Apparently, some parts of the world carried on as normal while 1.6% of the planet was Mac-ing off over the iPhone. I may invented that percentage, but then 99.7% of statistics are made up on the spot. Apart from on this website, of course...
Reporters Without Borders was more than a little peeved that YouTube was blocked to the whole of Brazil on 4 January after a São Paulo court ruled on a petition about invasion of privacy.
A video on YouTube had shown the model Daniela Cicarelli (who also happens to be Ronaldo's ex-wife) "romping" with her boyfriend on a beach - the most viewed video in Brazil last year. RSF said that although it is essential that a right to privacy, the move was "a radical and inappropriate measure" because the video was available on several other websites that hadn't been blocked.
"We find it hard to understand how a single video, the banning of which did not seem to be a matter of urgency, was able to justify the closure of a website used by tens of thousands of Brazilians every day," said RSF's statement.
Yesterday a court reversed the oder, allowing Brazil's ISPs to free up access to the video-sharing site. But not before Brazil's YouTube users had bombarded Cicarelli's employer MTV Brazil with 20,000 emails complaining about the block, reported the New York Times.
• US newspapers partner on online ads scheme
Gannett, McClatchy and Tribune, the three largest newspaper companies in the US, are working together on a central system called "Open Network" for online advertising, reports WSJ. The aim is to attract larger advertisers that want a national audience but without having to approach publishers individually. Each publisher will assign 10% of their online ad space to the network.
Reuters states that online now accounts for between 5-10% of newspaper revenue, though that figure is rising. Web ad revenues rose 35% to $12.2b last year, while newspaper ad revenues dropped 4% to $17.5b.
• In Style finally gets a website
I can understand why magazines with a hefty proportion of celebrity photos would be particularly hesitant to move their content online, but clearly IPC has decided to bite the bullet - now that online advertising is in overdrive - and finally put In Style online in the UK. In the US, the site has 1.8m users a month and the new UK site follows the appointment of Trish Halpin as editor in September.
• FT launches mobile news tool
This is a free tool that provides the FT's news an analysis for mobiles and PDAs. It has a personalisable "My FT" function and access to a 30-day story archive, stock prices and subscriber content. Stories can be downloaded and read offline. From NetImperative.
• The truth about ad sales
Viral video. and it's not even Friday yet. The ad sales piece is doing the rounds again, with mixed reaction. I did like the YourSpace, MyTube line, though it all seems rather laboured.
Update: Smithereen produced this for the Discovery Channel, who then posted it on YouTube before anyone thought to brand it. Doh. Producer Max Wright is pretty chuffed it has had more than 100,000 views (and counting) but also said he's quite pleased that reaction is so divided: "People either love it or hate it - no-one said it's just alright."
