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June 9, 2008

Monster to Shutter Tickle, Social Net and Quiz Aggregator; Layoffs Planned

Monster will lay off an undisclosed number of staffers as it moves to shut down Tickle, the quiz aggregator and social net it acquired in 2004 for about $90 million. By way of explanation it said it wants to focus on core strengths, of which Tickle's focus on social networking was apparently not one. The recruiting giant has also begun to decommission Tickle's subsidiary brands Love Happens, a dating site, and Ringo, a photo and video sharing service.

Monster hinted Tickle's capabilities would live on in some form. "Online tests and quizzes are an engaging format for online self-discovery and will continue to be leveraged across Monster sites," said the company's statement.

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 5:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 5, 2008

Glam Aims to Dominate Social Hip Hop...Maybe

"We really don't want to enter markets unless we can be dominant."

That's what Glam Media CEO and Chairman Samir Arora said during this week's EconAds conference here in New York. It seemed pretty bold, and I thought about it when I read this morning about how Glam is partnering with Global Grind, a social network for hip-hop fans. Global Grind is using Glam's Managed Vertical Network platform for a new "hip-hop based vertical network" that's now part of Glam's Entertainment Channel. Evidently, Russell Simmons is a financial backer of Global Grind.

"Global Grind will recruit the best sites and blogs to the co-branded publisher network, while the Digital Primetime brand ads will be managed by Glam Media," notes the press release.

Digital Primetime is Glam's targeting technology.

"Prime time" seems to be part of Arora's regular lexicon. At the conference he commented that compared to TV advertising, "The Internet is really backwards…. [I don't understand why] most companies have been really focused on remnant inventory rather than focus on what the prime time inventory is." The goal of Glam, he said, is to "completely and totally focus on brand advertisers."

He continued saying his firm never moves into a vertical without having an "anchor" site, meaning a Glam-owned property, to ensure the company understands the vertical they're entering.

It's all starting to come together, sort of. According to the press release, the new hip-hop network will be "anchored by Global Grind."

(OK, there's no affiliation to MTV's old hip hop dance show "The Grind," but I couldn't resist throwing in an image).

Posted by Kate Kaye at 5:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

June 3, 2008

Quote of the Day: Digital Voodoo's Dave Evans

"I asked a lady next to me in Wal-Mart if she Twittered or Plurked. She almost killed me. Security told me not to come back. Luddites."

--Dave Evans, co-founder of Digital Voodoo and ClickZ columnist, on Twitter.com

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 12:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 2, 2008

Swiffer, Social Media's Cinderella

At the Interactive Advertising Bureau's forum on social media, speakers tossed out examples of good social network applications. One example: a Fedex virtual gift where someone can build a package, seal it, "fling" it to a friend, who can then open it.

But finding a social application for some brands, especially consumer-packaged good companies, is tougher.

Take Swiffer, a sweeper.

"Swisher…Swiffer. I wouldn't put that on my [Facebook] profile," said Tim Kendall, Facebook's director of monetization.

Don't tell that to a dozen or Facebook groups devoted to Swiffer, although these groups are sparsely populated. "Ive Discovered The Joys of Swiffer and I Can't Stop..." has 55 members. "I love my swiffer duster!!!" has five members who made this appeal: "Cleaning nerds that love there swiffers should join this group...because we f*ing rule!!"

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 4:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Social Network CPMs: A Penny Arcade

Run-of-network ads on social communities fetch a measly 5 cents per CPM, while those associated with a social application command 70 to 80 cents, says Seth Goldstein, chief executive of SocialMedia.

"We have to march beyond $1 CPM and move to $2 to $3 to $4," he said, speaking today at the Interactive Advertising Bureau's forum on user-generated content and social media.

Keep in mind that Goldstein has a vested interest in the success of social media applications. After all, he's building a business to help advertisers use social media.

When asked how social applications differ from widgets, Goldstein said applications are more engaging than widgets. "This is one man's view. Widgets are from '06 or '07. They tend to be more one-way," he said. "You cannot have an application for one."

Pointing to an example of an engaging application, he pointed to one developed for BMW's 1-Series that let Facebook users design their own car and invite friends for a virtual road trip.

Asked an application's lifespan, Goldstein said: "An application is like a song. You rarely have a song that's popular forever. Bands are popular, singers are popular."

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 11:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 1, 2008

'Sex and the City' and Facebook

It was the girls' night out at the movies and Facebook this weekend with the release of "Sex and the City."

Offline, women organized cosmo parties before heading out to see the movie.

Online, more 80,000 people signed up as a "Sex and the City" fan on Facebook as of early Sunday, many writing enthusiastic reviews. "OMG-This is the Girls at their absolute best!," wrote one fan.

(Who's counting, but fans of "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," released more than a week ago, totaled 72,000 as of today.)

And, Pogostick.com developed a Facebook quiz, "Which Sex and the City Character Are You?" that has nearly 4,000 fans. Complete it to learn whether you're sexy like Samantha or correct like Charlotte.

How about you?

