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Lori

Social Media Predictions 2009

Monday, January 5th, 2009

Some interesting predictions!

Now with connective technologies like Facebook Connect, Google FriendConnect, and OpenID, consumers will now be able to see reviews, experiences, and critiques from people they actually know and trust. As a result, expect to see eCommerce widgets and applications appear in popular social networks, as well as when visiting existing eCommerce sites the ability to login with your Facebook or Google identity. As an example,next time I’m shopping for a laptop, not only will I see reviews from editors and consumers, I will now know which one of my friends uses an Apple computer, and what they think of it.

Read the full article at scribd.com

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Posted in Internet Advertising, Social Media, Social Media Research, Social Networks, Widgets, Gadgets and Applications | No Comments »

jeffpalumbo

Google turns whole web into social network

Tuesday, December 9th, 2008
It was just a matter of time before Google started to leverage the massive base of Google accounts to connect everyone together. As usual, this new Google project is ambitious - instead of creating a new social network as a destination site, the new Friend Connect service takes the network to where the people already are - on blogs and websites.

Read the full article at bizcommunity.com

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Posted in Milestones, Social Media, Social Media Research, Social Networks, Widgets, Gadgets and Applications | No Comments »

jeffpalumbo

Friendster Expands Its Portfolio With Fourth Social Networking Patent

Tuesday, December 9th, 2008

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Dec 09, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Friendster, Inc., a top 20 global website based on traffic and the #1 social network in Asia, today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has awarded the social networking pioneer a new U.S. Patent, titled “Compatibility Scoring of Users in a Social Network” (U.S. Patent No. 7,451,161). Friendster has been granted four patents since July 2006, validating the company’s early and continuous innovation in online social networking.

Friendster’s latest patent, granted on November 11, 2008, describes a unique methodology used to calculate compatibility based on expressed interests between users of a social network. This includes scoring the compatibility between two members of a social network based on their interests and scoring the correlation between two interests for a given member of a social network.

“In just six years, social networking has become both an industry — since 8 of the top 20 largest websites in the world are social networks — and a critical platform for over half a billion Internet users globally to share, communicate, connect and be entertained with existing and new friends, family and colleagues,” said Richard Kimber, chief executive officer of Friendster. “A core component of the evolution of social networks is the ability of the online ’social graph’ to represent our real social life. Understanding the common interests between people establishes common ground to build and enhance relationships.”

Prior to this most recent fourth patent, Friendster was granted three social networking patents in 2006 and 2007:

  • In July 2006, Friendster was awarded its first U.S. patent describing how people are connected in the context of an online social network, titled “A System, Method and Apparatus for Connecting Users in an Online Computer System Based on Their Relationships within Social Networks” (U.S. Patent No. 7,069,308).
  • Friendster was granted a second U.S. patent in October 2006, which discloses the process of enriching other users’ profiles with text, video, pictures and additional content, titled “Method of Inducing Content Uploads in a Social Network” (U.S. Patent No. 7,117,254).
  • In March 2007, Friendster added another patent to its portfolio, titled “System and Method for Managing Connections in an Online Social Network” (U.S. Patent No. 7,188,153 B2), which describes a technology that allows members of a social network to manage their connections by, for example, adding friends; personalizing their network through arranging, ordering and classifying connections made in an online community; and managing these connections at will.

“Since launching the first social network in 2002, Friendster has continued to build and own a significant patent portfolio. Friendster’s four patents address many fundamentals of social networking: establishing connections, distributing and sharing content, managing connections over time and assessing compatibility between users. Friendster’s patent portfolio is one of several assets of the company. Friendster anticipates receiving more patents, and we will continue to focus on growing our large global business into an even larger one,” said Kimber.

