Globally the number of Internet users is set to increase. Morgan Stanley projects that by the end of 2007 there will be over 1.3 billion Internet users worldwide.

"The Internet is about 10 years old in the US and the number of Internet users continues to grow steadily, if somewhat more slowly than in the past," says Ben Macklin, eMarketer senior analyst and the author of the new Worldwide Internet Users: 2005-2011 report. "eMarketer estimates that by 2011 there will be 211.3 million Internet users accessing the Internet at least once a month, up from 175.4 million at the end of 2005."

By 2008, two-thirds of the population will be Internet users in the US, and this will increase to more than 70 percent of the population by 2011. "But while the US Internet population continues to grow," says Mr. Macklin, "the rest of the world is growing even faster."

Macklin goes on to say that China will be the largest Internet market in the world as its middle class grows and home Internet access becomes widespread. He points out that India is working to develop its telecommunications infrastructure so it can supply Internet access and meet the high demand.

Also in the Asia-Pacific region Australia is a leader in terms of Internet penetration. Its online population will continue to increase and eMarketer estimates that there will be 15.3 million Internet users in Australia in 2011 up from 13.1 million in 2006.

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Still, Google Video users get something better, because it is free: The NHL is now available on Google Video. Not only can you watch a ton of current season hockey games, plus some great classic games, full length and commercial free on Google Video, but you can also download the videos for permanent ownership as an iPod/PSP MP4 file, or a .GVI/AVI freako hybrid video. The only thing I don’t like is that the videos can’t be embedded on other sites.

Ever since the strike ended and most hockey games moved to networks I don’t have, I haven’t seen a lot of games. Thanks to Google, I may watch more hockey this year than since the last time the Rangers were competitors.

Speaking of which, the two super-classic games from the Rangers’ 1994 Stanley Cup championship run are among those available:

1994 Stanley Cup finals, Game 7 Canucks@Rangers
Watch all the Goals, saves, and hits from some of the National Hockey League’s most historic play-off matchups.
NHL.com – 2 hr 2 min – Jun 14, 1994

1994 Eastern Conference finals, Game 6 Rangers@Devils
Watch all the Goals, saves, and hits from some of the National Hockey League’s most historic play-off matchups.
NHL.com – 2 hr 5 min – May 25, 1994

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Nathan Weinberg writes the popular InsideGoogle blog, offering the latest news and insights about Google and search engines.

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Most of the NHL pundits talked about how the Detroit Red Wings – who had to cut a lot of their stars, and get under the salary cap – were going to be cellar dwellers, and not do well. Heck, they might even struggle to make the playoffs. Even a Detroit pundit worried (just a little bit) about the team in the new season.

Well, the pundits – and, just exactly who are they anyway – were wrong. The Wings won the President’s Trophy this year, and are now fifth on the list for most points in a season. They are in the playoffs, and hopefully can bring home another Stanley Cup to Hockeytown.

It always comes down to pundits. Who are these pundits, how do you become a pundit. It’s the proverbial they that always is amusing, like “they say.” Great, but who are they? Last year, Slate had a half tongue-in-cheek expos on how to become a pundit, but while it was all in jest, it was also true. I know people that have used such tactics to get on television news … and it works.

The pundit world is part of the industry analyst world. We have all seen how analysts are being attacked as paid shills, and the past few weeks analyst Rob Enderle has been under fire. The San Francisco Chronicle’s blog had a piece on Enderle, which started with a Register article and Sun questioning his impartiality. And, well, those that follow Apple know the animosity against Enderle – heck, just look up Enderle’s name on Google and the first couple links are critical pieces on Rob.

Sam Whitmore did interview Enderle, who was able to give his side of the story – and let’s not forget that while Sun is not happy with Enderle, he was called often for his viewpoint on the recent management change at Sun.

How do these pundits become pundits, and is the analyst/pundit game changing because of blogging and consumer generated media. Some would say yes – go read the post, as it says alot about changing roles of analysts and influencers – and that it is not a bad thing. That while analysts are going to have influence, bloggers are also becoming influential, particularly those that are writing on specific issues.

And, well, I would say yes also. But, influencers have always been a valuable part of a PR campaign, whether they were enthusiasts, influential reporters or industry analysts.

Well, am I a pundit? I have no real idea how I am presented to new or prospective clients, or if I am positioned as a pundit (please, no) or an expert (please, no, but that’s at least more palatable). I have been blogging for close to three years now, and I don’t celebrate my blog birthday because my blog is not who I am. It’s just one part of my skills – I am a PR person that specializes in blogging (but can still pick up the phone and pitch with the best of them).

But, it amazes me that there are blog pundits, people that have been blogging for, oh, two years and then pass themselves off as CGM pundits. Why? How? Give me a break – it’s all way too new for any of us to pass ourselves off as pundits, or even experts. We are all learning, and it’s such a small part of public relations, it should just be part of public relations, not a whole new practice area.

One small anecdote. I was lunching at Coco500 (highly suggested), and since it is SoMa, I ran into Mena Trott. We quickly discussed the Economist survey on New Media … and while it said nothing new, it’s the pure gravitas of being in the Economist that says that new media is here, and that it is influencing how people are interacting with the media and each other.