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 9:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 12, 2008

Social Data Portability: Will It Affect Advertising?

Suddenly all the social networking majors are racing to see who can break down their own walls the fastest -- and in the case of Google, to make the switch from sheet rock to plumbing, if you'll forgive an overstretched metaphor.

Shortly after News Corp. announced its data portability initiative last week, Facebook chimed in with its own proposal to give users control over their identities. Called Facebook Connect, the initiative will launch in the next few weeks and allow Facebook users to carry their basic profile information, friends and privacy settings around with them. "We believe the next evolution of data portability is about much more than data," the company stated in a blog post Friday. "It's about giving users the ability to take their identity and friends with them around the Web, while being able to trust that their information is always up to date and always protected by their privacy settings."

Google meanwhile announced Friend Connect, a project to help any site owner add social capabilities. According to Google, visitors to any site using the service "will be able to see, invite, and interact with new friends, or, using secure authorization APIs, with existing friends from social sites on the web, including Facebook, Google Talk, hi5, orkut, Plaxo, and more." MySpace was not mentioned in the announcement, which is odd given it's part of Google's Open Social platform geared toward third party app developers.

What do these data portability initiatives mean for advertising? That may depend on who wins the right to host and manage large numbers of consumer profiles. If it's a private entity such as Google, MySpace or Facebook, profile portability will lead to new forms of contextual and behavioral targeting. For instance, imagine Facebook's Beacon and Social Ads programs reinvented to offer alerts and ads that take into account your interactions on thousands of sites. On the other hand, if a non-profit such as the Mozilla Foundation wins the right to manage your data in this fashion, such an outcome would seem less likely.

On another level, marketers who want to add more interactivity and social features on their Web sites may be able to work with Friend Connect to achieve that. Ning and MyBlogLog offer different services along similar lines. The former is a white label social networking platform. The latter is a system for tracking and publishing profiles of your site visitors, and allowing them to interact with each other.

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 5:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 6, 2008

Cisco Sponsors Forbes Q&A Tool for Biz Pros

Forbes.com has paired with Cisco in the launch of a social network geared towards business professionals. The AnswerNetwork, launched in beta, is "Forbes.com’s first online social network designed for the person-to-person exchange of knowledge and expertise among business executives, friends and relatives seeking to share and obtain specific knowledge," according to a press release. Also, users will get credits for responding to questions.

A spokesperson told me Cisco, in addition to sponsoring, is providing the networking technology for the customer service and peer to peer features for the new service. Banners for Cisco's video technologies can be seen alongside the AnswerNetwork interface.

Users can pose and answer questions, and check out previously answered questions organized into browse-able categories including Markets, Entrepreneurs, Leadership, and Technology. Still, unless I'm doing something wrong (definitely bound to happen), there are no questions or answers stored in that section yet.

Posted by Kate Kaye at 6:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 30, 2008

Twitter, Tiny but Tweeting Away

This in from Hitwise: Twitter, a social network/micro-blog, has seen traffic climb 60 percent over the past month.

Hitwise puts Twitter's size into perspective. Even with all its growth and buzz, Twitter's still tiny. Hitwise stats show Twitter is No. 439 among all social networks and forums, and No. 4309 among all categories of Web sites.

Still, Twitter's potential impact on brands should not be overlooked as Pete Blackshaw points out in his ClickZ column, "Customer Service Meets 'Lord of the Twitters' ".

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 8:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 3, 2008

Facebook Group Created to Build McCain Facebook Group

Talk about meta. Can one Facebook group be created for the sole purpose of fueling friends on another group? Republican Web strategist Patrick Ruffini set up his "John McCain Facebook Challenge" group just for that. "The point of this group is pretty simple: Get every Republican on Facebook to go to John McCain's Facebook page (facebook.com/JohnMcCain) and become a supporter."

The group even offers supporter rankings (kinda like Bush deemed top fundraisers "Rangers" after his beloved Texas baseball team):

** State / Region / School Chair: Invite as many friends as you can from your personal network.
** Co-Founder - 200 invites.
** Founder - 500 invites.

Not surprising, there's a very specific strategy suggested, involving posting the challenge group to your profile, getting added as a supporter on John McCain's page, and sharing "McCain's page with your friends (you can message 20 at a time or post to your profile) This keeps the movement growing by making it more likely to appear in your friends' newsfeeds."

I realize social networking sites have moved way beyond their original organic approach. It's all about quantity rather than quality when it comes to the size of a group or number of friends. And I recognize that organizations and candidates want to use every means possible to get their message out and drive people to their sites to volunteer or donate.

Still, it all seems so contrived. I wonder what the actual measurable value of having more friends than Hillary Clinton's Facebook group really is. Does it really drive more donations or signups or is it just another empty number?

Posted by Kate Kaye at 2:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

April 1, 2008

Ncludr: All You Never Knew You Didn't Need in a Social Network

Ok, I don't go in for most April Fool's pranks, but all-inclusive social platform nclüdr deserves your lunch break attention. Plus it has the best LowerMyBills.com parody ad ever. (Register to view animated version.)

