GamePro Strikes Ad, Content Deal With Wikia

by Mark Walsh, Monday, Jul 28, 2008 7:00 AM ET
GamePro Media will exclusively handle ad sales for the gaming section of Wikia, the for-profit Web hosting service started by Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales, under a new marketing partnership announced today.


GamePro will serve display ads across the approximately 500,000 pages of game-related content on Wikia covering a wide range of enthusiast topics from the complex fantasy game "World of Warcraft" to Club Penguin. Wikia's game-related inventory accounts for more than 300 million ad impressions a month.

"GamePro has good relationships with advertisers and a lot of credibility built up through the many years they've been doing this," said Gil Penchina, CEO of Wikia, which spans some 8,000 niche content sites created by users. "Our goal is not to be a gaming company. Our goal is to be a library of everything."

In addition to Wikia Gaming, GamePro's online media network includes the flagship GamePro.com, Games.net, MegaGames.com, The GameReviews.com and BlogFaction.com. Traffic across the network in June totaled 14.8 million visitors worldwide, with 4 million coming from the U.S., according to comScore. Not surprisingly, GamePro attracts a mostly young, male, tech-savvy audience.

As such, its advertisers include major game publishers, auto companies including Toyota and Nissan, makers of male grooming products such as Gillette, and the service branches of the U.S military.

Penchina said Wikia Gaming offers a demographic cross-section ranging from older-skewing fans of massively-multiplayer online games like "Warcraft" and "Halo" to casual games that draw more women to those favored by tweens such as "Zoo Tycoon" "This allows (GamePro) to reach a broad audience," he said.

But with communities built around more than 800 different games on Wikia, GamePro will also be able to offer advertisers highly targeted audience segments. "Wikia offers a very targeted way to broaden ad buys," said Bob Huseby, senior vice president and publisher of GamePro Media.

He said the home pages of individual game wikis would lend themselves to sponsorships involving roadblock ads or tandem ads, in which a leaderboard and skyscraper or other display unit are synchronized to boost the impact of a brand message.

With the upcoming relaunch of GamePro.com on Aug. 12, the company also plans to feature Wikia Gaming content on the revamped home page. Huseby said the redesign is aimed at making the site more accessible to a mainstream gaming audience and more in line with the company's 20-year-old GamePro magazine.

At the same time, GamePro will also allow Wikia authors to grab content from the site including game screenshots, expert reviews and video available to use within their own wikis, Huseby said. Mark Walsh can be reached at walsh@mediapost.com

Understanding the Concept of Web Hosting

Web host services allow individuals and organizations to create their websites via the World Wide Web. The hosting companies connect their web servers to the internet. They are kept in a physical center called ‘data center’, which has a 24/7 secure environment complete with HVAC temperature control, virus detection software, excellent backup, as well, as disaster recovery capabilities.

Organizations that prefer web host services independently have to incur huge expenses and require the latest technology. Choosing a professional web hosting service is more viable than hosting a site independently.

Web host services generally come with two options - a free web host service and a paid web host service. While free web host services are good option, but there are chances of unnecessary advertisements popping up and distracting visitors. A paid web host service, on the other hand, is more popular with recommended features, such as, a 24 hour technical support, POP3 email accounts, CGI-Bin access and a minimum of 20MB disk space.

Web host services are classified in three main categories:

a.Shared web hosting
b.Dedicated web hosting
c.Reseller web hosting

a.Shared hosting:

Shared web hosting is used by many businesses as well as hobbyists all around the world. Shared hosting is relatively inexpensive, as several websites share the same server. In other words, websites reside on a same server with the costs shared between the individuals on the server. Most website owners create their own script using PHP JavaScript and HTML.

b.Dedicated hosting:

In dedicated hosting, an individual has his own server and does not share space with any other website. The best advantage of a dedicated hosting service is the option to host multiple websites on the same server. The individual also has this option to handle site traffic, configure software and even scale the bandwidth.

c.Reseller hosting:

Reseller hosting involves individuals selling their hosting space further. Reseller hosting is for those who want to start a business and offer shared hosting to their customers. Resellers include web consultants, such as, web designers, and web developers. Most reseller hosting companies require a dedicated server for this service.