Friendster Leads in Asia and is a Top 20 Global Website

Friendster is the #1 social network in Asia, with over 65 million registered users and over 50 million monthly unique visitors from Asia.* In Asia, Friendster has more monthly unique visitors than any other social network. Plus, Asia is the largest market of Internet users (Asia has 41% of the world’s Internet users while the U.S. has only 19%), and Asia is the fastest growing region in the world.** Friendster has a loyal and growing user base throughout Asia in the following top 10 countries for Friendster: Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and South Korea.

Friendster is a top 20 global website in the world in terms of traffic, serving over 18 billion page views a month.** Friendster is 1st in “user engagement” among the top five global social networks, with users spending an average of 187 minutes per visitor per month on http://www.friendster.com.**

About Friendster

With more than 90 million members worldwide, Friendster is a leading global online social network. Friendster is focused on helping people stay in touch with friends and discover new people and things that are important to them. Online adults, 18 and up, choose Friendster to connect with friends, family, school, social groups, activities and interests. Friendster prides itself in delivering an easy-to-use, friendly and interactive environment where users can easily connect with anyone around the world via http://www.friendster.com or m.friendster.com from any Internet-ready mobile device. Friendster has a growing portfolio of patents granted to the company on social networking, with more expected over the next several months. Headquartered in Mountain View, California, Friendster is backed by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Benchmark Capital, DAG Ventures, IDG Ventures and individual investors. For more information, visit: http://www.friendster.com.

*Google Analytics and Friendster Internal Data, September 2008

**comScore Media Metrix, Asia Pacific and Worldwide Data, September 2008

SOURCE Friendster, Inc. http://www.friendster.com

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Posted in Friendster, Milestones, Patents, Press Releases, Social Media Research, Widgets, Gadgets and Applications | No Comments »

jeffpalumbo

Social Media ad Spending decline, demands improved results

Monday, November 24th, 2008

The global financial crisis and drastically lower consumer spending, as indicated by Friday’s Commerce Department report of a 2.8% drop in October retail sales, has forced marketers to slash budgets and seek better performing alternatives.

The consumer spending recession is quickly “trickling-down” to cause a traditional media depression. Research from Jack Myers Media Business Reports indicates up to double-digit declines for newspapers, magazines, broadcast radio and television in 2008. And there appears to be no good news in sight, as sales are projected to decline further in each of these media sectors in 2009.

The future of marketing is results driven advertising. Pay-For-Performance models stand to dominate in down market trends.

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Posted in BusinessBox, CauseBox, Internet Advertising, Milestones, Press Releases, RecommendationBox, Social Media, Social Media Research, Social Networks, SocialBox, United Media Partners | No Comments »

jeffpalumbo

Memelabs, the user-generated video contest platform company,

Thursday, November 20th, 2008

Memelabs, the user-generated video contest platform company, today announces the release of a custom version of memelabs to help non-profit organizations and charities easily create and manage User Generated Video (UGV) campaigns online. The company is rolling out a pilot version of the new platform for Apathy is Boring, a Canadian non-partisan project that uses art, media, and technology to encourage active citizenry.

Vancouver, BC (PRWEB) — Memelabs, the user-generated video contest platform company, today announces the release of a custom version of memelabs to help non-profit organizations and charities easily create and manage User Generated Video (UGV) campaigns online. The company is rolling out a pilot version of the new platform for Apathy is Boring, a Canadian non-partisan project that uses art, media, and technology to encourage active citizenry.

Memelabs helps organizations promote viral video marketing that gain targeted exposure for marketing campaigns online, such as the successful viral video contests the company launched for Wells Fargo, Intrawest, Texas Instruments and Garden State Life.

In three easy steps marketers have a fully customized video contest ready for launch.

  • Design: the customer can supply its own design or the Memelabs team works with the client to create a design; a fully customizable CSS with 100% share of brand.
  • Integration: the Memelabs team applies the design to its contest platform, and can advise on and implement additional social media outreach strategies.
  • Promotion: the Memelabs team helps to get the word out through social media tools, such as blogs, newsletters, bookmarks to its user base of over 100,000 people and partnerships with 40 film schools. These are film makers and enthusiasts who have previously signed up and participated in memelabs contests.

