R&R Partners: Moving Minds » Social Media

Social Marketing News 8/11/10

Rachelle Houle-Maisner, Interactive Producer — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 19:10:07 +0000

Here’s your weekly recap of recent Social Media News.

Google Wave waves goodbye. In a blog post last week, Google announced that it will no longer continue to develop Google Wave as a standalone product, citing low user adoption. Instead, Google will utilize some of Wave’s functionality in other projects and maintain some features as open-source code. The ill-fated online collaboration tool was extraordinarily innovative, however many users were at a loss for trying to find practical uses for the technology and how to integrate it into everyday life. This blogger was an early adopter of Wave and an outspoken supporter, however even I found the tool to be worthless when majority of my social contacts were not Wavers themselves. Google Wave had a lot of potential, but with so many existing technologies that allow users to share and collaborate already ingrained into our normal web habits (like email and social networks), there was never a strong enough need for Wave. Further, Wave was not an easy tool to adopt quickly: many users faced a large learning curve in understanding Wave’s functionality, and limited Wave invites at its launch presented a barrier to entry that may have stunted adoption from the onset.

Warm and friendly wins in social. Researchers from Relational Capital Group have studied the science behind making brands more people-friendly and offers strategic insight for social media. Chris Malone writes in a recent Ad Age article about his team’s psychological study in perception and brand loyalty, and offers three actionable customer service strategies for social media. For more tips on how to connect with your audience in a warm and friendly manner, also check out 5 Ways to Build Your Blog’s Voice from ProBlogger.

MySpace just won’t die. One month after its profile redesign, MySpace is rolling out a new homepage to provide users with more utility and better access to MySpace’s best features. The former social media giant is focused on growing its user network, which includes luring back users that haven’t signed in for years, and specifically targeting 13-34 year olds. The homepage redesign is available to some users in beta, and will be rolling out across all users by August 16. The most important addition to the homepage is the new MySpace Stream, which functions much like the Facebook News Feed providing a feed of friends’ activities, media content, and events. Screenshots are available from Mashable.

Rachelle Maisner is an Interactive Producer for R&R Partners, and writes about social media at FiveFeetOfDynamite.com.

Trust Me … I’m the Mayor

Elizabeth Flippin, Account Executive — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 22:35:51 +0000

With the emergence of location-based social networking, I’ve achieved the ultimate political goal: I am the mayor of 13 locations (via foursquare anyways). I know what you’re thinking. It’s a bit of a monopoly at Flippin’s Fantastic Desk, but rest assured that I earned that mayorship fair and square. After all, I’m highly decorated having earned 16 badges on my ventures including the coveted Douchebag, Crunked and I’m on a Boat badges.

Location-based social networking is a hot trend in social media, but with 50 new cities, millions of user-generated content, various free cell phone applications, and high-profile sponsorships this seems to be more than a trend. Foursquare, probably the most widely spread and recognizable location-based social network, describes itself best as “helping users meet up with their friends on the go and discover exciting things to do in their communities.” Foursquare also just surpassed the 40 million “check-ins” mark, 1 million users mark and reportedly adds 15,000 users per day.

Recently, foursquare “mayors,” those who check-in most frequently at one location, have been subject to rewards and special offers. For example, during the month of June, mayors of Starbucks are invited to enjoy $1 off Frappucinos. Another way foursquare is leveraging the mayorship functionality is to host or gain access to special events. Foursquare “TweetUps,” or Twitter gatherings, seem to be gaining some momentum. Here’s a foursquare mayor exclusive TweetUp.

With all the hype surrounding location-based social networking, the next step of brand engagement (and foursquare profit) has begun. Some brands actively using foursquare are Zagat, Lucky, TLC, Bon Appétit, History Channel, Bravo and VH1. Having a good idea of what foursquare sponsorship price tags look like, companies aren’t seeing any ROI from logo placement and minimal recognition on their dedicated foursquare page. It’s a mere branding effort at this point.

