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In This Update:

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Everyday Health to Merge With Revolution Health
ALTSEARCH ENGINES
Waterfront Media, the largest private online health company, and Revolution Health Network, another leading online health information company, today announced that they have signed a definitive agreement to merge that will create a new powerhouse in the online health space. With this merger, the Everyday Health Network will now include RevolutionHealth and all the online properties associated with the Revolution Health Network, forming the most comprehensive online destination designed to enable consumers to live healthier lives every day.
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eBay Buys Bill Me Later, Lays off 1,000
CNET
eBay will lay off about 10 percent of its workforce, the company announced Monday, and said third-quarter results will come in at the low end of expectations. The company also announced plans to acquire online payments business Bill Me Later for $820 million in cash and approximately $125 million in outstanding options, as well as Danish classifieds specialist Den Bla Avis and vehicle site BilBasen for approximately $390 million in cash.
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Facebook Co-Founder Moskovitz Leaves to Start Group Collaboration Company
VENTUREBEAT
Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz and colleague Justin Rosenstein said this weekend they are leaving Facebook to start their own company. The new company will build tools to facilitate collaboration within the enterprise, according to the duo. Inspired by the challenges the two had at Facebook as the company grew, the project will use Facebook Connect as its user authentication system.
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PermissionTV Provides White Label Video Platform Services
MASHABLE
PermissionTV lets companies create their own YouTube-style video service. Their list of clients includes MGM, Bob Villa and many more well-known names in the entertainment industry. They also serve corporations, agencies, special interest groups and publishing companies. The PTV platform with customizable flash-based SmartPlayer provides a flexible way to share and manage interactive video content. It also includes useful analytics so you can measure the performance and success of videos that you’ve shared online.
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Analyst: Half of ‘Social Media Campaigns’ Will Flop
THE SOCIAL
Adam Sarner, an analyst with market research firm Gartner, has projected that over 75 percent of Fortune 1000 companies with Web sites will have undertaken some kind of online social-networking initiative for marketing or customer relations purposes. But, he added in an interview with CNET News, 50 percent of those campaigns will be classified as failures. He cited the Facebook craze as an example. The social network is “more for the community than it is for the bottom line,” and it’s tough for marketers to get their message in on a site that’s focused on communicating with your friends rather than finding stuff to buy.
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T-Mobile’s CAMEO Frame Shows Holiday Snaps While Still Taking Them
ENGADGET
It’s been nearly a year since Parrot announced its DF7700 GPRS-endowed picture frame, said to possess the mystical ability to pull photographs straight out of the ether. Now T-Mobile has pledged to bring Parrot’s magic frame to the US as the CAMEO, a device that can be the recipient of picture-bearing messages. When you get bored with that feature, there’s a mini-USB port plus slots for SD/MMC cards that will enable it to accept pics in a more traditional manner. Its 7-inch screen has a 720 x 480 resolution and is surrounded by an interchangeable leather border guaranteed to look cheap in any décor.
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Ask Revamps for Faster Web Search, Better Relevance
REUTERS
IAC Corp’s Ask.com is overhauling its Web search engine to deliver faster results and improved relevance as it bids to win share from market leader Google Inc. The company believes it can grow market share and revenue by taking advantage of the distractions of competitors such as Yahoo Inc and Microsoft Corp, who have spent most of the year in on-off merger talks. Yahoo and Microsoft are No.2 and No.3, respectively, in U.S. search.
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More Real Time TV Comes to Livestation
MASHABLE
Yesterday we put questions to you concerning news media and the way in which its video services are being consumed on the Web. Most respondents to a poll told us it was friends who pointed them in the direction of content. Social networking to stay informed, in other words. That’s good to hear! Still, there was the question of live video on sites like YouTube that didn’t quite get the response I was expecting.
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BlackArrow Raises $20 Million for On-Demand TV Advertising
TECH CRUNCH
TV advertising doesn’t have to be just on TV. That’s the premise behind BlackArrow , a startup that caters to the cable industry by offering a way to place ads on broadband Web video, on-demand TV, and digital-video recorders (with unskippable ads). The company is announcing a new $20 million round of funding from existing investors Cisco Systems., Comcast Interactive Capital, Intel Capital, Mayfield Fund and Polaris Venture Partners
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GuardID Raises $11 Million More to Protect Your Identity
VENTUREBEAT
GuardID, whose products protect customers’ online financial information, has raised $11 million in a second round of venture funding. New investor PrismVentureWorks led the round with participation from Intersections Inc. and existing investor Trinity Ventures. The San Mateo, Calif, startup raised $5 million in 2006.
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