Once the contest is up and running, videos are submitted by consumers for voting and ranking by the user base. Memelabs constantly monitors video submissions, rankings and commentary to ensure no fraudulent or offensive activity takes place. In addition, this version gives customers access to the back-end platform from which clients can manage campaign details.

“We chose to integrate memelabs into our National Video Contest as it was the perfect medium to reach our target demographic, Canadian youth, in an engaging and user friendly online environment. We’ve also received an incredible amount of support from memelabs, whether in site development, marketing strategy, and content management, making our campaign a cinch to update and maintain,” comments Apathy is Boring’s Development Coordinator Adrienne Smith. “Memelabs’ commitment to the Apathy is Boring cause has made them a perfect partner for us and we look forward to our continued collaboration.”

Apathy is Boring wants young Canadians to grab their video cameras and cell phones and tell their vision for the next 250 years of Canada and enter this in an online contest at the Apathy is Boring contest site. Running July-September, 2008, one national contest winner will receive a grand prize: a trip to Halifax for the winner to attend and showcase their video during a Youth Dialogue hosted by Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, on September 20th. More information on the Governor General’s Youth Dialogues is available at www.citizenvoices.gg.ca. The winner will also receive backstage passes to the Apathy is Boring Concert featuring artists ill Scarlett.

“New conversations are emerging online between organizations and consumers and as social media has now become part of the mainstream, organizations are looking for new ways to engage with its customers,” comments Dario Meli, co-founder and partner, memelabs. “Memelabs creates this bridge - engaging, encouraging and supporting positive interaction and inspiring community development. All we ask of organizations is to bring their marketing idea and we’ll put it into action.”

About memelabs
Memelabs is the first platform for companies to effectively roll out consumer-generated online video contests to gain brand loyalty in the Web 2.0 world. Easily and efficiently marketers can take advantage of the growing social marketing trends of consumer online video production, viral video marketing and consumer participation in online contests.

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Posted in Charity Social Network Initiatives, Social Media | No Comments »

jeffpalumbo

Power to the people: The new era of social network marketing

Thursday, November 20th, 2008

The world of social networks is a daunting one for marketers. At last count, MySpace.com had over 300 million users, Facebook boasted over 62 million active accounts and business networks such as Plaxo and LinkedIn featured over 15 million profiles each.

Social networks hold huge opportunities for brands. The personal, interactive nature of social networks mean that brands have the chance to present themselves to users in their own, personal space - allowing for a more memorable, individual interaction.

Added to this, brands can leverage the natural endorsements given through groups and personal associations with brands, almost functioning as free market research into their specific consumer set.

But, how do you successfully leverage your brand within a social network?

1) Create a brand profile

Register your own brand group as the ‘official’ offering on the relevant network. You can then make access of related groups and communities, inviting them to join this sanctioned brand group.

2) Continuous communication

To ensure your community is constantly up-to-date and involved, make sure that relevant content is always available and a host of topics offered to allow users to personally interact with the brand.

3) Encourage collaboration

Run a contest to devise a new campaign slogan or solicit entries for the next advertising spot - it will enable users to interact on a new level, whilst providing cost-effective creative straight from your target consumers!

4) Register your own network

A very big idea but one that is sure to win you prosumer praise. Represent the interests of your consumers by starting a social network i.e. a fantasy league network for a sporting goods retailer.

The people formerly known as the audience have transformed. Blogs and social networks have become vital tools in the arsenal of marketers worldwide and any brand looking to promote and protect itself should seriously consider the influence these resources have on consumer purchasing behaviour.