The challenge for brands buying foursquare placement is they are not changing users’ habits. Users are “checking in” to someplace when they are already at a location. Badges received are typically stumbled upon, not sought out. Consumers are not changing habits to engage with brands. There’s a slim chance anyone will purposely travel to the History Channel’s “to-do” list items in order to win History Channel prizes (read as swag bag) or unlock superficial badges that only other foursquare users can see. Zagat’s foursquare page offers no incentive to follow them apart from one-sided tips and ongoing offers in exchange for the coveted digital badge.

Consumers like to feel as though they are receiving exclusivity and privilege through social media, which sponsorships on foursquare could easily create. Brands could offer incentives for additional locations nearby or partner with multiple companies to create a brand network. For example, if a user checks into a movie theater, an offer for an ice cream cone or free cocktail with your ticket stub could appear. Another example is if someone unlocks the Zagat’s badge or completes 10 of their to-do’s, the user receives a free Zagat’s guide to their city. Or Bon Appétit could partner with restaurants to create “Bon Appétit Menus” only available to those who check-in. The consumer needs a tangible reward for using the foursquare service and a reason for users to keep seeking out offers and engaging with a brand.

While branding opportunities for foursquare are still in its infancy, users should look forward to growth and additional perks. In the meantime, I will enjoy my 16 badges and 12 mayorships and be silently bitter that no one stays mayor for long … not even at Flippin’s Fantastic Desk.

5 things your grandmother can teach you about social media

David Weissman, Director of Public Relations-Arizona — Wed, 05 May 2010 10:26:29 +0000

1. Mind your manners. Social media is still social. Even though we are interacting in a virtual space, the same traditional social rules, laws, and faux pas still apply. If you act like a jerk, don’t expect many friends.

2. Tuck in your shirt. How you present yourself is just as important in the virtual world as it is in the real world. Make sure you are always aware of how you appear to others.

3. Turn your music down. Don’t contribute to the noise. Listen to whatever you want in your own personal space, but when your personal preferences start to become a distraction to others, people will tune you out.

4. Finish what you started. Any way you look at it, engagement is a commitment. When you make an effort to become part of a community, it’s not only up to you when or how often you interact with other members. If you put yourself out there as a friend, be prepared to be there when people reach out to you.

5. Think twice before you speak. You can always say something, but you can never take it back. Especially in social media where everything you say can be heard by anyone, forever, there are just too many “finites” to not reconsider everything you say before you say it.

Many thanks to Eric Fulwiler of Socialmediatoday.com for these tips.

Social Marketing News 4/12/10

Rachelle Houle-Maisner, Interactive Producer — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 19:02:46 +0000

Twitter ads are here. Just launched last night, Promoted Tweets is a platform that allows advertisers to push messaging within Twitter search results. Twitter is expected to expand the ad system beyond search, one day allowing advertisers the ability to push paid tweets directly to user streams. User acceptance is critical, and Twitter has stated that branded messages will be “clearly labeled” as advertisements, according to AdWeek.

The Promoted Tweets vehicle isn’t the only new development currently brewing at Twitter. Recently, the micro-blogging service had acquired Atebits, the developer of Tweetie for iPhone and Mac. This move signals a vital shift in Twitter’s evolution: Twitter will now compete directly with third party developers and produce its own proprietary software. Notorious as an open platform, Twitter couldn’t be what it is today without the programmers who have built over 70,000 applications that have made Twitter more accessible to many users. With dollar signs in their eyes, Twitter is bringing some of that development in house and is putting itself at odds other developers.

On that note, friction also continues to rise between Apple and Adobe. Hostility has reduced these multi-million dollar corporations to childish antics and name-calling. Read for yourself: Apple Gives Adobe The Finger With Its New iPhone SDK Agreement; and Adobe Flash evangelist: ‘Go screw yourself Apple’. Can’t we all just get along?

Out with the old, in with the new. In the midst of ever declining market share, Palm is rumored to be looking for a buyer. News of the possible sell coincidentally come the same week that Microsoft unveils two new social media centric phones, Kin 1 and Kin 2. No word yet on whether Microsoft will pay royalties to Dr. Seuss for the names of the new devices.

