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After operating in stealth mode for nearly two-and-a-half years, San Mateo, Calif.-based Cloudmark is taking the wraps off a new spam-fighting tool, called SpamNet, which aims to use the power of the people to weed out unsolicited commercial e-mail.

Google’s idea search starts with an internal Web page that takes minutes to set up. Using a program called Sparrow, even Google employees without Internet savvy ( there are a few ) can create a page of ideas. That enables the company to cast its net across its 300-plus employees. “We never say, ‘This group should innovate, and the rest should just do their jobs,’” says Jonathan Rosenberg, vice president of product management. “Everyone spends a fraction of their day on R&D.”

Dave Winer, the blogging evangelist and software developer who runs Scripting News, described Macromedia as being on the “leading edge” of the movement to incorporate blogs in business, and he said that other companies would soon start blogging too.

We ask 16 of your peers about the technologies and innovations that are changing their jobs.

Big Blue said version 5 of its WebSphere application server, which will ship in the third quarter, will support Java 2 Enterprise Edition and Web services standards that will help companies build better software. For customers, the upgrade also will fill in a critical part of the integration puzzle, smoothing the path of e-commerce transactions.

As the Web moves toward a world of distributed services, companies will increasingly have both the motive and opportunity to interfere with competitors. Consider strategic choke points like Microsoft’s Passport service or AOL/TimeWarner’s cable routers. If Microsoft can make competitors’ Web sites seem slow to accept credit cards, or AOL/TimeWarner can cut off competitors’ streaming video, how long do you think they will resist the temptation to do so?

Blogs offer the insightful marketer a potent new tool for gathering intelligence. Public awareness of blogs is rapidly growing, making the investment in time needed to get familiar with them well worth the effort.

The exact formula for attaining the best results is a well-guarded secret, but the reasons why Google has not only stayed afloat amid the dotcom dive and current recession, but avoided layoffs to boot are quite obvious.

When placing a text ad, advertisers choose the keywords that will trigger the appearance of their ads. Typically, the more specific the keywords, the more successful the ad in terms of click-through rate. This encourages advertisers to create ads that are highly targeted to search results, and thus, more likely to provide value to people who use them. In turn, the relevance of the ads encourages users to look at them. Click-through rates reflect this; AdWords are running at four to five times the industry standard for banner ads.

publishing revolution more profound than anything since the printing press. Blogger could be to words what Napster was to music – except this time, it’ll really work. Check back in a couple of years to see whether this is yet another concept that online reality has had the temerity to destroy.