The new era of prosumers is here and they’re brand-savvy, marketing-aware and prime for the taking. Ensure your brand harnesses the potential of these new ‘super-consumers’ before you are left behind, choking on the dust…

Posted in Social Media, Social Networks | No Comments »

jeffpalumbo

Mercedes Intros ‘Generation-Benz’ Social Network

Thursday, November 20th, 2008
Mercedes-Benz USA wants an invited group of Gen Y netizens to open up about the brand. So it is running a social networking marketing program called Generation-Benz, intended to bring younger consumers into the brand while giving Mercedes insights about the 20-somethings.

The site, at www.GenerationBenz.com, via Los Angeles-based firm Passenger, is an invitation-only forum by which the company will mine the Gen-Y attitudes, lifestyle and brand preferences. The company says that with the new program it hopes to get a new group of consumers into the brand and shape the brand for the future.

Said Stephen Cannon, Mercedes-Benz U.S.A.’s VP/Marketing, in a release: “When our customers join the brand, they tend to stay. Our Generation-Benz community is a natural extension of our desire to broaden the Mercedes-Benz family, and establish a dialogue with future buyers to guide us with the design of our vehicles and direction of our brand.”

The company wants feedback and perspectives on vehicles, brand positioning and sociocultural trends. The netizens will preview advertising and marketing campaigns, and engage in real-time discussions.

Mercedes-Benz is the second automaker to conceive and execute such a program. Ex-sibling Chrysler this March launched a similar program, also via Passenger. Chrysler’s Customer Advisory Board comprised some 2,000 consumers.

Justin Cooper, co-founder, chief marketing and innovation officer at Passenger, says the scope is similar for all of the firm’s clients. “With Mercedes, it’s how they apply it.” He says that the majority members of Mercedes’ site are actually non-owners of Mercedes-Benz vehicles.

Cooper says that the firm has signed another automaker to create a similar program.

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Posted in Social Media, Social Networks | No Comments »

jeffpalumbo

Verizon’s Interactive Video Sharing Service and Mobile Social Network

Thursday, November 20th, 2008

FunMobility, a leading provider of innovative wireless community and media services, today announces the launch of America’s Best Mobile Flix(TM) (aFLIX), the first interactive video sharing service and mobile social network, on Verizon Wireless. aFLIX will enable Verizon Wireless customers to easily create unique mobile video experiences and share user-generated content with other mobile phone users across multiple carrier networks.

Using aFLIX, Verizon Wireless customers who have phones with video capabilities may share their mobile videos as life happens. Customers can upload videos into categories such as Comedy, Kids Vids, Crazy Pets, Sports Hijinks, and many more, or create a profile with their videos and share public or private messages with other members. Customers can also review, comment, rate and share every video on aFLIX right from their mobile phone. Videos with higher ratings are featured in a special “best videos” category every month, and customers are automatically presented with the highest-rated video they have not yet seen when they open the aFLIX application on their phones.

“Today’s mobile consumer demands creative freedom and giving them the tools to generate their own media is the next step in broadening and deepening their mobile experiences,” said CEO of FunMobility, Adam Lavine. “aFLIX represents the next evolution of mobile media creation, giving users the ability to point, click, and immediately share their personal videos with millions of others.”

“Today’s mobile phones give our customers the flexibility and opportunity to create their own media,” said Barry Ross, associate director, Digital Media at Verizon. “Our relationship with FunMobility is focused on helping our customers do that, and we’re thrilled to offer a greater selection of personalization options and applications like aFLIX, which lets them capture some of their favorite moments on video and share those experiences from almost anywhere.”

The FunMobility aFLIX service will run alongside its existing America’s Best Mobile Pix application (aPix), FunMobility’s popular photo sharing service that generates over 20 million mobile impression votes per month. FunMo.com, will power the aFLIX application, which can be downloaded directly from Get it Now or Media Center for a $4.99 subscription. Additionally, aFLIX is available on FunMobility’s direct-to-consumer website at http://www.funmo.com.

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Posted in Social Media, Social Networks | No Comments »

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