Social Media: Strategy

How to Develop a Sound Facebook Fan Page Strategy: Step 1 - Ignite Social Media

Remember Google’s Super Bowl Search Ad? Now You Can Make Your Own (this is an awesome viral campaign)- TechCrunch

Twitter Launches A New Guide For Media Organizations – Tech Crunch

Yahoo Opens New Firehose of Social Media Data to Developers - Mashable

Zappos CEO on How To Deliver Happiness with Social Media [INTERVIEW] - Mashable

10 Essential Social Media Tools for B2B Marketers - Mashable

Social Media: Consumer Electronics

Adobe Flash evangelist: ‘Go screw yourself Apple’ - cnet news

Verizon CEO: U.S. Tops in Cellular Service - PC Mag

Sharp to launch advanced 3D panels for mobile gear - Reuters

Palm Said to Tap Goldman, Quattrone to Find Buyers - Bloomberg

Next, a Kin: Microsoft to try new consumer phones - Washington Post

Microsofts Project Pink phones now official, known as “Kin 1″ and “Kin 2″ – TechCrunch

Digital Advertising

Yelp makes two major changes in the way reviews are posted - LA Times

Source: Twitter’s Ad Platform Launches Tonight – TechCrunch

Twitter Starts ‘Promoted Tweets’ Ad System – AdWeek

The Multi-Billion Dollar Question: Will Users Click on Twitter Ads? - Mashable

Into Hand: Jobs Unveils iAd, Says ‘Search Is Not Where It’s At’ - Media Post

Internet Trends

Google Docs Overhauled, Microsoft Should Be Worried - Fast Company

Tensions Rise for Twitter and App Developers - New York Times

Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” in Twitter twist - Reuters

The Real Reason VCs Think Foursquare Is Worth $100 Million – Business Insider

HuffPo Launches Separate ‘Twitter Edition’; More Focus On Real-Time News - Paid Content

Apple Gives Adobe The Finger With Its New iPhone SDK Agreement – Tech Crunch

Rachelle Houle-Maisner is an Interactive Producer for R&R Partners, and writes about social media at FiveFeetOfDynamite.com.

Social Marketing News 3/29/10

Rachelle Houle-Maisner, Interactive Producer — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 20:19:13 +0000

It’s iPad Week. The new Apple tablet will begin shipping this week, and iPad has been at the center of a media frenzy. The articles below are what I found most interesting in iPad news, including speculation about Apple’s mobile advertising platform called iAd, and rumors that Best Buy will stock the iPad later this week (if only a very small supply of them…).

In early February, Google announced a new endeavor to build an experimental fiber network and asked state, county and city officials across the US to respond to a RFI to be a part of the program. The selected communities would be eligible to become partners with Google in building the new broadband network. Everyday citizens were invited to participate by nominating their community for consideration. The deadline for responses was last Friday, and Google announced this week that they received over 1,100 official applications. You can learn more about the project at Google Fiber for Communities.

Just when you thought you knew all the ins and outs of Facebook, Facebook changes something. This week, Facebook sent a memo to advertisers that “Become A Fan” will change to “Like” within Facebook ads and Fan Pages. The decision to change apparently comes from data testing “Like” buttons against “Become A Fan” buttons within Facebook ad units, in which users were twice as likely to click on the former. When this goes into effect, users that click “Like” on a Facebook ad will become a Fan of that advertiser’s Page and receive News Feed updates. There could be a very large backlash from users on this change (after all, there’s always some kind of backlash when anything changes on Facebook.) The question is, will users blame Facebook, or blame the advertisers? See the memo from Facebook, or read this article from RWW.

iPad Week

MTV Developing ‘Co-Viewing’ Apps for the iPad – AdAge

iPad Out to Prove Itself as Gaming Platform, but Will Users Play Along? – AdAge

iPad App Store Preview Leaks: App CoverFlow – Fast Company

Apple posts up iPad Guided Tours… lots of Guided Tours – Engadget

Best Buy’s iPad supply: 15 per store – CNNMoney.com

Apple’s iAd Could Bite a Chunk Out of Google’s Mobile Ad Business – Fast Company

Social Media: Strategy

Viral Complexity (a review of ROI from 2009’s most viral videos) – Brandweek

Social Media Boosts E-Mail Marketing – Brandweek

Lessons From Leno and Twitter Bombers: 3 Rules for Next-Gen Marketing – Fast Company

