Online ads in a socially networked Web

Esther still hasn't gotten HuffPo to expose a feed of only her articles so I can't simply share this on my Google Reader shared items (oh, the pain of having to actually submit my own blog post). Good thing she put out a pointer on her flickr feed. Anyhow, nice article re: online advertising in the emerging social Web world -- and a bit ominous for GOOG, IMO.

While the spotlight in the online world focuses on Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft, the long-term news is happening closer to home - where users interact among themselves through the Web and through online social networks. Companies with agendas mutter about user 'privacy' as they jockey to promote or prevent industry consolidation - but the privacy discussion will change from 'protection by the authorities' to self-determination as users learn to take control over their own data online. As they spread their 'presence' online, they are looking not for privacy, but for recognition as individuals, by friends and by vendors.

Get the rest of the story at Esther Dyson: Release 0.9: Don't Cry For Me, MicroHoogle!