Gamers coming clean on scam ads: Is contrition enough?
The social gaming lead-gen controversy sparked by TechCrunch's Michael Arrington came to an end this week when OfferPal, the company he singled out for scamming users and advertsers, replaced its CEO and posted a mea culpa for its past and current practices.
Beyond that, Facebook, MySpace and mega gamer Zynga have made moves this week to better regulate gaming offers. Will the move decimate the social gaming industry?
Facebook wins $711 million anti-spam lawsuit. But social spam is here to stay.
By now everyone online is accustomed to receiving and filtering spam in their inboxes, but recent spamming attacks on social sites like Facebook have caught many by surprise. Facebook is hoping to change all that, with a court win this week against uber spammer Sanford Wallace.
Facebook hopes that a $711 million fine and the threat of jail time will not only sideline Wallace, but function as a deterrent to future social spammers. But let's be honest. That's not going to happen.
Social media stats round up
Here's a selection of recent social media stats, taken from a range of sources, including Econsultancy's Social Media Statistics document, which forms part of the Internet Statistics Compendium, and other reports...
Facebook changes put end users above app developers
The app economy generates big bucks for Facebook's most prolific developers. Thanks in large part to virtual goods, the companies which develop some of Facebook's most popular apps are reportedly pulling in over $100m/year individually.
But what's good for Facebook's app developers isn't necessarily good for Facebook's users. App developers are understandably willing to go as far as Facebook will allow them to in their quest to acquire more users and generate more revenue.
When social media attacks: learn from others' mistakes
As a social media marketeer, I'm very aware of how tricky it can sometimes be to prove the value of social media to a brand, particularly a brand with a self-deprecating view of their public perception.
I lose count of the ways I've heard a brand tell me 'Not everyone can be 'the Meerkat' or sexy like Nike', which in some ways is true, but that shouldn't put you off.
What should make a brand nervous is the prospect of getting it wrong, as in the examples I've gathered together for you here...
Pew: More internet users are reading status updates (and marketing messages)
It looks like Twitter can be carefully taught. According to the Pew Internet And American Life Project, internet users are becoming more comfortable updating their statuses online.
The report found that 19% of internet users polled say they use Twitter or another service to share updates. That's one in five internet users. And good news for marketers.
Are marketers moving their Google search dollars to Facebook's display ad business?
Wired's argument this spring that Facebook is the next Google may have legs. According to Silicon Alley Insider, Facebook is skimming ad dollars from Google's search business.
SAI's Internet Analyst spoke with an ad agency that has noticed brands quietly moving ad dollars from Google search to Facebook's new self-serve display ads. If this becomes a trend, it could be huge for Facebook.
Why Facebook could be the next big news publisher
Facebook's growth, it seems, is limited only by the scope of Mark Zuckerberg's ambition. It began as a social networking site trying to keep up with MySpace, but Facebook is now circling its own orbit.
All that's stopping Facebook from becoming the pre-eminent news publisher for its 300m users is Zuckerberg's desire to do it.
The 10 commandments of social optimisation (#SOCOP)
What is social optimisation? For me, it’s about how you structure your business in a way that increases engagement and participation.
Social optimisation (‘SOCOP’) is broader than social ‘media’ optimisation (optimising your presence on third party sites) and bigger than social ‘search’ optimisation (boosting your universal search results). I think of it as an umbrella term that combines both of the above strategies, and then some. It covers the wider businesses issues like customer service, usability and organisational structure.
While there remains a lot of hype in the social space we are starting to hear about some excellent results from companies that have embraced their communities, wherever they choose to hang out. We believe that a user-centric, community-focused business is one that will go a long way, assuming that a few other basics are put in place (such as competitive pricing and amazing service).
So to help you to see the light, I have defined 10 commandments that should help you to plan and structure your business for a more sociable future...
Facebook cracks down on ads, developers left out in the cold
There are more opportunities than ever for developers today but that doesn't mean that making money is always easy. Some of the most attractive platforms for developers are far from perfect and fraught with risk.
Some Facebook app developers were reminded of that this weekend when their applications were shut down without warning due to ads served up by the third party Facebook ad networks many of them rely on to generate revenue.
Holiday shopping forecast 2009: a lot like 2008, with more coupons
The NLA explains why it is going after the news aggregators
Web 2.0
Graham Charlton
Strategy & Planning
