Online Deals with Facebook, ISPs

An online advertising deal with Facebook, a popular social networking site, could boost Microsoft’s online revenue, while extensions of deals with Qwest and Verizon will drive traffic to Windows Live. The Aug. 2006 deals show how Microsoft’s Online Services Group, which encompasses Windows Live and MSN, is enlisting partners in its quest to compete with Google and Yahoo for advertising dollars and users.

Placing Ads on Facebook

Facebook is a social-networking site that originally focused on groups of college students, enabling them to create simple home pages and establish networks with others at their school. It has since expanded to serve other types of networks, such as high schools, companies, and geographic regions. Facebook has more than 9 million registered users and is the second most popular social networking site in the United States, with about 14.4 million unique U.S. visitors in July 2006, according to a ComScore report. However, it trails far behind MySpace’s 100 million registered users and 54.6 million monthly U.S. visitors.