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 12:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 31, 2008

Hello Awareness, Goodby Brand Equity

You know it's a lucky day when you wind up sharing your lunch table with Ted McConnell, Procter & Gamble's hypersmart manager of interactive marketing and innovation.

What's been on Ted's mind recently? Brands that advertise on social networks. He believe these marketers are looking at short-term metrics to their longer-term detriment. Awareness is spiking for these advertisers, but at the expense of brand equity down the road. Users overwhelmingly regard social network ads as unnecessary and intrusive.

Short term wins. Long term problems. When someone of Ted's stature raises this as an issue, Facebook, MySpace and their ilk would do well to prick up their ears.

Posted by Rebecca Lieb at 3:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 24, 2008

Chrysler Sits Brand Fans in Passenger Seat

Chrysler is using Passenger's brand community platform for its online Customer Advisory Board, a new program for studying consumer insights on the car brand and its products. Passenger powers private Web communities for brands including Nestle, Coca-Cola, ABC Television and Sara Lee, JC Penney, American Express and Fidelity. The new Chrysler relationship was facilitated by the automaker's interactive agency, Organic.

The Passenger system will be used for social-networking, community-building, customer collaboration and advocacy building among Chrysler fans. Those interested in joining the community can signup now, and the firm will begin introducing the program to participants late this month.

According to a press release:

Once introduced, Chrysler will begin the ongoing initial dialogue with the Customer Advisory Board members by engaging the community with live, facilitated sessions where they may view media, respond to polls and engage with other members. There will also be discussion sections that allow members to discuss a variety of topics on their own time during a four-week period. Examples of topics may include environmental, safety, quality or technology. Other features include activities to stimulate member creativity and polls for quick feedback on topics. In addition, members may create their own profile and connect with each other through the message center.

Posted by Kate Kaye at 4:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 12, 2008

The Facebook Factor: Declining CPMs

Social networks have flooded the market with inventory, pushing down ad rates based on CPM, according to one Microsoft executive.

Dean Carignan, Microsoft's director of ad business strategy in the entertainment and device division, made that disclosure during a panel discussion today at the McGraw-Hill Media Summit in New York City.

"In most environments, the ads showing up have no context. People talking to people [isn't] relevant to one product category," he said.

After the panel discussion, "Advertising Next: Social Networks, User Generated Video….", I approached Carignan and asked him to elaborate.

He said the pricing decline doesn't apply to specific verticals, such as automotive, financial services, and news.

However, he acknowledged that social networks (Facebook included) have increased online inventory by about 15 percent this year.

He and other mentioned growing interest in "cul de sacs" on social networks focus on special interests such as consumer electronics or travel.

It wasn't lost on anyone in the crowd that Microsoft made a $240 million equity stake in social network Facebook late last year.

When asked about Facebook, he offered a quick: "No comment."

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 4:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 10, 2008

Murdoch: News Corp. Won't Fight Microsoft for Yahoo

Speaking at the Bear Stearns Media Conference in Florida today, News Corp. Chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch put to bed rumors of a possible tie-up with Yahoo, stating, "We're not going to get into a fight with Microsoft, they have a lot more money than us."

He went on to say that Yahoo had "missed out" in the search arena by failing to invest in Overture quickly enough after acquiring it in 2003. He added "We're very happy to be in the Google camp; they sell our search advertising and pay us well for it."

Speaking further on social networks, Murdoch said that existing sites should attempt to introduce social aspects to their offerings. He suggested that News Corp. may attempt something along the social network lines with its Wall Street Journal site, and that users would be "interested to talk to each other about their investments."

When asked about future deals, Murdoch said he was not looking for big acquisitions, but may be tempted into some smaller ones. He added that he was cautious of the high price tags assigned to online properties at present, and that it would be "very easy to throw away a lot of money on Internet sites."

Regarding the current financial climate, News Corp. is apparently in "good shape" to face a weakened economy, having reduced its dependency on advertising from 41 percent to 23 percent of revenue.

Posted by Jack Marshall at 12:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Live By the Crowd, Die By the Crowd

The SXSW conference has been all about bottom-up media; individuals and crowds creating, selecting and elevating content above and beyond whats doled out to them by traditional media outlets and corporations.

Sure, Business Week journalist Sarah Lacy's keynote interview with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg yesterday was a trainwreck, an abortion, went down in flames and every other metaphor for disaster. Why? Because Sarah was all about Sarah, all the time (except when she was dissing her audience). The media took her to task for it. So did the blogosphere and the Twittersphere (to which her "screw all you guys" response bears special mention).

In real time.

Her self-justification in this YouTube interview only makes something bad something much worse indeed.

Ironically, Sarah has, in unifying thousands of conference attendees against her (and providing the burning topic for conversation at last night's parties) become the most valuable object lesson in what's so endlessly discussed here in Austin. The word made flesh.

If you doubt the pundits, experts, panelists and pontificators, the Story of Sarah proves them right. In a highly weird way, it's almost the best thing that could have happened here. Except, of course, for Sarah herself.

