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BoomTown

Yusuf Mehdi Gets a Big New Job at MSN–But Still No Digital Head in SightSeptember 29

Longtime Microsoft exec Yusuf Mehdi (pictured here) is taking over a big part of Microsoft’s online services portfolio–including marketing, online audience business development and product management for MSN and the search properties.

But Microsoft (MSFT) has yet to name an overall digital head for these online properties, which has been promised by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer since the departure of Kevin Johnson in late July.

Mehdi is essentially getting a part of the portfolio of Microsoft SVP Bill Veghte, who will now be primarily focused on Windows and Windows Live business groups.

Mehdi was previously the SVP for strategic partnerships under Johnson.

BoomTown Visits the Digital Dutch, Part 2September 29

Here’s the second of two videos I did while in Amsterdam for the PICNIC conference last week.

The first video from PICNIC is here.

More biking along the lovely canals of this Dutch city, along with even more odd digital stuff at the conference, as well as appearances by Liberty Global’s Mike Fries, Nike TechLab’s Michael Tchao and former Microsoftie Linda Stone.

Here’s the video:

Dear Web 2.0: It Is the Economy, Stupid!–Part 2September 29

Before the recent crash-and-burn of the overall U.S. economy, BoomTown went all Cassandra and started talking about the worrisome weak tech stocks at the beginning of September.

Then in mid-September, after listening to the frothy statements at two demo conferences from a series of start-ups, I got even grumpier in a post called “Dear Web 2.0: It’s Still the Economy, Stupid!”

In Greek mythology, Cassandra was given the gift of prophecy, except–due to her rejection of Apollo’s affections–nobody would ever believe her warnings.

Well, this time you might want to believe it–for Silicon Valley, it really is the economy now.

Today, as with the rest of Wall Street, tech stocks started tumbling severely on analyst reports and general worries about the economy and consumer spending.

Apple (AAPL) shares slid almost 15 percent after two analysts downgraded their ratings on the company, with one citing the “worsening consum

The Entire D6 Interview With Dell Computer’s Michael Dell (1 of 3)September 29

We’re posting all the interviews from the sixth D: All Things Digital conference that took place in late May.

Unfortunately, due to issues too complicated to go into, we have to post all the D6 interviews in several 15-minute parts (I know, I know).

But–as many readers have requested–they will all be available in their entirety in this column.

Here’s an interview Walt Mossberg did with Michael Dell, the founder of the once-high-flying computer maker who has returned as CEO. Dell was forced to resume the role in 2007 after changing market conditions caused the company to falter and competition increased from other makers of personal computers, including Apple (AAPL), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) and Sony (SNE).

The video of the interview is in three parts, all of which I will post this week.

In this first part, Dell talks about the previous appearance at All Things Digital by former Dell CEO Kevin Rollins and his contention that research and development were unneeded, how Dell (DELL) stumbled and is now trying to right itself and the company’s new focus on fashion, design and di

Sue Decker Makes the Yahoogle Case and (Finally) Gets It RightSeptember 27

This week, it will be Yahoo stepping up the volume in the debate over the controversial Yahoo-Google advertising outsourcing deal.

And it could not come a minute too soon.

Yahoo has been unusually quiet about the issue, after weeks of Google’s more aggressive and listen-to-us-big-brains approach (along with some creative fake-blurbing of BoomTown!).

That’s all resulted in more Justice Department scrutiny and more critics piling on, including the typically dulcet Canadians, who might also be launching an antitrust investigation.

Thank goodness, then, that the first foray by Yahoo President Sue Decker (pictured here) makes the case in a much more sensible and straightforward manner, which has been sorely needed on the Yahoogle side.

In her piece on Yahoo’s corporate blog–the inexplicably named Yodel Anecdotal–called “Myth-busting and the Yahoo!