That’s what is important – how PR can work in a changing media landscape, not how we can pontificate about the changing landscape. If we fall into that pundit role, it’s just like Pogo: We Have Met the Enemy and He Is Us. We should present case studies, present examples of good and bad practices, and help companies because we understand blogs … as much as you can. That’s why you hire PR firms: to be experts in key areas.

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Jeremy Pepper is the CEO and founder of POP! Public Relations, a public relations firm based in Arizona, USA.

He authors the popular Musings from POP! Public Relations blog which offers Jeremy’s opinions and views – on public relations, publicity and other things.

A second billion users will follow in the next ten years, mostly in Asia, bringing a dramatic change in worldwide usability needs.

Nielsen’s latest Alertbox report yesterday is packed with useful information and fascinating statistics on the growth of the internet and what that means for literally every person on this planet.

Highlights:

- According to Morgan Stanley estimates, 36% of internet users are now in Asia and 24% are in Europe. Only 23% of users are in North America. [What about Latin America? Africa? Some ideas of stats for those geographies here.]

- It took 36 years for the internet to get its first billion users. The second billion will probably be added by 2015, ie, in just ten years; most of these new users will be in Asia. The third billion will be harder, and might not be reached until 2040.

- Overall, the internet’s growth has been truly remarkable. Ten years ago, the ‘net was mostly used by geeks; now it’s the default way to do business in many countries. In Nielsen’s US and European B2B studies, many business professionals said they visit a company’s website as the first step in researching potential vendors.

- The billion-user internet is a highly diverse environment that has moved far beyond the elite in Silicon Valley and other global technology hubs. There are hundreds of millions of old people online, and there are even more users without fancy graduate degrees. Users are not like you, and the difference between elite and mainstream users is getting bigger every day.

- US market share and Silicon Valley buzz will become less important than international use as the metric for judging the potential of companies and technologies. The Mac, for example, already matters less than you think. Although it has a prominent role in the US, it’s hard to refer to a company with single-digit market share as “dominant.” In Asia, the Mac is practically nonexistent.

And Nielsen’s concluding point:

Putting aside the details of how to make the multi-billion-user Web work, the very fact that it’s realistic to expect a second billion users points to interactive media’s compelling value. People all over the world are experiencing unprecedented levels of empowerment: being able to do things is why the Web has grown so fast, and will continue to grow for years to come.

Read the full report.

Neville Hobson is the author of the popular NevilleHobson.com blog which focuses on business communication and technology.

Neville is currentlly the VP of New Marketing at Crayon. Visit Neville Hobson’s blog: NevilleHobson.com.

Morgan Stanley Chairman and CEO John J. Mack had this to say: “Steve has contributed to Morgan Stanley in a wide variety of roles during his nearly two decades with the Firm, including as a banker and in key strategy, finance and administrative positions.”

“Most recently he stepped in and served as Co-President during a challenging time for the Firm,” added Mack. “We wish him the best as he pursues other opportunities.”

Crawford who joined the company in 1886 in corporate finance said that he was leaving Morgan Stanley to pursue other interests. He has served as CFO of the company as well as Chief Administrative and Risk Officer, and has been Co-president since March.

“The opportunity to work with the talented people of Morgan Stanley over the past nineteen years has been a great privilege,” said Crawford. “I leave with deep respect for this Firm and wish everyone at Morgan Stanley continued success in the years to come.”

“In spite of a challenging environment, Steve successfully led our efforts to create a world-class finance and risk organization,” said Miles Marsh, the lead director of Morgan Stanley’s Board. “In particular, the Board would like to thank Steve for his leadership as Co-President over the past several months. He has been singularly focused on what is best for the Firm. We wish Steve well with his future career.”

Crawford was an ally of former CEO Philip Purcell. A few days ago, Morgan Stanley announced that Crawford was able to collect $32 million if he quit before August 3rd.

Chris is a staff writer for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest ebusiness news.

Mr. Purcell has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Morgan Stanley since 1997, and is now leaving with the election of John Mack.

“The Board has agreed unanimously that John Mack is uniquely qualified to become Morgan Stanley’s new Chairman and Chief Executive Officer,” said Miles Marsh, the lead director of the Board.

“He has the singular combination of experience, strategic insight and leadership ability needed to bring together the people of Morgan Stanley and improve profitability across the Firm,” added Marsh. “Throughout his career, John Mack has forged cohesive teams that deliver substantial results for shareholders.”

Mack was previously at Morgan Stanley for about 30 years. He was the President and Chief Operating Officer, as well as a Director. Earlier this year, he joined Pequot Capital Management, and before that worked at Credit Suisse Group.

“I am proud to return home to the world’s premier financial services company and to the most talented team on Wall Street,” said Mack. “I am eager to hear and execute their ideas on how we can bring out the best in Morgan Stanley and continue delivering innovation for our clients, growth for our shareholders, and opportunity for our employees.”