Posted by Rebecca Lieb at 11:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 7, 2008

CBSSports.com Goes Social with Facebook for March Madness

College basketball is ramping up for next month's NCAA March Madness tournament, and CBSSports.com is getting ready for the action too with a deal with social networking site Facebook.

CBS Sports and its CBSSports.com Web site hasn't been shy about experimenting with online and interactive components when it comes to promoting sports events like the March Madness tournaments. Next month it will run much of its coverage online for the sixth year in a row, but this year it will also host an NCAA March Madness Brackets application on Facebook. The application will allow Facebook members to make predictions on winners for each round and share them with friends, and will also link to tournament coverage from CBS Sports, CSTV, CBSSports.com and NCAA.com, according to the company. CBS will also offer a mobile component that will include a "Smack Talk Wall" and team rankings.

Considering how rabid some fans can be about March Madness, I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of Facebook friends linking to this new application and then being brought over to CBSSports.com's coverage for some additional online advertising page views.

Posted by MatthewNelson at 5:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

WPP's GroupM Acquires Majority Stake in Social Media Agency

WPP's GroupM announced today that it has acquired 75 percent of the share capital of LaCommunidad, the Dutch interactive agency behind imaginatively named viral tracking technology, ViralTracker.

LaCommunidad specializes in viral and social media campaigns, and has worked with big name European brands including ebay, Ford, and Dutch Airline KLM. According to a release today, the investment "continues WPP's strategy of strengthening its capabilities in digital media."

WPP recently acquired a minority stake in U.S.-based Integrated Media Measurement Inc., the developer of an end-to-end media measurement system that links media exposure to consumer action.

However, rumors of a more significant ad-related investment have been circulating since last September. One possible target is rumored to be SpotRunner, an Internet agency offering localized Web and TV ads for small businesses, in which WPP already owns a small stake.

Posted by Jack Marshall at 12:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 30, 2008

SeenThis? It's NBCU, CNet and WSJ on Facebook.

Loomia managed an impressive trifecta of content providers that signed on with the launch of its SeenThis? application today. The Wall Street Journal Online, NBC Universal, and CNET Networks have all agreed to provide links to their content that will allow viewers to then share it with friends over "a leading social network" i.e. Facebook.

Using SeenThis?, Wall Street Journal online readers can opt-in to the application and let their friends know what they've been reading at the site. CNet is doing the same with its BNET, ZDNet, and TechRepublic sites, while NBC Universal will allow provide links to videos and shows.

Facebook ran into problems when it tried to launch a similar system for sharing ads called Beacon, which it then retreated from after a good deal of blowback about the lack of clear opt-out procedure and privacy concerns. SeenThis? will probably avoid such concerns considering it's stressing the opt-in component necessary to use the application, and lets face it, how often have you found yourself sending friends a link to an article or video with the caption "you've got to see this!" Loomia is apparently trying to save readers some extra steps.

Posted by MatthewNelson at 10:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 15, 2008

If MySpace Really Wanted to Protect the Kids...

MySpace is now working with Attorneys General on a plan to verify ages and protect its youngest users. That's well and good. But if the site is really serious about guarding teens from all forms of exploitation it should consider changing its advertising policies to disallow ad sales to shady mobile subscription services.

The number of MySpace users taken in by offers for free (but not free) wireless content is vastly greater than the number who come into contact with predators. Yes, the latter makes better headlines, and for good reason. And sure, the harm inflicted by misleading mobile offers may only consist of a surprise $40 charge on a 14-year-old's cell phone bill. But it's harm nonetheless.

For a primer on how one questionable mobile content firm has bought a huge volume of advertising on MySpace and other sites, click here.

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 2:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 3, 2008

PETA Challenges Developers to Get Social for Animals

Combating animal abuse should be a social media crusade, according to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). The organization is challenging Web developers to create a shareable widget as part of its Application for Animals Contest that will promote PETA's aims.

The group is eager to make use of the open application systems on Facebook and Google. The goal is to use the application on PETA's MySpace and Facebook profiles, and it's offering a $500 Apple gift card as a prize for the winning developer. Programs are due by January 25, 2008.

Posted by MatthewNelson at 5:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 17, 2007

Closed Brand Community Firm Passenger Calls Amex, JC Penney, MySpace Clients

When I last wrote about brand community platform Passenger in February, the firm was squarely focused on the consumer-aimed uses of its system. Clients like Nestle, Coca-Cola, ABC Television and Sara Lee were using Passenger to enable private brand communities to conduct product or ad research with brand fans.

Passenger has shifted its client base to include companies using its system for internal purposes. Think Intranet meets work wiki meets social network. Apple and BP are among clients using the platform to share ideas, innovate, improve efficiencies, etc. "It's a lot easier for [clients] to embrace that," said Passenger Marketing Officer Justin Cooper of the new internal business use of the platform.