The Two Most Important Questions in Social Media Marketing – Ignite Social Media

Social Media: Consumer Electronics

This Is What Cars Might Look Like On Your Next Kindle – Gizmodo

Android Devices Crave Google’s Attention - Wired

CTIA End-of-Convention Roundup: Android, 4G, and Even More Android – Fast Company

LinkedIn for BlackBerry Released [SCREENSHOTS] – Mashable

Digital Advertising

What Type Of Social Media Ads Are The Most Effective? – MediaPost

Apple’s iAd Could Bite a Chunk Out of Google’s Mobile Ad Business – Fast Company

Do You Like Us Or Like Like Us? “Become A Fan” Changing To “Like” On Facebook – RWW

Internet Trends

Facebook Will Rule the Web During the Next Decade – AdAge

Google Receives More Than 1,100 Official Applications for Fiber Broadband Network – Fast Company

Gowalla + Foursquare + Brightkite + Yelp + Google Maps=Checkin Mania – Fast Company

Rachelle Maisner is an Interactive Producer for R&R Partners, and writes about social media at FiveFeetOfDynamite.com.

Social Marketing News 3/22/10

Rachelle Houle-Maisner, Interactive Producer — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 20:35:54 +0000

I read about a really interesting study reported by ReadWriteWeb about influence and the number of followers you have on Twitter. Per the research findings, the number of followers you have on Twitter is an almost completely irrelevant metric for measuring influence. Read the RWW recap here, and see the actual report here.

Facebook hasn’t formally announce this yet, but the company has began to send weekly emailed reports on Facebook page metrics to their respective page admins. These reports include only metrics that are currently available to admins, so the weekly reports serve more as reporting summaries than anything else. Read more about this story at MediaPost.

Apple began to accept pre-orders for the iPad last Friday, with the promise that the first iPads will be arriving in the first week of April. Rumor has it that over a hundred thousand iPads have been pre-ordered, and some are speculating that more iPads will be sold in the first three months than iPhones sold in its debut. With all the attention the iPad is drawing, some are wondering if an iPad Killer is emerging… could it come from Palm? Or from HP?

YouTube and Viacom are in the mists of a copyright lawsuit, which has revealed a few embarrassing details about both companies in recently unsealed court filings. Among other interesting tid bits, Viacom had tried to buy YouTube just before Google’s acquisition was finalized. Read more of the story here.

Social Media: Strategy

Will B2B Companies Embrace Social Media in 2010? - MediaPost

10 Essential Social Media Tips for B2B Marketers - Mashable

Making Social Media Connections, Budgets and ROI – MediaPost

The Million Follower Fallacy: Audience Size Doesn’t Prove Influence on Twitter - RWW

PCH Unveils Sweepstakes Social Media Service For All – MediaPost

Facebook Starts Weekly Email Reports For Page Administrators – MediaPost

5 Things You Need to Know About Location-Based Social Media - Mashable

Social Media: Consumer Electronics

Palm’s phone sales slump and its stock dives - Associated Press

Smartphones not enough for carriers at CTIA - Reuters

‘iPad Killer’ May be Palm’s Last Hope - PC World

Digital Advertising

iPad subscriptions could boost mag circulation - Associated Press

Google: Dynamic Data And Social Features Can Save Display Ads – MediaPost

Google Maps Test Ads in Australia - Mashable

Internet Trends

WordPress Guns for Web Content Management Duties - PC World

Facebook News Readers More Loyal Than Googlers - News Factor

Nintendo’s Miyamoto wants Wii in schools - TG Daily

Google Bringing The Web To TV? – MediaPost

Foursquare Adds Almost 100,000 Users in 10 Days - Mashable

Internet Law

Viacom, YouTube air dirty laundry in legal battle - Associated Press

The juicy details behind the Viacom-YouTube lawsuit - USA Today

When Your Trademark Becomes the Key to Your Competitor’s Internet Ad – MediaPost

Google May Leave China on April 10 - Mashable

Rachelle Maisner is an Interactive Producer for R&R Partners, and writes about social media at FiveFeetOfDynamite.com.

