New York - The New York Times on Wednesday launched a beta test of a new social media feature, TimesPeople, that lets recommend stories to one another and view lists of friends' recommended stories on a "news feed"-like readout, CNET News.com and Beet.tv reported. The feature is currently only available as a Firefox plug-in, but will eventually be available without the need for a separate download.

A colleague forwarded me a fantastic article from Ad Age "It's Web 3.0, and Someone Else's Content is King". The article is worth a read for anyone in the content business. The author, Matthew Creamer, suggests that Web 3.0 will be about monetizing the web's openness and points to examples in the news business of websites aggregating other people's content for profit. Are content aggregators in fact growing in popularity? The author cites Michael Wolff of Newser: "The space is heating up". According to internet usage data, is it?

New York - The New York Times Co. on Monday announced the beta launch of ShifD, an application that provides users the capability to shift content between their computers and mobile devices. Users can update information from any Web browser, by text message from a mobile phone, through a mobile Web browser or by using the downloadable application on Adobe AIR, the company said. "Developing services that allow users to access content wherever they are and on whichever device they choose is an important part of our strategy," said Michael Zimbalist, vice president of research and development operations at The New York Times Co.

New York - The New York Times News Service has signed a deal to provide content to V-me, a new national, Spanish-language network that is partnered with public TV. The two media companies will collaborate on a new weekly program called Paginas del New York Times, the companies announced on Thursday. The show will offer topical stories and features covering global politics, lifestyle, economics, culture and entertainment -- "all presented from a U.S. Hispanic perspective," according to the announcement.

New York - The New York Times (NYSE: NYT) and CNBC (NYSE: GE) on Monday announced a Web content-sharing agreement, which will consist mainly of Times articles being posted on CNBC.com and CNBC video being posted on NYTimes.com, The Times reported. No money will change hands in the deal, which is seen as bolstering both companies' offerings in light of increased competition from News Corp.'s Wall Street Journal and Fox Business Channel. "We have agreed to be each other's primary partners on the Web, which will strengthen both," Vivian Schiller, senior vice president and general manager of NYTimes.com, told The Times.

New York - A federal appeals court has overturned an agreement between freelance writers and publishers over compensation for works reproduced electronically, saying that the court has no jurisdiction in the matter, The New York Times reported.

I’ve had it with all the hype about mobile being the next big thing — more to the point, I’ve had it with the mobile web. Here are five reasons why the web on the go still has a long way to go.

New York - The New York Times' website on Thursday launched its new TV blog "TV Decoder," penned by Brian Stelter, the recent college grad who launched the influential TVNewser blog in 2004. "Brian brings proven ability to both break news and attract a loyal audience; we look forward to introducing his work to an even wider constituency, such as trade insiders and readers who care deeply about the television industry," said Nicholas Ascheim, vice president of editorial products for NYTimes.com.

The TimesSelect pay wall has officially been torn down. Does this mean newspapers should forget about paid content? Yes, if they want be part of the “conversation” and participate in the web’s link-based ecosystem and economy.

New York - The New York Times announced this week that it has opened the beta version of My Times, the company's personalized online service, to all registered NYTimes.com users. The service first launched as a private beta in April 2006, and has since been adapted based on input from "thousands" of beta users. My Times lets users organize sources from all over the Web, provides recommendations from Times journalists, and offers a variety of widgets. "What makes My Times unique is the editorial guidance from our top journalists, including Op-Ed columnists Nicholas Kristof and Frank Rich, Baghdad correspondent Edward Wong and book critic Michiko Kakutani. Readers can pull content from their suggested list of feeds -- or from anywhere on the web," said Vivian Schiller, senior vice president and general manger of NYTimes.com.

Towson, Md. - In a move underscoring the continuing integration of newspapers and the Internet, The New York Times has hired a 21-year-old whose blog -- called TVNewser -- has became a staple for TV executives, The Baltimore Sun reported on Wednesday.

New York - The New York Times announced on Monday that it has made its subscription-based archives, TimesSelect, available for free to all college students and faculty with a valid .edu e-mail address. The company also announced that it has again partnered with News Corp.'s MySpace for a second annual "Win A Trip With Nick" African reporting competition. The contest will send one college student and one middle or high school teacher on a reporting expedition to Africa with Times columnist Nick Kristof.