There are some interesting new clients utilizing Passenger to harness insights of consumers, though. MySpace, for instance, is a customer; although Cooper wouldn't share a lot about how his firm works with the social site, he did hint. In Q1, the two companies expect to make some sort of announcement. There's a chance it could involve the ability for brand community members to add widgets to their profile pages to gather comments about brands and products from their MySpace networks of friends.

Among the latest consumer-aimed clients are JC Penney, American Express and Fidelity. JC Penney has recently created an online community for its Ambrielle lingerie brand.

According to Cooper, companies can qualify audiences participating in private brand communities, making sure they're diversified appropriately. Also, community members can be invited to participate in certain discussions according to age and geography, for instance.

Passenger also weighs the value of a member's comments and opinions according to its "Influence Predictability Rating" algorithm and uses filters to surface certain issues discussed among brand community members.

Cooper agreed with me that brand aficionados often are the harshest critics. In light of that, he noted use of the platform allows companies to learn about a brand community's concerns behind closed doors, rather than throwing an idea to the public Web wolves. "It's an opportunity to treat those people as a new conquest," he said.

UPDATE: To be clear, Passenger is still working with Nestle, Coca-Cola, ABC Television and Sara Lee.

Posted by Kate Kaye at 12:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 13, 2007

Cellware Socializes Mobile

There's been talk about the mobile platform being perfect for social networking. Among the newer mobile social communities out there is Cellware, which launched earlier this week. Through Web and mobile, users can upload and modify audio, video, photos, and other content and applications, then share it with others. The media can then be used to personalize a handset with ringtones, wallpapers. And of course, discovery is a big part of the experience, as well as having access to videos and a social network when you have time to spare.

The site boasts "We're putting the free back in free!" And Cellware means it. There is no cost for use of the site, it's ad supported. And active users who generate hits, recommend new friends, and create content, will get a piece if the revenues. Cellware has banners on the Web and mobile WAP site, and plans to insert ads in SMS messages in the future. The company's CEO John Ferber was a founding member of Advertising.com, and brought in a handful of his previous company's alums to key positions including Jason Ellin, CFO, and Jason Strauss, CRO.

Posted by Enid Burns at 1:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 5, 2007

Zuckerberg Offers Apology, Global Opt-Out for Beacon

Facebook users now have the ability to opt out of its controversial data sharing and behavior tracking initiative completely.

Mark Zuckerberg announced the new control, which can be found here, as part of a lengthy post on the Facebook blog in which he apologizes for the way the Beacon program was conceived and rolled out to users. Salient quotes:

We've made a lot of mistakes building this feature, but we've made even more with how we've handled them. We simply did a bad job with this release, and I apologize for it...

The problem with our initial approach of making it an opt-out system instead of opt-in was that if someone forgot to decline to share something, Beacon still went ahead and shared it with their friends. It took us too long after people started contacting us to change the product so that users had to explicitly approve what they wanted to share.

The whole Beacon episode -- from radical product launch to privacy outcry to sober apology -- has been remarkably similar to the progression of events that accompanied Facebook's introduction of the News Feed last year. Indeed, the combination of reckless product launch and considered response appears to be a Facebook trademark. And that's not necessarily a bad thing.

As Deep Focus CEO Ian Schafer put it to me last week, "What they learned was that if you put something out there, people complain about it, you fix it and then people embrace it," he said. "You listen to your audience. If you solve or address their issues, people will know you're listening."

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 3:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 3, 2007

Was Ad Shyness a Factor in Six Apart Sale of LiveJournal?

Six Apart has sold blogging and community platform LiveJournal to SUP, a Russian concern that already runs LiveJournal's Russian version and has several online ad-related businesses, including an agency and an ad network.

Let's hope for SUP's sake the company's comfort with digital marketing won't alienate LJ's largely anti-advertising user base.

Six Apart acquired LiveJournal in 2005, only to discover many of its users don't really dig on the whole monetization thing. Partly to cope with that reality, the company tried making its marketing incursions more oblique, offering ad-free paid accounts and sponsored communities. Its first such effort promoted the Michel Gondry flick Science of Sleep.

The official line from Six Apart is that it wants to focus on its in-house products, including MovableType, TypePad and Vox, and that may well be the case. But I wouldn't be surprised if the ad sensitivity of those millions of users was a factor as well. SUP opened a San Francisco presence to run its new U.S.-based holding, and announced it will set up a user advisory board "to oversee the community’s interests." So the company appears well aware of the touchiness of its new blogging constituents and eager to put anxious minds at ease.

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 2:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

A Few Advertisers Distance Themselves From Beacon. Why?

Facebook has taken steps to ease privacy concerns about its Beacon consumer data sharing initiative, but many of the social net's own partners are wary of the program.

Overstock.com was among the first of Facebook's early partners to back out, but as the Times' Bits blog reports, Coke has also begged off for the moment. My guess is both companies will return to Beacon after assessing the new changes, which require users to explicitly approve the broadcast of off-Facebook behavioral and purchase data to their social networks.