Social Marketing News 3-15-10

Rachelle Houle-Maisner, Interactive Producer — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:17:37 +0000

Sigh. Guess what mega-huge interactive conference is happening right now in Austin? SXSW. Guess who didn’t get to go? Me… a social media blogger that blogs weekly on social media news, and I couldn’t be at the single most important interactive conference of the year. Yeah… It’s ok. At least I can pretend #fakesxsw.

(That’s “South By Southwest” for those of you who do not speak geek.)

Big News from SXSW

Universal Check-in App Confirmed: Brightkite’s Stealth Service - RWW

Big Changes Are Coming to Digg: More Power to Publishers, Less Power to Top Diggers - RWW

Twitter’s New “At Anywhere” Platform Allows For Deeper Integration Into Third Party Sites - TechCrunch

Sneak Peek: Rhapsody’s Upcoming iPhone App - Wired

SXSW: Pandora in the Car Could Kill Sirius - PC World

Foursquare and Rival Geo-Location Games Find Lots of Love at SXSW - DailyFinance

SXSW Feeds

CMS Wire SXSW News and Articles

Wired SXSW News

Mashable SXSWi

Social Media: Strategy

9 Killer Tips for Location-Based Marketing - Mashable

Exploring Why Social Business Will Drive 21st Century Enterprises - Social Computing Journal

4 Ways to Effectively Use Social Media as a Catalyst - Mashable

Why User Competency Matters in Social Design - Mashable

Social Media: Consumer Electronics

More Droids Sold In First 74 Days Than iPhones – Nexus One Sales Very Slow - TechCrunch

PayPal Launches Revamped iPhone App, Teams With Bump For Phone-Tapping Money Transfers - TechCrunch

Digital Advertising

LivingSocial Raises $25 Million to Take On Groupon - Mashable

Hitwise: Facebook Hits No. 1 In U.S. – MediaPost

What Kind of Brand Associates With Chatroulette?: French Connection Offers Shopping Spree to Winner Who Hooks Up Using the Webcam Chat Room - AdAge

Twitter Expected To Take The Wraps Off Its Advertising Platform Today – TechCrunch

Internet Trends

How Twitter and Facebook Make Us More Productive - Wired

A Short (and Personal) History of Social Media: Why It’s Important to Consider the Boring Basics That Keep Things Sustainable - AdAge

Why Wikipedia Should Be Trusted As A Breaking News Source - RWW

5 Ways to Use Google Wave for Business - Mashable

Foursquare Hits 347,000 Checkins in a Day - Mashable

Reuters to Journalists: Don’t Break News on Twitter - Mashable

Rachelle Maisner is an Interactive Producer for R&R Partners, and writes about social media at FiveFeetOfDynamite.com.

Social Marketing News 3/1/10

Rachelle Houle-Maisner, Interactive Producer — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:59:03 +0000

March 1st brought joy to many Facebook users, a date which marks the end of Facebook app Notifications. Apps on Facebook are no longer able to send updates via Notifications, which are now reserved mainly for friend activity. Find out what alternatives app developers now have at this Mashable article.

Twitter and YouTube are also rolling out new features. On Twitter, the new “Be Found On Twitter” feature allows users to opt-in to share their email address and/or phone number, making it easier for contacts to find them. For YouTube, it’s a massive redesign that will improve the user experience by adding a video queue feature and improved playlist design. The redesign also includes the release of an AutoPlay feature, which will allow YouTube to be consumed more like TV, allowing the user to sit back and just watch one video after another in a push model rather than the current pull model. Find out more about these releases under the New Features heading below.

“Have you heard of Chatroulette?” The latest fad of social media, Chatroulette is a video chat service which will randomly pair you to another video conferencing user. It’s a bare bones interface with minimalistic functionality- basically just two web cam windows and a chat room. The site connects users to complete strangers, there is no way to control who will pop up on the other side. Some believe that Chatroulette will become as popular as Twitter, though it’s not the first interactive video conferencing site, and probably won’t be the last. I don’t think Chatroulette will be able to go mainstream without significant investment and added functionality. If the interest continues to increase, there’s a good chance that established social networking platforms like Facebook will adopt video conferencing as a new feature, which may kill Chatroulette before it has a chance to get out of the gate.

