Practices Act 1974.

Google appealed the decision, arguing that it was merely … Read more

Facebook advertisers will soon label and identify which ads use information from outside Facebook to target you -- at least, if they choose to.

The blue "AdChoices" -- developed by a coalition of advertisers and marketers specifically to show consumers when they are looking at targeted ads using third-party information -- will make its appearance after months of complaints from ad agencies and advertisers, AdAge reported today.

Although this is meant to make this type of advertising more transparent, users won't see the icon unless they try to opt out of the ad.

Facebook confirmed the change, … Read more

WALTHAM, Mass.--The makers of Wheat Thins cereal may have a hit Super Bowl commercial on their hands.

I believe this because I watched the ad on my computer while another computer watched me watching it over the Internet. The ad combined a box of Wheat Thins, night vision goggles, fear of Bigfoot when there should have been fear of the Yeti, and a thieving neighbor. It seems my "emotional valence" score -- which can be roughly translated to mean my overall emotional reaction -- while watching all this was unusually high, at least once the Yeti and … Read more