For a large segment of women, checking Facebook has become a primary part of their morning routine, with the act of scrolling through status updates the first thing they do when waking. In a poll last month of 1,605 U.S. adults who use social media, 34 percent told NBC Universal’s…

Women-oriented blog network Sugar Inc. tells us it’s buying FreshGuide, a startup that offers daily deals in four markets targeted at women. (Like its better known rivals, LivingSocial and Groupon, the deals only go into effect when enough people say they are interested in an offer.) The acquisition is Sugar’s…

NBC Universal (NYSE: GE) is being sued by Done Ventures over what the latter claims is a sale gone wrong. According to Techcrunch’s account, Done says that it had an agreement on May 21 with NBCU to purchase the unused domain names “Women.com” and “Women.net” for $1 million. But at…

NBC Universal’s Bravo Media is promoting Frances Berwick to president of the cable property. Berwick, who has been with the network even before NBCU took control of it in 2002, is being elevated from her role as Bravo’s EVP/GM, a post she has held since January 2008. She will continue…

Although magazines are getting a breather from the ad recovery, the realization that marketers’ spending isn’t going to make a full comeback is pushing publishers into arrangements they steadfastly avoided in the recent past. Case in point: Condé Nast’s Glamour, though one of its biggest attractions to advertisers, is now…

Since NBC Universal (NYSE: GE) acquired iVillage for $600 million four years ago, the women’s content network has tried a variety of ways to make good on that deal. After several brand restarts, NBCU brought in Readers Digest Association’s global digital head Jodi Kahn 18 months ago to finally put…

Having solidified its hyperlocal media efforts, weddings lifestyle site The Knot is hoping to expand those sites with the addition of a directory service. The WeddingChannel.com Reviews site is intended as “Yelp for nuptials.” The move comes as the site’s local ad growth is growing at a much slower rate…

Former Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) VP-corporate development Bruce Jaffe has been hired as Glam Media’s next CFO. Jaffe, who left Microsoft back in January ‘08, joined Glam as an adviser to the board almost two years ago. He will replace Glam’s current CFO, Stephen Recht, who will stay on through the…

Although the iPad is the hands of less than half-a-million people, Lifetime is targeting those users with an ad campaign for this week’s seventh season finale of Project Runway. The campaign features “behind-the-scenes” video from the series during Fashion Week. iPad users will also be able to to vote for…

Shades of Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS). Reader’s Digest Association is promoting a “pure-play’ digital exec to lead across platforms: Allrecipes.com President Lisa Sharples replaces Eva Dillon as president of the Reader’s Digest Community division, effective immediately. Sharples, who already oversees ReadersDigest.com, keeps her role at Seattle-based Allrecipes and adds…

Wonderwall, round two? Microsoft’s MSN and BermanBraun are hoping to duplicate the celebrity site’s success with Glo, a new lifestyle site they are launching today, along with publisher Hachette Filipacchi. Like WonderWall—which BermanBraun and MSN unveiled a year ago—Glo is trying to break into a crowded market, in part by…

Fresh from a new round of funding and a high-profile acquisition, shopping recommendation and related lifestyles site ThisNext has tapped PeopleJam founder Matt Edelman to help focus its content offerings and scout additional purchases, paidContent has learned. Edelman, who launched “improve your life” site PeopleJam in 2007, officially started as…

LearnVest, a personal finance site for women, has raised $4.5 million in a first round of funding. LearnVest’s pitch: Women control 80 percent of all consumer spending in the U.S.—so it makes sense to have a site that caters to them. Content includes a daily e-mail with “hip lifestyle tips…

Since updating its look last fall, iVillage has been tinkering at the edges, adding three new channels around celebrities, food and even astrology. Now, it’s working to expand its health and wellness content amid a wave of competition from other female-focused websites. The NBC Universal (NYSE: GE) site has unveiled…

AOL (NYSE: AOL) practically added two new sites a month last year as part of its goal to reach 100 sites under its MediaGlow content group. While the content strategy has lately rested on building up its freelance content site Seed.com, AOL still plans to roll out more verticals. The…

Celebrity gossip site TMZ has quietly unveiled a gentler fashion-oriented offshoot called Too Fab. Although TMZ maintains high traffic—February uniques were up 6 percent to 14 million, per comScore (NSDQ: SCOR)—and gained new credibility by breaking the news of Michael Jackson’s death last year, many advertisers remain uncomfortable with the…

Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) celebrated its 15th birthday this week with cupcakes for reporters, a Collective Soul concert for its staff, and several high-profile media and tech conference appearances for its CEO. But the company also hinted about some things it might buy for itself. At least twice this week, CEO…

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (NYSE: MSO) held its advertising upfront yesterday and unlike the traditional TV upfront events that are getting under way, the focus here was the company’s range of cross-platform offerings, all of which are tied together with social media elements. The centerpiece of the presentation was a…

Fashion info service Stylesight has raised the second half of its $10 million second round, just two months after securing the first $5 million. Now that the round is done, New York-based Stylesight has revealed who its backers are: Volition Capital, an equity firm formed by Fidelity Ventures’ U.S. unit,…