Reuters - Janel Landon, who runs a small PR consultancy in Chicago, has long been aware of the potential of online networks: now in her mid-50s and facing a global recession, she's decided to sign up.

AP - With a smile and some nostalgic words, President George W. Bush spared the national Thanksgiving turkey on Wednesday, honoring a tradition that dates to Harry Truman's presidency. The 45-pound bird, named "Pumpkin" through an online vote, behaved quietly while the president presided over a Rose Garden ceremony.

AFP - Growth in online advertising spending is slowing amid a weak economy and will fall into single digits next year for the first time, research firm eMarketer reported on Tuesday.

AFP - Online retail spending fell four percent in the first weeks of November from the same period last year, the first ever such decline in e-commerce spending, online researcher comScore reported on Tuesday.

Reuters - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has agreed to stay on under President-elect Barack Obama and retired Marine Gen. James Jones will be named national security adviser, the Politico news Web site said on Tuesday.

AFP - Technorati announced on Tuesday that it was laying off six employees and cutting pay for the remaining members of the blog search engine company.

AP - Google Inc.'s stock snapped out of its recent funk Tuesday after new data showed the Internet search leader is becoming even more dominant in the most lucrative part of the online advertising market.