More than 106.9 million Americans plan to shop online today during Cyber Monday, up significantly from the 96.5 million who shopped on the same day last year, according to a new survey by Bigresearch conducted for Shop.org. A survey released last week found that nearly nine in ten )88.2%( retailers will have a special promotion for Cyber Monday, growing each year since 2007, when 72.2 percent planned promotions.

Black Friday saw $648 million in online sales, making it the heaviest online spending day to date in 2010 and representing a 9 percent increase over Black Friday 2009, according to the latest report from comScore. U.S. ecommerce spending for the first 26 days of the November-December 2010 holiday season reached $11.64 billion, marking a 13 percent increase over the same period last year. Thanksgiving Day )November 26( saw online holiday spending up 28 percent to $407 million.

NASA and the White House lead other public sector organizations when it comes to social media and online strategy, according to a new report from The George Washington University School of Business )GWSB( and digital think tank. Authored by the dean of GWSB, Doug Guthrie, NYU professor Scott Galloway and team from L2, the report looked at the effectiveness of an organization's site, digital marketing, social media and mobile platforms.

U.S. paid search spend from retailers has increased nearly 37 percent ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, compared to last year, according to a new report from SearchIgnite. The increase in retailers online PPC spend appears to be paying off as the economy bounces back from the recession; the rate at which consumers converted after clicking on a paid search advertisement was up 28.7% and their Average Order Values from online shopping were up 20.7% YoY.

Hilton Garden Inn has launched a Facebook sweepstakes for a chance to win a free weekend getaway aimed at helping people recover from the holidays. Facebook users can enter the sweepstakes at Facebook.com/HiltonGardenInn and five people will be chosen at random to receive a free-two-night weekend stay at their choice of more than 510 locations globally. The sweepstakes are open through December 13th at 11:59 p.m. EST. To enter the sweepstakes,

eBay has released a new version of its iPhone app that adds selling functionality and RedLaser barcode-scanning technology. The updated iPhone app allows users to comparison shop by scanning barcodes and accessing a wider a variety of merchandise including electronics, movies and videogames. More shoppers are turning to their mobile phones to save money and time this holiday season, said Steve Yankovich, vice president of eBay Mobile .

Amazon.com has introduced a new free price comparison app for iPhone that lets people compare in-store prices with prices from Amazon and other online retailers. The app called Price Check, allows iPhone users to scan a barcode, take a picture, or say or type a product name to receive prices for an item from Amazon and other online retailers. This app makes it incredibly easy to quickly compare prices on millions of items before making a purchase, said Sam Hall,

Netflix said today it is introducing a $7.99 streaming-only subscription plan in the United States, the first time it is offering a full streaming-only option in the U.S. "We are now primarily a streaming video company delivering a wide selection of TV shows and films over the Internet," said Reed Hastings, Netflix co-founder and CEO. "Today's action reflects the tremendous customer value we've injected into streaming from Netflix,

Amazon.com said today people can now give Kindle Books as gifts to anyone with an email address even if they don't own a Kindle. "We're making this functionality available in time for the holidays to offer an easy, stress free holiday shopping option for anyone - not just Kindle owners, said Russ Grandinetti, Vice President, Amazon Kindle. To give a Kindle Book as a gift, user can choose a book in the Kindle store,

Yahoo has launched Yahoo Homepages for Homerooms, a program aimed at helping teachers and classrooms get funding for projects. Users can help teachers receive funding for projects by making Yahoo their homepage. The Yodel Anecdotal blog offers more details. Through Yahoo Homepages for Homerooms , public school teachers are eligible to receive funding from Yahoo if they have a project posted on DonorsChoose.org,

Up to 138 million Americans plan to shop Black Friday weekend )Friday, Saturday, and Sunday(, more than the 134 million people who planned to do so last year, according to a new survey from the National Retail Federation and BIGresearch. "The rules for Black Friday have changed significantly, said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. Instead of waiting until Thanksgiving Day to announce their promotions,

Amazon.com today introduced a new visual search feature for shoppers looking to purchase men's and women's shoes. The new visual search feature allows people to browse for shoes based on how they look with the aim of helping them find the styles they want more quickly. With the launch of this new search feature, finding the right pair of shoes becomes even easier for customers, said Bill Stasior, president of A9 . The customer is presented with a palette of shapes,

Nearly two-thirds )64%( of Americans have not made an online purchase because of security concerns, according to a new poll by the National Cyber Security Alliance )NCSA(. When asked to explain why they did not make that purchase, 60 percent said it was because they were not sure if the site was secure, 51.4 percent were worried about providing information requested, and 48.4 percent felt a website requested more information than was necessary for the transaction.

Location-based social network Gowalla has formed a new partnership with Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. Starting today, visitors to the parks can engage with others through custom Disney Gowalla pages and Passport Stamps. Hundreds of locations within Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts will feature custom Stamps created by Gowalla the largest number of custom Gowalla Passport Stamps ever developed for a brand.

Social game developer Zynga, the creators of the popular Farmville and Mafia Wars on Facebook, has launched its latest game called CityVille. Zynga says CityVille is its most social game to date with new features that allow players to build a city, interact with friends' cities, and build franchise with the help of their friends. CityVille is Zynga's first game to launch internationally and will be available in English, French, Italian, German,

Exit41, a provider of social ordering apps for restaurants, has introduced a Facebook application that allows people to place food orders from a restaurant's Facebook page and share and Like their favorite menu items. The restaurant industry is ahead of the curve in embracing social media to engage with and interact with consumers. Our goal is to support Marketing in enhancing their Facebook initiatives with the ability to drive sales and guest loyalty,

U.S. Internet advertising revenues hit a record $6.4 billion in the third quarter, an increase of 17 percent from the same period in 2009, according to a new report by the Interactive Advertising Bureau )IAB( and PwC. The Internet has transformed consumers lives and how they experience entertainment, information and brands, said Randall Rothenberg, President & CEO, IAB . Marketers have embraced digital media because thats where they can engage with their consumers.

Amazon.com has launched Amazon Studios, a new online business that allows filmmakers and screenwriters to submit full-length movies and scripts to get their movie made and make money. Through the monthly and annual Amazon Studios Awards, Amazon Studios will offer a total of $2.7 million to the top submissions received by Dec. 31, 2011, and will seek to develop the top Amazon Studio projects as commercial feature films under its first-look deal with Warner Bros. Pictures.

Daily deal shopping website Groupon has reached a distribution partnership with Yahoo to bring local deals to users. Yahoo is delivering technology at scale that connects people to the things that matter most to them with fresh and engaging experiences, said Blake Irving, Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer, Yahoo . As content and advertising intersect online,

Americans looking for medical advice are visiting medical websites, social media sites, and online communities in greater numbers than the websites of pharmaceutical companies, according to a new survey from Accenture. More than two-thirds )68%( of Americans go online for health information,