Want to know how your brand compares to your competitor in social media? Try uberVu Compare. A freemium social media comparison tool, Compare is a new product from uberVu that performs a side-by-side comparison of two brands based on their social media performance. It could be considered overly simplistic for veteran social media analysts, but this a great tool for a quick snapshot of social media presence.

“Crowdsourcing” is a still a hip buzzword. Grogger is a new platform that allows you to crowdsource your blog content. Mash together the words “group” and “blog”, what do you get? A “Grog”! For people that believe two heads are better than one, Grogger is an appealing tool that allows a community of users to write, edit, and vote on blog content. For more details, read the TechCrunch review.

New Features

Be Found on Twitter: Connecting Our Dots in the Social Graph - RWW

Twitter Comes To Yahoo – PC World

YouTube Redesign Keeps You Watching - RWW

Facebook to Say Goodbye to App Notifications on March 1st - Mashable

Chatroulette

Did Chatroulette Just Launch the Interactive Video Conferencing Boom? - AdAge

Chatroulette, by the Numbers - WSJ Digits

Social Media: Strategy

Most Super Bowl Ads Don’t Go Viral - AdAge

Vitrue Adds Facebook ‘Wall Apps’ To Social Platform – MediaPost

Compare Social Media Performance Head-to-Head with uberVu - Mashable

Oh Yeah, Well I’m Going To Twitter You! – MediaPost

Social Media: Consumer Electronics

Scribd Makes Push Into Mobile - MediaPost

Consumers Are Pushing Up Sales of Smartphones - Yahoo! News

Digital Advertising

Measure the Web Like TV and Brand Advertising Will Follow - AdAge

Sources: Twitter Ad Platform Quite Google-Like – MediaPost

Display Ads Stimulate Search, Confirms Eyeblaster Study – MediaPost

Internet Trends

Social Networking In Matters Of Life And Death – MediaPost

Grogger: A New Platform That Lets You Crowdsource Your Blog’s Content - TechCrunch

E-Cards Are Dead… Except on Mother’s Day - RWW

Time Spent on Social Networks up 82% Around the World - BrianSolis

How Twitter in the Classroom is Boosting Student Engagement - Mashable

Facebook to Take 30% Cut of Developers’ Facebook Credits Revenues - Mashable

Rachelle Maisner is an Interactive Producer for R&R Partners, and writes about social media at FiveFeetOfDynamite.com.

Social Marketing News 2/22/10

Rachelle Houle-Maisner, Interactive Producer — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 02:39:06 +0000

It’s back! Social Media News has been on hiatus for a couple weeks, as my client work (and spending time with my Valentine) always comes first- but I am getting back on track with this week’s update.

In the social media sphere, change happens in a blink of an eye. While I was on break from blogging a lot of big things happened in this space, most notably the release of Google Buzz. The buzz about Buzz is that it’s Google’s latest life-streaming social media portal. Like Twitter and Facebook, Buzz allows users to keep in touch with friends and by sharing status updates, links, photos, and more.

Is Buzz a formidable threat to Twitter and Facebook? Maybe, but probably not. Buzz is integrated with Google’s email platform Gmail, and I’m guessing Google thought that would be a good way to gain immediate adoption en masse. But for many internet users, email use is in decline as social media use continues to rise. If Google had released Buzz two or three years ago it could have gained real traction, but unfortunately many would-be early adopters have already abandoned their Gmail accounts in favor of Facebook messaging (which is moving towards a full webmail service, code named Project Titan).

Also while I was off the grid, I missed a couple of birthdays. Flickr and Facebook both turned six years old this month. That’s a pretty long time in Internet years; do you think they’ll make it another six?

