Your favorite stalking tool, Facebook, has a new sugar daddy. Long rumored to have an abysmal business model unable to financially support its enormous growth, Facebook was very publicly in need of some additional financing. According to Venture Beat: "Russian investor Digital Sky Technologies is putting in $200 million for 1.96 percent of the company, at a $10 billion valuation." The deal also includes the purchase of $100 million in employee-owned stock. It surprised me that a Russian company would take such interest, and that Facebook would be interested in an international investor on such a large scale. Venture Beat promptly corrected my naivete, stating: "For its part, Facebook seems to have a global strategy for the sorts of investors it looks for. With the addition of a Russian investor to a Chinese and German investor, it now has a friend in some of the largest markets, and emerging markets in the world. Having powerful local connections can help a company do more...

With polls showing the presidential candidates neck-and-neck for the win in November, the youth vote could really "rock" the establishment. What attracts these voters, anyway? Is it Vote or Die t-shirt ads? Celebrity endorsements? The use of New Media has emerged as a powerful tool for a generation born and raised in the Internet Age. From Will.I.Am's popular YouTube video endorsing Obama, to both campaigns use of text messaging, the election has moved into our digital and mobile lives in a big way. MTV's popular Rock the Vote initiative even publishes a pamphlet on the subject for candidates. Tips include: 1. Run your own online voter registration campaign with free web tools. 2. Buy targeted online advertising, particularly search, to drive online voter registration. 3. Remind your supporters of registration deadlines and Election Day via ads, email, and text messaging. 4. Get personal via social networks. 5. Simple, clear advertisements perform best; test...