Back from the holidays in the middle of the countryside, I find it quite hard to focus on my online life... so, for today, just a bunch of quick links, useful to refresh my/our minds on some big issues such as branding, online advertising and social networking

The search for soul. On Brandchannel Bernard Leibov talks about the capability of brands of creating a sense of belonging. It takes a soul to touch another soul—the soul within the brand.

Adage investigates the ROI of making friends on MySpace.

Google and the Rebirth of Banner Ads (Business Week).