Further, there are two platforms for hosting a website - Windows and Linux. Among these two, Linux hosting is becoming a popular choice among organizations. Since Linux is a free operating system, Linux hosting is quite economical and much more secured.

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Drum Corps International Brings Its Celebrated World Championship Quarterfinals to Movie Theatres for a Fifth Year in "Big, Loud & Live 5"

CENTENNIAL, Colo. - (Business Wire) Precision marching, resounding percussion and the ability to rock the stadium1 are once again featured in the Drum Corps International (DCI) World Championship Quarterfinals in its exclusive, annual in-theatre event, Big, Loud & Live 5, on Thursday, Aug. 7th. Celebrating its fifth anniversary in bringing the best-of-the-best marching music ensembles to the big screen, the 2008 DCI World Championship Quarterfinals will be seen in more than 340 movie theatres this year – nearly triple the number of venues from last year.

Tickets for Big, Loud & Live 5, presented by NCM Fathom in High Definition with 5.1 audio, are available at presenting theatre box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com. For a complete list of presenting theatre locations and prices please visit the website (theatres are subject to change).

Fans can experience these powerful corps performances from Indiana University’s Memorial Stadium LIVE on the big screen on Thursday, Aug. 7th at 6:00 p.m. Eastern / 5:00 p.m. Central / 4:00 p.m. Mountain / 3:00 p.m. Pacific exclusively at more than 340 select AMC Entertainment Inc., Celebration! Cinema, Cinemark USA Inc., Goodrich Quality Theaters, Georgia Theatre Co., Kerasotes ShowPlace Theatres, Marcus Theatres, Malco Theaters, National Amusements and Regal Entertainment Group movie theatres, as well as the Penn Cinema (Lititz, PA) through NCM’s exclusive Digital Broadcast Network – North America’s largest cinema broadcast network.

Hosting more than 35 World Championships in 16 North American cities since its founding in 1972, DCI continues the in-theatre tradition again this year with the 2008 World Championship Quarterfinals featuring the top 15 World Class drum corps performing their competitive programs in their entirety. The event will also include highlight clips of the first five corps that performed earlier in the day preceding the live simulcast. Drum corps competing in the 2008 DCI World Championship Quarterfinals include:

-- The Academy - Tempe, AZ -- Glassmen - Toledo, OH-- Blue Devils - Concord, CA-- Madison Scouts - Madison, WI-- Blue Knights - Denver, CO-- Mandarins - Sacramento, CA-- Blue Stars - La Crosse, WI -- Pacific Crest - Diamond Bar, CA-- Bluecoats - Canton, OH -- Phantom Regiment - Rockford, IL-- Boston Crusaders - Boston, MA -- Pioneer - Milwaukee, WI-- The Cadets - Allentown, PA -- Santa Clara Vanguard --- Carolina Crown - Ft. Mill, SC Santa Clara, CA-- The Cavaliers - Rosemont, IL -- Spirit - Jacksonville, AL-- Colts - Dubuque, IA -- Troopers - Casper, WY-- Crossmen - San Antonio, TX
“Our fans asked for it, and we’re thrilled to have tripled the number of theaters that will showcase the world’s most elite and exclusive marching music ensembles,” said Dan Acheson, executive director and CEO of Drum Corps International. “There are now more opportunities than ever for fans across the United States to experience Marching Music’s Major League on the big screen.”

“DCI fans have continued to come out to theatres to see and support their favorite drum corps live in this electrifying annual competition,” said Dan Diamond, vice president of NCM Fathom. “DCI continues to attract fans of all interests from across the country who can’t travel to the event in Indiana the opportunity to experience spellbinding performances, all from the comfort of their local air conditioned movie theatre. We are proud to once again bring this family event to local communities and give them a front-row view of the exciting competition on the field.”

About National CineMedia

National CineMedia (NCM) LLC operates the largest digital in-theatre network in North America through long-term agreements with its founding members, AMC Entertainment Inc., Cinemark USA Inc. (NYSE: CNK) and Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC), the three largest theatre operators in the U.S., and through multi-year agreements with several other theatre operators. NCM LLC produces and distributes its FirstLook pre feature program; cinema and lobby advertising products; comprehensive meeting and event services and other entertainment programming content. NCM LLC's national network includes over 17,000 screens of which over 14,500 are part of the company's Digital Content Network (DCN). NCM LLC's network covers 170 Designated Market Areas® (49 of the top 50). During 2007, approximately 685 million patrons attended movies shown in theatres currently included in our network. National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: NCMI) owns a 42.3% interest in and is the managing member of NCM LLC. For additional information, visit www.ncm.com or www.FathomEvents.com.

