Juan Carlos Perez

Google Inc. will provide for free its hosted Web analytics service, which businesses can use to track the effectiveness of online marketing campaigns, the Mountain View, California company plans to announce.

An almost 2-year-old patent application from Google Inc. has drawn attention this week because it details a system to help individuals advertise products and services online, which some view as another sign that Google plans to enter the online classified ad market.

Looking to boost its presence in the digital music market, America Online Inc. (AOL) has acquired music subscription provider MusicNow from Circuit City Stores Inc., AOL announced Thursday. The acquisition agreement was signed at the end of September and the deal, whose financial terms weren't disclosed, closed this week, AOL said.

Cox Communications implemented a system on its website that uses an instant messaging-like interface to field customer questions via an automated text chat. The system costs Cox much less than having customer service reps answer questions.

Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc. will make their respective consumer instant-message (IM) networks partly interoperable in the second quarter of next year, the companies announced Wednesday.

America Online Inc. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Miller remained mum, in an appearance at the Web 2.0 Conference, when asked to comment on recent rumors that Microsoft Corp. may be talking to AOL about buying it or at least about striking up a partnership with it to boost its MSN Internet division.

What is new and what is changing in the Internet business will be debated, explained and analyzed at the second annual Web 2.0 Conference. Burning questions that should be of interest to companies doing business over the Internet will be addressed by an impressive roster of high-ranking executives from industry powerhouses such as Google Inc., Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp., as well as from small startups.

Blinkx has enhanced its Blinkx.tv multimedia search engine by creating an online library where amateurs and professionals can upload, for free, videos they have created to make them available for viewing to Web searchers, the company announced Monday.