"Many digital publishers have placed it at the heart of their business strategy - but there are concerns over transparency"

"The New York Times' long-awaited redesign will grace our computers next week, complete with updated typography and responsive design. Wednesday, Jan. 8 will also mark a shift in The Grey Lady's advertising model, as the new and improved design allows for the Times to display sponsored editorial content, or "native ads.""

"We analyzed the top 50 biggest box office movies of 2013 to see if they passed the Bechdel Test, which evaluates whether a movie has two or more women in it who have a conversation about something other than a man. It's named after cartoonist Alison Bechdel, who wrote about it in her popular comic Dykes to Watch Out For. (Bechdel actually credits her friend Liz Wallace with the rule.) The three-part criteria for a movie to pass: It has to have (1) at least two women in it, who (2) talk to each other about (3) something besides a man."

"A CALL TO MEN believes that preventing domestic and sexual violence is primarily the responsibility of men. Although historically it has been almost entirely women who have been at the forefront addressing this issue, we think it is essential that men play a primary role in the solution. To do that, well-meaning men…men who, for the most part don't see themselves as part of the problem…need to get involved."

"What the Net seems to be doing is chipping away my capacity for concentration and contemplation. My mind now expects to take in information the way the Net distributes it: in a swiftly moving stream of particles. Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a Jet Ski. "

"Just before the holidays, late-night comedian Conan O'Brien poked a little fun at local TV newscasts. In doing so, he illustrated some serious issues about the compromises journalists make in understaffed newsrooms. O'Brien has aired similar montages in the past, capturing repetition in local stories about such topics as Cyber Monday shopping, restaurants that serve political-themed food, and the news that actor Mike Myers and his wife were expecting a baby. The compilations are popular fodder for Internet discussions, where viewers attributed the homogeneity to "consumerist propaganda," "controlled brainwashing," and "corporations spitting out prefabricated copies of fake news." The truth is less conspiratorial. Each story O'Brien featured was supplied by a syndication service that distributes scripts, video clips, and fully-produced news packages to local stations. The self gifting story came from CNN Newsource, which claims 800 affiliates. (CNN is part of Time Warner, which also owns the TBS cable channel that airs "Conan.") You're almost certainly watching syndicated content when your local newscast shows video of national or international stories. Stations also rely on Newsource for sports highlights, business and consumer reports, entertainment news, and stories CNN categorizes as "Caught on Camera," "Animals," "Kickers," and "Easy to Tease.""

"Yes, it's that time of year again--just after the holidays.  Magazines in particular feature cover stories on losing weight.  And weight loss advertising seems to be everywhere, especially in these new year's publications. Presented here are some resources, ads, and activities that will encourage young people to use "critical thinking skills" as it relates to these persuasive forms of advertising.  Since teaching ad technique and awareness is in most state's health teaching standards, these ads are perfect for use in classroom settings."

"In a recent strategy meeting with our team, we watched Simon Sinek's landmark TED talk, "Start with Why." Again. If you haven't watched it, you really should. It's 17 minutes of marketing common sense. Simon lays out a simple, yet powerful, observation that the companies, leaders and brands we hold up as innovative, market-shaping and successful, start with "why" -- why they are in business, not what they are selling."

What did the world search for in 2013?

"This summer The Onion ran a satirical piece purporting to be an op-ed by CNN's managing editor, Meredith Artley, titled, "Let Me Explain Why Miley Cyrus' VMA Performance Was Our Top Story This Morning." Her explanation for why CNN filled the top news slot with the story "Miley Cyrus Did What???" (this was the actual headline; no need to satirize it) instead of reporting on Syria or the unrest in Egypt: "It was an attempt to get you to click on CNN.com so that we could drive up our web traffic, which in turn would allow us to increase our advertising revenue." According to Thomas E. Patterson's new book "Informing the News: The Need for Knowledge-Based Journalism" (Vintage, 233 pages, $15), this kind of thinking is alas, not fiction, but the sort of logic that drives much of mainstream journalism today."

"We've compiled a mage-list of 40 viral videos (in no particular order) that summarize life on the Internet in 2013. And even though some of the year's most watched YouTube videos were ads (Dove, WestJet, Kmart and Volvo) or music videos like Miley Cyrus' Wrecking Ball, we left those off to make room for some classics from the everyday man."

"The conclusion she's arrived at while researching her new book is not, technically, that we're not talking to each other. We're talking all the time, in person as well as in texts, in e-mails, over the phone, on Facebook and Twitter. The world is more talkative now, in many ways, than it's ever been. The problem, Turkle argues, is that all of this talk can come at the expense of conversation. We're talking at each other rather than with each other."

"Although Samsung wasn't the most popular brand on any particular social network, it earned 16 million new followers across multiple platforms in the past 12 months - enough to get data aggregator Starcount's top spot. Walt Disney came in second place, largely due to a one-million-follower increase on Sina Weibo, a Chinese microblogging site. National Geographic grabbed the bronze after its top-rated YouTube channel got 160 million views this past year. Check out the other companies that made the list for this year's top 10 brands on social media, below."

"The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media is the only research-based organization working behind-the scenes in the entertainment industry to engage, educate, and influence the need for gender balance, reducing stereotyping and creating a wide variety of female portrayals for children's entertainment."

"MAYBE because I have seven nieces whose dreams matter to me, maybe because I have so many female friends whose talents dazzle me, or maybe just because I think it's madness not to encourage and recognize the full potential of half of the human race, I keep looking to the movies for something better. For something more equitable. For women saving the world or saving the president or at the very least saving themselves."

" What is the responsibility of powerful commercial media entities (including news outlets, music labels, movie studios, and fellow artists) that protect and profit off of sex offenders, and what will it take to hold the media accountable?"

Trailer for a new documentary on male gender roles

"The Internet is a gullible place. Before you know it, you buy into a YouTube video, and you're sharing Facebook posts and tweets with misinformation. If you haven't done so yourself, you likely know someone who has. Some of the most viral stories of the year have turned out to be fakes. Remember when Will and Monifa Sims captured our hearts in May while singing karaoke at a gas station? They were actors. And who could forget the hilarious twerking girl on fire? Simply a stunt orchestrated by Jimmy Kimmel. Not all hoaxes were videos, though. The Internet followed along with Elan Gale, a producer for The Bachelor, who live-tweeted a fake situation he claimed to experience on an airplane; an adorable kid's letter to Santa was actually the brainchild of a comedian. For a full look at the top social media hoaxes you fell for this year, check out the gallery above."

"The princess industry is lucrative: DVDs, dresses, crowns, theme parties. But the story of going to the ball and waiting for Prince Charming is outdated. So one Southern California mom has created a new princess series with modern sensibilities. Creator Setsu Shigematsu recasts princesses as environmentally conscious and not waiting around to be rescued."

Article demonstrates how to create a native ad from a popular news article.