About Drum Corps International

Drum Corps International (DCI) is the world leader in producing events for the world’s most elite and exclusive marching ensembles for student musicians and performers. Founded in 1972, Drum Corps International has developed into a powerful, nonprofit, global youth organization with far-reaching artistic, educational and organizational influence. Drum Corps International is Marching Music’s Major League™. Learn more about the exciting world of Drum Corps International and its member corps on the Web at DCI.org, or call 317-275-1212. Drum Corps International is located in Indianapolis, Ind.

1DCI b-roll is available to media for free download at: www.thenewsmarket.com/nationalcinemedia

Chinese lawyers blocked from meeting US reps

Police blocked Chinese dissident lawyers from attending a meeting with two visiting U.S. lawmakers, the lawmakers and a human rights group said Tuesday.

Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., and New Jersey Rep. Chris Smith, a senior Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, had planned to dine with the group on Sunday night. Police either took the lawyers away or placed them under house arrest before the meeting took place, they said.

In remarks to reporters Tuesday, the congressmen said such moves underscore what many activists and monitoring groups say is a deterioration of human rights ahead of next month's Olympic Games, despite pledges by Chinese officials that holding the games would give a boost to China's rights situation.

"The reality has been numbingly disappointing," Smith said, referring to conditions for political dissidents, human rights activists, and campaigners for religious freedom.

He called on President Bush to stay away from the Aug. 8 Olympic opening ceremony unless substantial improvements are made over the next month.

"Tragically, the Olympics has triggered a massive crackdown designed to silence and put beyond reach all those whose views differ from the official 'harmonious' government line," Smith said.

When asked about the allegations, a spokesman for the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, who refused to give his name, said, "That is top secret internal information that we cannot divulge. We have no comment on this."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said authorities believed the pair's visit was geared toward consultations with U.S. Embassy officials.

"We hope the U.S. congressmen, while making a visit to China, while conducting relevant activities, to respect and Chinese laws and regulations and respect their commitments," Liu said at a regularly scheduled news conference.

Asked repeatedly what rules had been violated, Liu merely repeated his earlier remarks.

Smith and Wolf said they presented a list of 734 political prisoners to Li Zhaoxing, chairman of the national legislature's Foreign Affairs Committee and a former foreign minister. They asked Li to work for the prisoners' release, Smith said.

The lawmakers and Chinese Human Rights Defenders, a network of activists and rights monitoring groups, identified those barred from attending Sunday's dinner as lawyer Li Baiguang, who the network said was detained in a Beijing suburb for three days; lawyer Jiang Tianyong, who was confined to his apartment until after the meal ended; and Teng Biao, a lecturer at the China University of Political Science and Law, who was placed under house arrest.

Fan Yafeng, a legal scholar and researcher at the official Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said he had also been invited to the dinner, but decided not to attend after receiving a phone call from police warning him against going.

"This type of situation is not uncommon, we often experience similar restraints on our freedoms," Fan said.

"We are worried that human rights violations may even worsen after the Olympics are over because the world won't be watching as closely anymore," Fan said. "It's a scary thought."

While it isn't known if China made any specific commitments on human rights _ its formal contract with the International Olympic Committee was never made public _ officials on several occasions ahead of the vote on host cities in 2001 said hosting the Games would give a lift to human rights.

Also Tuesday, a reporter for an overseas news Web site was sentenced to four years in prison after being convicted on charges of illegal weapons possession and public disorder.

Sun Lin was arrested May 30, 2007, after authorities in the eastern city of Nanjing reportedly warned him to stop reporting on sensitive social and political issues for the U.S.-based Boxun Web site.

Sun's lawyer, Mo Shaoping, said his client denied the charges and would likely appeal.

The Web site Boxun, to which Sun was a regular contributor, claimed the arrest was orchestrated by officials seeking to silence their reporting. Sun's wife, He Fang, was also charged but released with a suspended sentence.