Google Buzz

If Google Wave Is The Future, Google Buzz Is The Present - TechCrunch

Google Buzz: What It Means for Twitter and Facebook - Mashable

Google Will Ask Buzz’s Early Adopters to Confirm Privacy Choices - Wired

Google Buzz May Help Its Rivals More Than Itself - MediaPost

Facebook

PayPal and Facebook Credits Will Play Nice After All - Mashable

The Fun of Facebook Measurement - Gilligan on Data

Facebook Moves Towards World — Not Just Social Networking – Domination -MediaPost

Social Media: Strategy

5 Ways Airlines and Hotels Can Drive Revenue with Social Media - Mashable

HOW TO: Deal With Negative Feedback in Social Media - Mashable

How Much Blog Would a Blogger Blog If a Blog Chucked Its Comments? - MediaPost

Social Media: Consumer Electronics

Official Twitter App for BlackBerry Looks Really Good – Mashable

Fashion Show Goers Purchased Clothes Straight From the Runway Using a BlackBerry App - Gizmodo

Motorola Backflip Will Be the First Android Phone on AT&T - Wired

Digital Advertising

Online Video Gets an Ad Exchange - AdAge

Live TV’s Alive as Ever, Boosted by Social Media - AdAge

Pre-Roll Video Ads Still Hated, Here to Stay – AdAge

Beyond the Badge: Big Media Brands Strike Foursquare Deals - AdAge

Internet Trends

How Social Media Is Changing the Super Bowl – Mashable

Walmart Buys Vudu, Jumping Into Online Movie Rentals – Wired

School District Halts Webcam Surveillance – Wired

It’s Official: Google Can Sell Power Like a Utility – Wired

Checking In, Checking Out [a great article summing up the latest location-based mobile/social apps] - MediaPost

Rachelle Maisner is an Interactive Producer for R&R Partners, and writes about social media at FiveFeetOfDynamite.com.

Social Marketing News 2/1/10

Rachelle Houle-Maisner, Interactive Producer — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 01:22:43 +0000

Apple’s iPad was the biggest news last week, drawing attention from every corner of the web. Within minutes of the announcement, hype turned into hysterics as the jokes started pouring in. Apparently #iTampon was the third most trending topic that evening. Many see the Maxi- I mean iPad as a huge threat to existing eBooks like the Kindle. I’m not so sure about that. Yes the iPad has a full color LED display, but one very important feature of a true eBook is eInk. This is a low res, black and white display with a low refresh rate that reduces eye strain, making the screen more like reading printed paper. To me the iPad is like a glossy magazine, but the Kindle is like a simple black and white novel. The bookworms that consume the most eBook content are going to stick with Kindle, and the iPad will appeal to people looking for a Netbook first, eBook second.

Interested in measuring ROI from your Facebook efforts? That’s about to become a little easier when Facebook rolls out its new conversion tracking tool. Facebook announced the upcoming feature at last week’s OMMA Social event in San Francisco. MediaPost embedded video from the discussion on this article.

Proctor & Gamble is officially in favor of social media marketing, embracing Facebook in particular and encouraging its brands to do the same. I found it interesting that in the article reporting on this topic, AdAge felt it was necessary to quote Ted McConnell, general manager-interactive marketing and innovation for P&G, with contradictory remarks from 2008. This one caught my eye:

“Who said this is media?” he said. “Media is something you can buy and sell. Media contains inventory. Media contains blank spaces. Consumers weren’t trying to generate media. They were trying to talk to somebody. So it just seems a bit arrogant. … We hijack their own conversations, their own thoughts and feelings, and try to monetize it.”

With this quote AdAge is perhaps trying to demonstrate a riff in P&G’s ranks, though the remarks were said over a year ago and I have the suspicion that it may have been out of context. Whether McConnell supports social media marketing or not, this is a great quote with a lot of truth behind it. We can’t treat social media as advertising, it’s an entirely different kind of game. Ignite’s Jim Tobin was on the same wavelength in a recent Web Trends episode when he said, ”The web is the worst place in the world for interrupting people.” I couldn’t agree more.

Facebook

P&G Embraces Facebook as Big Part of Its Marketing Plan - AdAge

Facebook Now Has Yahoo In Its Sites, Already Bigger In Pageviews (ComScore) - Tech Crunch

Facebook Develops Conversion Tracking Tool: What’s A Fan Worth? – MediaPost

Why Your Boss Hates Facebook - ReadWriteWeb

Baby Boomers and Seniors Are Flocking to Facebook [STATS] - Mashable