Online retail spending went up in Q3 of 2007 by 23%. The growth is over 20% for the year so far, and experts are expecting a strong Holiday sales season in 2007.

Some of the hottest retail items are video games and accessories, consumer electronics, toys and hobbies, furniture, home & garden and music and movies.

The holiday season kicks off with Black Friday the day after Thanksgiving, so put on those shopping caps, the holidays are coming.

Thanks for visiting Ramblings of an Affiliate Marketer, subscribe to my Email List so that you can receive up to the minute updates on Black Friday 2009 Sales Also, check out the Deals of the Week for Great Savings. Thanks for visiting!

Microsoft can whine and cry to the high heavens all they want whenever Google makes a move to strengthen their company.  The bottom-line is that Microsoft’s goal is to do the same thing as Google, but they don’t have nearly the same foothold in the online community compared to Google. 

Google is more innovative and quicker to pull the trigger, therefore they are the winner of the bigger deals and the bigger online audience.  The fact is that Google is so far away from having a monopoly in any area on the Internet that it is a joke that Microsoft tries to smudge the Google name.  Even in Google’s most dominant sector, Search Engines, they aren’t close to retaining exclusive power over the country’s users of search. 

Google makes better use of their time and money than Microsoft and it shows.  While Microsoft is running “wipe Google’s face in the mud” campaigns, Google is out there creating new products and making deals to strengthen their company.

In my opinion, Microsoft’s deal with FaceBook means little in the long run and Google is the wiser for not making the deal.  Microsoft is so concerned about one-upping Google, that they are losing sight of what makes them a great company.

Google will be releasing a new feature as part of Google Analytics that will allow users to run analytical reports based on search keywords and the effect they have on e-commerce activity.   This report will also show show where users begin and end their searches on the site.

These developments can be found in the weeks to come according to Google.  And next in line for Google Analytics is a new section that will track user interaction with ajax and flash.

Cleverparties.com is throwing a Halloween launch party slash Affiliate dinner on October 27th.  It is being hosted by Clever Parties who is a new Affiliate site celebrating their new launch.  The party will be held at a Haunted Mansion in Los Angeles, details can be found on Affiliate Dinner.

Many companies on the Internet continue to see enormous growth and valuations of Internet companies have never been higher.  This reminds a lot of people of the last Dot Com burst.

But is this situation as bad?

Companies like Amazon continue to see enormous growth quarter after quarter.  Experts believe that this growth is not sustainable and that the Internet could be in for a rocky road ahead.  Stock prices, company value will begin to fall bringing the Internet back down to Earth.

I don’t agree with most of these experts.  The Internet is still relatively new and it will continue to grow and innovate.  Where some areas may slow down, others will pick up the slack.  The Internet provides people with a connection to the entire world, something we can’t get anywhere else.  As more of the world adopts computers and the Internet, the Internet will continue to grow.  Especially as Social networks and Web 2.0 continues to grow.  And as Web 2.0 slows down, expect to see a new movement, whether it is called Web 3.0, I don’t know, but the Internet is alive and it is not slowing down.

Advice for shopping on Black Friday. Beat the crowds, and get the best products at the best prices.

Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, and it is when the biggest deals are offered by retailers online and in stores. Generally, these sales don’t last longer than 1 day. In order to take advantage of Black Friday sales, one must fight the crowd or surf the web to take advantage of deals offered by retailers.

Expect a lot of free shipping offers from retailers for Black Friday this holiday season in a n effort to increase spending online. Let me tell you, I would much rather do my shopping online at 6 am with a full stomach of turkey than waiting around in the cold for a crowded store to open.

Some of the retailers to keep an eye on for Black Friday 2007, as they are notorious for incredible savings:

• Sharper Image
• Walmart
• Omaha Steaks
• GiftBaskets.com
• Ice.com
• Macys
• Sport’s Chalet
• Petsmart (for your loved pet presents)