Mediaplex, Inc. reported that the open standards initiative, adXML.org, launched in December 1999, has achieved an earlier-than-anticipated milestone with the upcoming launch of its first beta test. This initial release was designed by Mediaplex and subsequently enhanced by adXML.org’s nine subcommittees, represented by 46 participating companies from a wide range of industry sectors. Established as a vendor-neutral global organization, the mission of adXML.org is to define and advance a common XML-based vocabulary for automating the buy/sell transactions of the advertising industry. Subcommittees have been defined for both traditional and new media as well as digital asset management software. Subcommittees for traditional media include print, TV, radio and outdoor; subcommittees for new media include online, e-mail, set-top box/broadband and the virtually untapped wireless market. The self-describing adXML is a common language that describes data structures and types for cross-business communication and supply chain management among advertisers, agencies and publishers. The technology initiative offers significant time- and cost-efficiencies by enabling real-time automation of all advertising business transactions, including insertion and change orders, requests for proposals and bids, inventory and rate cards, and even creative content. www.adxml.org