“I see four key priorities for our Firm,” he added. “First, we need to ensure that we have the right people in place and that everyone is working together as a united team toward common goals. Second, we must ensure that we have the right strategy to enhance profitability in the face of intense global competition. Third, we need to focus relentlessly on our clients, delivering them the outstanding service and innovative solutions they expect from Morgan Stanley. And finally, we must assure productive working relationships with regulatory and public officials and other key constituencies of the Firm.”

Mack graduated from Duke University, where he remains a member of the Board of Trustees. He is also the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of New York-Presbyterian Hospital, the University Hospital of both Columbia and Cornell.

Chris is a staff writer for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest ebusiness news.

For the second quarter, Morgan Stanley reported a net income of $928 million. This was a 24% decrease from the second quarter of 2004, and down 34% from the first quarter of.

Morgan Stanley reported that the annualized return on average common equity was 13.1% in the current quarter, compared to 18.4% in the second quarter of last year and 19.7% in the first quarter of this year.

The firm also reported a 22% decrease in diluted earnings per share from last year, $0.86. This is a 33% decrease from the first quarter of this year. According to Bloomberg News,

Shares of Morgan Stanley were unchanged at $50.97 in 10:33 a.m. composite trading on the New York Stock Exchange. The stock has dropped 8 percent since March 28, when Purcell reorganized senior management, prompting the former executives to call for his ouster.

Like rival Goldman Sachs Group Inc. last week, Morgan Stanley attributed much of its profit decline to a slump in trading. Second-quarter revenue from buying and selling bonds, currencies and commodities tumbled 28 percent to $1.3 billion, the firm said.

In a press release, Morgan Stanley said “the results for the quarter include net expenses of approximately $140 million related to various legal matters. The initiation of settlement discussions in the Parmalat matter, subsequent to our earnings pre-announcement on June 13, accounted for the majority of this amount. The Company did not record any changes to legal reserves regarding the Sunbeam/Coleman matter.”

The firm’s $6.0 billion in net revenue was 9% lower than the same period last year, and 12 % less than the first quarter of 2005. Non-interest expenses were down 2% from the first quarter.

Morgan Stanley is reportedly considering former president John J. Mack as a candidate for CEO, but neither he or the firm has confirmed this. He was previously forced to leave the firm because of Purcell.

Chris is a staff writer for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest ebusiness news.

The firm reported a net income of $928 million for the second quarter. This was down 24% from the same period of the previous year, and down 24% from the first quarter.

Morgan Stanley reported that the annualized return on average common equity was 13.1% in the current quarter, compared to 18.4% in the second quarter of last year and 19.7% in the first quarter of this year.

The firm also reported a 22% decrease in diluted earnings per share from last year, $0.86. This is a 33% decrease from the first quarter of this year. According to Bloomberg News,

Shares of Morgan Stanley were unchanged at $50.97 in 10:33 a.m. composite trading on the New York Stock Exchange. The stock has dropped 8 percent since March 28, when Purcell reorganized senior management, prompting the former executives to call for his ouster.

Like rival Goldman Sachs Group Inc. last week, Morgan Stanley attributed much of its profit decline to a slump in trading. Second-quarter revenue from buying and selling bonds, currencies and commodities tumbled 28 percent to $1.3 billion, the firm said.

In a press release, Morgan Stanley said “the results for the quarter include net expenses of approximately $140 million related to various legal matters. The initiation of settlement discussions in the Parmalat matter, subsequent to our earnings pre-announcement on June 13, accounted for the majority of this amount. The Company did not record any changes to legal reserves regarding the Sunbeam/Coleman matter.”

The firm’s $6.0 billion in net revenue was 9% lower than the same period last year, and 12 % less than the first quarter of 2005. Non-interest expenses were down 2% from the first quarter.

Chris is a staff writer for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest ebusiness news.

Purcell will step down when a suitable replacement is found, but no later than March of next year. CNBC reported that Morgan Stanley’s board intended to fire him.

“It has become clear that in light of the contiuing personal attacks on me, and the unprecedented level of negative attention our firm – and each of you – has had to endure, that this is the best thing I can do for you, our clients and our sharholders,” said Purcell in the letter.

The group that has been calling for Purcell’s termination feels that he has ruined the company’s reputation. According to Financial Times,

The board has hired headhunters Spencer Stuart to find a successor, but Charles Knight, head of the board’s compensation committee, said it had ruled out as possible candidates any of the group of eight dissident former directors that have been campaigning for Mr Purcell’s removal…

He also ruled out any of the five members of the management committee who quit following a management reshuffle in March and John Mack, a former president of Morgan Stanley.

A month ago, the group of eight wrote Morgan Stanley’s board a letter calling for the spin off of its institutional securities business. “The proposed spin off is motivated by a belief that the board of Morgan Stanley faces an immediate crisis and that the firm has been badly served by its present management and leadership,” it said.

Purcell did agree in April to spin off the the company’s Discover credit card business, which he founded. Today he said that the strategy of combining institutional and retail securities was the way to go.

“The whole is greater than the sum of the parts and clearly more important than any one part. Even in the midst of the distractions of recent months, the firm’s integrated securities strategy is coming together and will certainly bring great success in the future.”

Chris is a staff writer for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest ebusiness news.