If you happen to be a Facebook partner, whether you're skittish about Beacon will depend a lot on your product or service. Overstock.com probably blinked because of the holiday-heartbreaker come-on in MoveOn's pitch ("Matt in New York already knows what his girlfriend got him for Christmas...") Also, analyst Charlene Li singled out the company in her blogged complaint about the program.

However I also spoke with a Fandango rep Friday who said the company remains enthusiastic about the Beacon program. After all, he noted, Fandango doesn't sell tickets to skin flicks, and who's secretive about their movie-going habits?

Posted by Zachary Rodgers at 1:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 28, 2007

MoveOn's Facebook Privacy Campaign: Pot, Kettle, Black?

Judging by the astounding rate at which MoveOn's Facebook group 'Petition: Facebook, stop invading my privacy!' is gaining members, it's clear that there is a great deal of public concern surrounding the way in which the site is using user data.

One of the key privacy issues for MoveOn, according to the petition group page, is the fact that Facebook's new 'Beacon' ad format automatically shares information about a user's activity gathered on third-party sites.

The text in the group description, presumably written by MoveOn, states, "Facebook says its users can 'opt out' of having their private purchases reported to all their friends. But that option is easily missed."

It continues; "The obvious solution is to switch to an 'opt in' policy, like most other applications on Facebook."

I couldn't agree more! However, an interesting comment on the group wall was pointed out to me yesterday. A member has posted the following:

"Well, I tried to write this yesterday but it looks like it was removed. I'd love to sign a petition, but I am not going to sign something that will automatically subscribe me to moveon.com emails. Sorry."

I took a look at the petition on the MoveOn.org site earlier today. The privacy policy is outlined at the bottom of the page and reads; "MoveOn will send you updates on this and other important campaigns by email. If at any time you would like to unsubscribe from our email list, you may do so."

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this reads very much like an 'opt-out' policy to me. Admittedly, if someone is interested enough to sign an online petition, the assumption is that he or she will want to be updated on its progress. However, I'm not sure that sending e-mail updates on campaigns that MoveOn deem to be "important" really passes as an acceptable use of user data.

To avoid hypocrisy therefore, perhaps MoveOn should take some of its own advice. To quote their Facebook group description once again, maybe "the obvious solution is to switch to an 'opt in' policy" for future e-mail correspondence.

Posted by Jack Marshall at 9:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

November 26, 2007

Anti-Facebook Petition Gains Momentum -- on Facebook!

Fellow reporter Zach Rodgers posted last week on the Facebook privacy petition from MoveOn.org.

In August I kept a close eye on the U.K. National Union of Students' Facebook campaign against overdraft charges titled "Stop the Great HSBC Graduate Rip-off". I was astonished by the rate at which new members were joining, but that proved nothing in comparison to the way users are signing up to the "Facebook: stop invading my privacy!" group.

When Zach blogged on the group on November 21st, it had approximately 6,200 members. When I took a look at the group on November 23rd the group had almost doubled in size to around 11,000 members. Three days later the group has amassed in excess of 23,000 members! Even since I began writing this post, over 100 new members have joined the group.

Online campaigns such as these clearly demonstrate the potential influence of networks such as Facebook in a wider social context. I bet Facebook weren't counting on being on the receiving end of that influence though!

Posted by Jack Marshall at 1:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 21, 2007

MoveOn Campaign Takes on Facebook... on Facebook

Of the ad-related feature enhancements Facebook rolled out earlier this month, its Beacon project to share customer transaction data with Web site partners was obviously top contender for the "most likely to piss off users" award. And now the backlash has commenced with a new Facebook-based ad campaign and petition from MoveOn.org.

MoveOn has placed ads which drive traffic to a group it's created with the name "facebook: stop invading my privacy!" On the group page are links to a demo of Beacon in action and an online petition entreating the company to make the feature opt-in rather than opt out. Indeed, the main point of contention for MoveOn is the unwieldy requirements for begging off the service. MoveOn does a decent job of articulating what's actually a very complicated offering. This from the Facebook Group:

Matt in New York already knows what his girlfriend got him for Christmas...

Why? Because a new Facebook feature automatically shares books, movies, or gifts you buy online with everyone you know on Facebook. Without your consent, it pops up in your News Feed--a huge invasion of privacy. (See demo below.)

The missive continues, but that's the gist of it. Approximately 6,200 Facebook users had joined the group at the time of this posting.

Facebook knew this was coming. At its first press conference announcing Beacon and its related ad platform, numerous reporters asked about the privacy implications of the feature. CEO Mark Zuckerberg responded only by saying it was always open to user feedback. MoveOn and many Facebook's own users appear determined to test that pledge.

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November 5, 2007

Buzzlogic Applies Social Media Monitoring to Ad Targeting

Social media have been considered places for brands to monitor what consumers think about them, informing search keyword buying or helping design media plans. A new Buzzlogic tool goes a step further by applying that information for text and display ad targeting.

A new beta system generates lists of sites where brands are discussed, and sites linking to them. The platform works directly with the Google AdSense API, automatically choosing those sites for AdSense campaigns.

