NEW YORK, Nov. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Just in time for the holiday shopping season, Ziff Davis Media announced today the results of a consumer study, fielded online among 1UP Network users in August 2007. The report conducted and presented by comScore, highlights growing consumer buying interests and trends amongst the gaming demographic.

"This Thanksgiving weekend truly kicks off the year's busiest shopping season," states Rey Ledda, VP, Marketing, Events, and Research. "In a community where the value of word-of-mouth reigns supreme, the gaming demographic is becoming increasingly recognized as significant consumers and influencers by retailers, not just for their large investments in gaming- related products, but general products as well. Conducting this study among 1UP Network users allows us to gain invaluable insight not only for our own marketing efforts, but also for our advertisers.

Grate expectations as cheese comes of age

The figures back up Broome's contention that we are witnessing a sea-change in our attitudes towards cheese. According to marketing information consultants TNS, shoppers bought £62.6m of lesser-known regional and organic cheeses in the UK, compared with £52.8m in the previous year. And data from market analysts Mintel show that "territorial" cheeses, a term which includes mass-market UK regional cheeses as well as the smaller producers, rose from £160m in 2002 to £220m last year. The study also forecast that shoppers will continue buying more organic and specialist cheese and that they will want to know more details about where the cheese in their shopping basket has come from. "There has been a change in recent years," said celebrity chef Martin Wishart. "We find that about 60% of our diners do opt for cheese and that is more than you would have expected a few years ago.

Hip-Hop Rumors: Ex-Gunit Member Disses Young Buck! Bow Wow Gets In ...

OK, there are too many idiots online to focus on one, but I am just going to say. If you are an idiot, stop being an idiot and get a job or just find a coffin to crawl inside of. I don't mean anybody on this site or even some “rap site." I mean, the idiots with nothing better to do in life.

Expo Daily Round-Up: iPod gadgets and other goodies

The sun has set on Macworld Expo 2008, and what a week it was. For me, it started with keynote-pundit stalking, then a day of cameras and printers, then a deep-geek dive into storage stuff, and finally—in this installment—a Friday of fun: speakers, docks, FM tuners, and other iPod gadgetry; and then a top-quality laptop microphone, a tricky lens for my digital SLR, and more.

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My Turn: Why I don't 'shop Taos'

Local newspapers often print letters from merchants in Taos County who encourage residents of the city and county to shop locally. Many local retail establishments are struggling to survive and residents are asked to purchase here to support the local economy. I rarely shop Taos. I wait once a month and shop in Santa Fe, or, when on business out of state, shop and mail my purchases home. I also make frequent purchases over the Internet. Why? Because I have experienced the following: Choice is limited. I don’t find what I need here. It’s just as easy to order over the Internet and receive my goods for the minimal cost of shipping and get exactly what I want when I want it. The purchase usually arrives in a matter of two to three days and is delivered to my door. Cost of shipping usually amounts to the cost of a couple of gallons of gas at most (and if the order is large enough, shipping is free). Many merchants don’t make it easy to purchase what I need. More than one merchant on the plaza refuses to take checks.

Samsung Digimax GX-10 Digital SLR Camera

Can changing the name on a camera save you money? Yes, when you take thePentax K10Dand call it the Samsung GX-10 Digital SLR Camera. The former, with a 27-83mm (35mm equivalent) zoom lens sells for $800, more or less, while the latter--virtually identical camera body and same lens--sells for $750. Given the GX-10's features, it's a bargain.