Published Dec. 17, 2013 at 3:18 p.m. Tweet

Xconomy, a national site dedicated to covering stories on life sciences, advanced manufacturing, health IT, energy, consumer tech and water technology, launched a Wisconsin hub this week.

"I am especially pleased with our Wisconsin launch because it came together so fast. We've met with a tremendous reception, both in Madison, the state capital, and Milwaukee, the largest city," said Xconomy CEO Robert Buderi.

"In both places, we've not only been welcomed incredibly warmly, we've found an unusual spirit of collaboration, and many, many stories of innovation that we can't wait to start telling …"

Founded in 2007, Xconomy is a news and events company committed to hyper-local coverage of the high-technology sector. Xconomy's current network includes Boston, Boulder/Denver, Detroit, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Texas and Wisconsin.

"As editor of Xconomy's new Wisconsin bureau, I plan to dive deep into the state's innovation economy, shining a spotlight on the interesting stories that deserve to be told," said Xconomy Wisconsin editor Jeff Engel.

"I will also examine the weaknesses holding the region back from being mentioned in the same breath as America's foremost innovation hubs."

Engel, a former reporter for Milwaukee's Business Journal, will split this time between Milwaukee and Madison.

The site features articles, a calendar of events and lists a number of underwriters who are key players in innovation and technology in Wisconsin.

"We thank each of these organizations and everyone else who has helped give us this opportunity to tell the story of the Wisconsin innovation community, Buderi said.

LIVE MASS: Midnight Mass celebrated by Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki at The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist at 812 N. Jackson St. will air live at 12 a.m. on Dec. 25 on WISN-TV Ch. 12.

The Christmas service will include choral music performed by members of the Cathedral Choir under the direction of Michael J. Batcho, who directs music for the Cathedral.

This will be the first time the Cathedral's Christmas Midnight Mass has been aired on television since 1995. Clearwing Productions, Inc., and Milwaukee Public Television will assist in the production of the broadcast.

MORE THAN "LIKE": On Monday, Facebook launched a "Donate" button that non-profits can use to collect donations through the social media site.

Facebook has been working on the tool for a while and rolled it out for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan.

"After seeing the generosity of people around the world toward this effort, we've been inspired to help everyone donate, at any time, to the organizations they care about most," Facebook said in a release.

Currently, the button is available for 19 organizations, and according to Facebook, will be available for more charity groups in the future.

DIGITAL TRANSITION: As technology has advanced, more people around the world have access to the internet. This means that viewing habits have changed.

So, advertisers and media organizations have had to change as well. According to a recent comScore study, the number of video ads has grown 205 percent in 2013, compared to 2012. At the same time the number of people consuming online video ads has grown 4 percent.

If you take out Hulu, Yahoo and YouTube, the next three top video ad producers are Blinkx (based in the U.K.), CBS and MSN.