"You're getting ads on the influencer sites as well as that participating audience that's coming in," said Rob Crumpler, president and CEO of BuzzLogic.

The platform has been tested by classifieds site Oodle, Lending Club, Publicis Consultants and Wharton Executive Education.

Posted by Kate Kaye at 11:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 1, 2007

What's Google's OpenSocial Project Mean for Marketers?

Very little, at least not for a long while. The effort will create a set of APIs designed to let application developers work with data and technology from multiple social networking services. Except the ones that won't play of course -- namely Facebook. Some have characterized the move as an attempt to undermine Facebook through an alliance with various second and third tier social nets (update: top social net MySpace is officially in as well) and some application developers (i.e. "ganging up"), a few bloggers have argued it will fail owing to Google's vested interest in the market and the low audience share of OpenSocial's early partners.

Should the project succeed, marketers will be able to maintain branded applications on various social networking platforms without employing armies of developers. For now, the vast majority of brands maintaining apps are only concerned with Facebook, and perhaps a little with MySpace. If the much anticipated ascent of vertical social networks materializes, and if those sites join the Open Social effort, then a long tail of social networking could necessitate such a centralized application management system. But in that case marketers would likely create different widgets and applications for each platform/vertical anyway.

So, near-term implication? Don't worry your pretty little heads about it.

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October 31, 2007

Google Gets Social

Google is handing out a Halloween treat to Web developers today by making its OpenSocial common API available. With OpenSocial, developers will be able to write one application that can be distributed in multiple Web sites and social networks, if they go along with it of course.

Social networking firms including LinkedIn, Hi5, iLike, Ling, Slide and Google's own Orkut network have signed on as part of the launch of OpenSocial, but distinctly missing are the big names of social networking…Facebook and mySpace.

Facebook made big news and developed a lot of momentum by opening its platform last May, but still holds the reins over its more proprietary APIs. It's worth noting that both iLike and Slide have been major Facebook developers. As more advertisers try to get in on the social networking marketing bandwagon, it's not out of the realm of possibility that Google may bring more partners to its OpenSocial system and Facebook and mySpace will be obligated to provide access to their networks via OpenSocial APIs.

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October 17, 2007

Sony gets Chummy with MySpace, while Skype Places the Call

Musical artists from local garage bands to chart-topping megastars have long ago figured out how to use MySpace profiles to promote their acts, and now Sony BMG Music is making things more official. The music label is partnering directly with MySpace to provide streaming music videos, as well as select audio material and other content, on the social network site, directly from its artists' MySpace profile pages.

The two companies have agreed to split sponsorship and advertising revenue from the content, and MySpace has agreed to help promote Sony BMG's artists throughout the site. Of course, social network sites like MySpace have been doing their best to dodge lawsuits from content owners when their users started sharing the odd song or image, but this seems to be more of a "if you can't beat them, join 'em!" move on Sony's part.

In a separate announcement, MySpace also partnered with eBay's Skype service to provide the free Internet phone call technology directly from the social network users' profile pages. Users with a Skype account will be able to click a single button in their MySpace profile to call the computer or telephone of another member, even if they're not online at the time. Again, the two companies have agreed to share revenues as part of the partnership, as the basic Skype service is free, but premium features like voice mail and a personal phone number cost extra.

The combined Skype and MySpace service does have some potential concerns, according to security experts who claim that the combination of the corporate "time-waster" social network along with the Skype system which opens up firewall ports to network traffic can play havoc with a corporate network. Personally, I'm more concerned that once all the teenagers using MySpace also figure out how to use the free phone system and all start making calls, it will bring the entire Internet to a screeching halt.

Posted by MatthewNelson at 9:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 16, 2007

I Network, Therefore I Shop

Hardcore social networkers are more likely to visit retail Web sites for music, luxury goods, consumer electrics, and apparel, a study reports.
comScore, which measures Internet usage, said Monday more than 95 percent of "heavy" social networkers visited retail sites in August, compared to 80 percent of the total U.S. Internet audience. comScore defines heavy networkers as the top 20 percent of visitors, based on time spent on social networking sites.
Of 61.2 million unique visitors to apparel sites, 24.8 percent were considered big-time social networkers. Apparel and fashion sites that cater to young adults, such as Alloy and Abercrombie & Fitch, attracted a strong share of these networkers, comScore reported.
Thus, says comScore Chairman Chairman Gian Fulgoni: “Apparel retailers -- especially those geared towards younger consumers -- can benefit by considering the use of social networking sites as a marketing channel.”
The study, however, didn't address whether hardcore social networkers are more likely to make online purchases than Internet wallflowers.

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 1:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Al Gore's TV Network Plays up the Internet

Current TV, a television network that sets out to encourage "citizen journalism," has overhauled its Web site to encourage more audience collaboration.

The television network, co-founded in 2005 by Al Gore and Joel Hyatt, is supported by advertising, including viewer created ads.

Current.com will likely follow a similar model that includes sponsorships, said Joshua Katz, president, marketing at Current. However, he emphasized that the business model will evolve, based on audience feedback.

