In a news release announcing the appointment of two executives, InterClick described itself as "the leader in data and inventory transparency." Huh? Translation, please.

Ad giant WPP, which owns agencies such as Mindshare, MediaCom, and Wunderman, has announced that, despite falling revenues, its digital business appears to be holding up. The company said revenue from digital and direct marketing activities now accounts for 25 percent of its overall income - or £1.04 billion )$1.7 billion( - up from 20 percent for the financial year ending March '09.

Microsoft's proposition to advertisers looking to reach 18-34 year old guys? Ditch TV and go in-game. Microsoft-owned Massive has unveiled several new and to-be-released titles from EA, Activision, and THQ that include ad opportunities. From EA, in-game inventory is available in "Madden NFL 1," "NHL 10," "NBA LIVE 10," "Need for Speed Shift," and "Fight Night Round 4." From Activision: "Guitar Hero 5," "DJ Hero," "Band Hero," "Tony Hawk: RIDE," and "Blur.

Stories recommended by ClickZ's editors: Baidu Touts New Advertising Program New system, rolled out in April, differentiates paid listings from organic results. Launch followed criticism that the Chinese search company provided inadequate disclosure of ad relationships. )Wall Street Journal( Time Warner Signs Seven-Year Pact with Nielsen Deal includes TV, Internet and mobile measurement. Separately,

In his latest incarnation as a benefactor to the new Forumula One U.S. car racing team, YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley plans to do more than just invest cash. In an interview with AutoSport.com, Hurley describes his interest in helping the sport and the U.S. F1 team use social tools and video to connect with racing fans. "I see tremendous potential for all sports to integrate more media, more social connections, connect with the fans and build a fan base," he said.

A few stories ClickZ's editors are reading: AOL Sues Advertise.com for Trademark Infringement Domain is called "confusingly similar" to Advertising.com. )Domain Name Wire( CBS, Pepsi Create Video Ad to Run in Print The ad world gets video-in-magazines. What's next, print-on-mobile? )AdAge( A Second Chance for Second Life Big companies like Northrop, IBM Use Virtual World are reported to use the site for training and client meetings.

Like many people, when I see a full page ad in a big national paper, I tend to take notice. I usually expect it to be an ad from a large computer, software, or consulting firm, or a group of big names advocating a position on a timely political issue. Today, however, I was surprised to see that page B3 of The Wall Street Journal featured an ad for a firm we've covered in ClickZ News for years: Goodmail. The company touts its e-mail certification services, noting,

A few stories ClickZ editors are reading: Bing Rises Again For the second month, Microsoft's search engine gained share - this time at Google's as well as Yahoo's expense. According to ComScore, Bing commanded 8.9 percent of July search queries in the U.S., up from 8.4 percent the previous month and 8 percent in May. Both Google and Yahoo saw their market share fall by .3 percent. )New York Times( Interview with Three Mommy Bloggers )360i blog( MSNBC.com Acquires EveryBlock,

British newspaper The Sun is giving away ads on its online jobs board in what it describes as an attempt to combat rising unemployment levels in the U.K. As part of its Get Britain Back to Work campaign, The News Corp.-owned tabloid is allowing employers to place recruitment ads completely free of charge through its Magdex-powered employment portal. According to paid content , ads are also available for readers themselves to pitch their wares to prospective employers.

Details are still emerging about a TV industry plan to launch a cross-platform measurement competitor to Nielsen. The service will be launched jointly by a consortium of broadcast and cable network owners that includes NBC Universal, News Corp, Viacom, CBS, Time Warner, Discovery and Walt Disney. The offering will track programs and ads as they're viewed across TV, Web sites and mobile devices. Nielsen has a converged TV and Internet panel, but it has fewer than 3,

A few stories ClickZ's editors are reading: AOL Blossoms as Print Retreats In New York, AOL has 300 content producers working on 80 Web sites. )New York Times( It's Broadway Gone Viral,

As we mentioned last week , Google recently moved its search ads column to the left in a bid to increase their visibility and click rate. With the change, the paid links appear much closer to the organic results - especially on larger screens. What's been the impact so far? The jury's still out on that, but one search analytics company has published early analysis suggesting clicks may have risen by 10.3 percent.

Madrona Ventures may invest in more Internet ad start-ups now that former aQuantive CEO Brian McAndrews is on board , but it's unlikely to take much interest in agency pure plays. In a brief talk with ClickZ this morning, McAndrews said the VC firm would consider investing in startups with a services component, but he said there would have to be technology attached in some way. For instance, he said Madrona might look at an analytics firm with in-house data analysts. He said,

IBM has its ">Social Computing Guidelines . Dave Evans, ClickZ's social media columnist, points to IBM as a good example for other companies to consider. A quick search for "social media policies" turns up these guidelines from Intel . Best part, they are written in plain English. Considers this example: " Did you screw up? If you make a mistake, admit it. Be upfront and be quick with your correction. If you're posting to a blog,

At this morning's keynote at Search Engine Strategies San Jose , "Groundwell" co-author Charlene Li shared these five insights on the future of search and social networks: 1. Social networks will be like air. 2. Your social network will go with you. 3. People must be at the center of your search strategy. Not keywords. 4. Deepen relationships with social technologies. 5. Be ready to give up control. You have no choice.

A few stories ClickZ's editors are reading: How Microsoft Faked the Waterslide Viral Many have cried foul on the above video, which shows a man in a neoprene suit riding down a hillside water slide, soaring through the air, and landing safely in a kiddie pool 100-plus feet away. Turns out it WAS faked, as part of a viral campaign created by Microsoft Germany. )NewTeeVee( Notice Those Ads on Blogs? Regulators Do,

As noted by TechCrunch , Google has shifted the ad column on all search results pages to the left. The move is a bid to improve the visibility of sponsored links, and will no doubt drive higher click volume. How much higher is anyone's guess. Maybe you could help us with that ? Here's Google's statement on the change: "We're constantly experimenting with new visual representations to improve the user experience and usefulness of our ads. In accordance with that philosophy,

Cisco Systems sells network equipment )e.g., routers and switches( and Zappos sells shoes. Each will be telling its social media story during panels hosted by ClickZ and Online Marketing Summit at Search Engine Strategies San Jose today . We're also expecting a lively session about white hat/black hat in social media. Not able to attend? Follow the conversation on Twitter by tracking #sessj.

In an era of instant communications, real-time information is capturing the attention of online marketers. So where is it headed? Speakers at Tuesday's panel at the Social Media & Video Strategies forum hosted by ClickZ in San Jose, CA, discussed upcoming trends. Meebo Chief Operating Officer Martin Green said he envisions applications that will enable localized tweets. "If I want to find people in San Jose or Northfield, Minnesota, I could connect with them," he said.

People who write comments, share photos, upload videos, and contribute to blogs have different motives for participating online, sometimes surprising their audiences. And don't assume those motives are all the same, warned Clay Shirky, author of " Here Comes Everybody " and keynote speaker at Search Engine Strategies San Jose, on Tuesday.