Katz, in an interview Monday, characterized the television network's initial Web site, current.tv, as serving the producer community. There, participants could submit pods, or short-form video, and vote on the videos they wanted to see televised.

The updated Web site, he said, is designed as a social news network. There, participants can take assignments to produce video as well as add links and comments to other content, among other activities online. "What makes this different [from other television networks] is that there's real collaboration between us and our audience," Katz said.

"This is intended to be a two-way conversation -- interactive TV influencing the Web, with the Web influencing TV. The cycle continues between the two, creating a new form of citizen journalism."

In September 2006, Current struck a partnership with Yahoo to launch several ad-supported video channels on Yahoo Video. When asked about that partnership, Katz said it no longer exists. "It wasn't a partnership we found beneficial," he said. Current continues to work with Google, which provides reports on the top clicked news headlines.

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 9:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 11, 2007

eBay Joins Social Network Caravan

What do coffee lovers have in common with jewelry shoppers?

They were among the most active eBay members participating in the online commerce site's neighborhoods, a feature rolled out this week that takes a chapter from Facebook and other social networks.

eBay members must join a neighborhood before they are permitted to start a discussion or blog, post comments or photos, and invite a friend to participate.

eBay established several hundred online neighborhoods, according to an announcement posted this week by Nathan Sacco, eBay's senior manager, buyer engagement. The neighborhoods, he wrote, are based on popular items and searches.

Neighborhoods encompass broad categories such as Italian fashion and specific brand names like Versace or Manolo Blahnik.

In discussions, members tend to exchange information or debate a product's merits. On the blog posts, many entries appear to promote eBay members' stores and product offerings.

Close to 200 eBay members joined the jewelry neighborhood, which included advice to someone who asked for information on the best places to find jewelry to resell on eBay.

In contrast, the coffee lover neighborhood reported over 400 members, many of whom are passionate and/or addicted to roasted beans.

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 12:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 25, 2007

Microsoft's Facebook Friendship

Microsoft is wearing its social media heart on its sleeve this week.

The software company is in talks to acquire a stake of up to 5 percent in Facebook, the social networking site, the Wall Street Journal reported today.

On Tuesday, Matthew Carr, Microsoft Digital Advertising Solution display product marketing, appeared on a MIXX panel on convergence and politely skirted a question posed by Steven Levy, Newsweek chief technology writer and the panel's moderator.
"We have a great relationship [with Facebook] already and we expect for that to continue," Carr said.

A look at Microsoft's booth at the MIXX conference and expo this week at the Crowne Plaza Times Square shows how much the company is flirting with social networking.

Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions' booth prominently promotes two vehicles for brand advertisers: social media and MSN video. In a hand out, Microsoft also points out that its Windows Live, in addition to Facebook and Digg, another networking site, help over 67 million people stay in touch.

"It's about time they [Microsoft] did something. Look at everything they missed out on buying," said one wag at MIXX.

Attending an Advertising Week reception, sponsored by Microsoft and Universal McCann, were digital advertising solutions team members who work with Facebook. They, of course, were mum on any potential deal with Facebook.

In August 2006, Facebook and Microsoft struck a deal to use Microsoft's advertising technology. Microsoft was also designated the exclusive provider of banner advertising and sponsored links on Facebook. At that time, Facebook had 9 million registered users compared to 42 million today.

Posted by Anna Maria Virzi at 2:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 13, 2007

Borrowers Bare Fangs with Facebook Group, and a Bank Relents

HSBC felt the wrath of online WOM recently. The firm said late last month that it was scrapping plans to charge interest on its U.K. graduate accounts in response to pressure from an online Facebook campaign.

That pressure came in the form of a Facebook group launched by the National Union of Students (NUS) and titled "Stop the Great HSBC Graduate Rip-off!!!" The group has amassed almost 7,000 members since its creation in mid-July, and its founder, NUS Vice President for Education Wes Streeting, credited the collective online protest with forcing HSBC to back down.

“There can be no doubt that using Facebook made the world of difference to our campaign,” he said in a statement.

Back story: Previously, as with many U.K. banks, opening a student account with HSBC would entitle the holder to an interest-free overdraft not only throughout their years of study, but also for three years following their graduation. When the bank moved to renege on the promise, the collective outrage of Britain's post-grad population spurred the Facebook group, and the mea culpa. “Like any service orientated business we are not too big to listen to the needs of our customers," HSBC’s head of product development Andy Ripley said in a statement.

Posted by Jack Marshall at 11:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 13, 2007

Facebook Adjacency Crisis: U.K. Advertisers Can Now Opt Out of 'Groups' Placement

Facebook made a move late last week to appease several advertisers that recently yanked campaigns (and others who might) from Facebook due to ad adjacency with the right-wing British National Party's group on the site.

It's giving U.K. advertisers the right to opt out of placements alongside any of its Groups, which is certainly the easiest -- and maybe the only feasible -- way it could address the most current crisis.

To clarify one point