Good afternoon. Google Video is going the way of the Dodo bird. It’s been a long time coming with Google’s ability to monetize YouTube and the push to make YouTube the all-in-one video hot spot. Facebook is looking to build their relationships with journalists by hiring a full time media liaison. The decision comes as Facebook looks to allow users to alter their news feeds to include actual, relevant world news rather than what their friends are doing for lunch. This is an interesting bit of news, since Twitter recently announced that the possibility for a real time, user relevant news feed is their main focus in 2011. An interesting article from AdAge spotlights the relationship between social media users and live television. The article goes on to speak about the correlation between viewers that interact with a show via a social site and the loss of viewer attention during commercials. Enjoy!
I. YouTube Recasts for New Viewers, wsj.com, April 7, 2011
II. Facebook trying to ‘friend’ journalists, cnn.com, April 14, 2011
III. Court Upholds Facebook Settlement With Twins, nyt.com, April 11, 2011
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I. YouTube Recasts for New Viewers, wsj.com, April 7, 2011
http://mashable.com/2011/04/16/google-video-rip/
Google‘s decided to shut down its Google Video service, and in an email sent Friday night (4/15/2011), reminded those who’ve uploaded videos to the site that they have until May 13 to download them before they are removed.
Google says that on April 29, Google Videos will no longer be viewable on the site, and the download function will still be available for a couple of weeks to allow users to retrieve their work. Perhaps many of those users will move their video clips to Google’s other video service, YouTube, which Google acquired in 2006.
II. Facebook trying to ‘friend’ journalists, cnn.com, April 14, 2011
http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/social.media/04/14/facebook.journalists/index.html
Facebook is taking major steps to ensure that its News Feeds contain more actual news.
The social media giant is hiring someone to build relationships with reporters and news organizations. The new hire also will help organize journalism-focused events, the first of which will take place this month at Facebook’s headquarters in Palo Alto, California.
III. Is Social Media Killing TV?, adage.com, April 18, 2011
http://adage.com/article/digital/social-media-killing-tv/227028/
In fact, after years of declines in live tune-in, Twitter, Facebook and some mobile startups appear to be luring audiences back to appointment TV. While DVRs unglued us from TV schedules, the desire to tap into the tweets, posts and check-ins in real time may just bring us back.
“If you look at the tweets about a TV show, a huge proportion come from when the show is airing live, not an hour later,” said Robin Sloan, who works with Twitter’s media-partnership team. During awards shows such as the Oscars and Grammys, Twitter has seen viewers complain that those events aren’t aired live on both coasts. To appease U.S. fans forced to swear off the internet for a month to save from British tweeters’ “Doctor Who” spoilers, the BBC decided to air the show on both continents on the same day.
Good morning. YouTube is making a play for your precious television viewing hours. Google announced they will be revamping the site to include an easier to use channel system that allows users to compile shows around themes like sports or art. As more people turn to the web for content, I have no doubt that Google will find a way to monetize viewing time on YouTube with advertisers. Much like everything else in the world, Facebook is getting more expensive. The cost of Facebook ads has risen nearly 40% this year as companies see the value in targeting consumers in the social space. The long awaited court ruling around who actually owns the idea of Facebook was finally reached. The Winklevoss brothers may not have won the suit, but they did walk away with a 200 million dollar settlement. Enjoy.
I. YouTube Recasts for New Viewers, wsj.com, April 7, 2011
II. Cost of Facebook Ads Jumped 40% This Year, mashable.com, April 11, 2011
III. Court Upholds Facebook Settlement With Twins, nyt.com, April 11, 2011
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I. YouTube Recasts for New Viewers, wsj.com, April 7, 2011
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704013604576247060940913104.html?mod=WSJ_Tech_RightMostPopular
Google Inc. is working on a major overhaul of YouTube as it tries to position itself for the rise of televisions that let people watch online video in their living rooms, according to people familiar with the matter.
YouTube is looking to compete with broadcast and cable television, some of these people said, a goal that requires it to entice users to stay on the website longer, and to convince advertisers that it will reach desirable consumers.
II. Cost of Facebook Ads Jumped 40% This Year, mashable.com, April 11, 2011
http://mashable.com/2011/04/11/facebook-ad-prices/
Facebook is using its marketing dominance to demand higher prices for ads, prompting a 40% jump in cost-per-click in the first quarter, according to researcher Efficient Frontier. Efficient Frontier, a digital marketing firm, based its data on its Customer Index, a subset of the company’s client roster. The company manages $1 billion in annual marketing spending on behalf of its clients, which include Discover, Baby Center and Crate & Barrel, among others.
III. Court Upholds Facebook Settlement With Twins, nyt.com, April 11, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/12/technology/12facebook.html?ref=technology
SAN FRANCISCO — Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, the Olympic rowers and identical twins who claimed that they, not Mark Zuckerberg, had the original idea for Facebook, have lost the latest chapter in their six-year legal feud. But it’s a loss that comes with a pretty nice consolation prize. And it may not be the end of the case. A three-judge panel of a federal appeals court here ruled Monday that the brothers, whose fight over Facebook’s origins was the narrative arc of the Hollywood hit “The Social Network,” cannot back out of a settlement they signed with the company in 2008. That settlement is now worth about $200 million, according to estimates by experts.
Hello. Seattle’s Best is tapping the social world for comedy gold in hopes of upstaging the Old Spice “smell like a man, man” campaign. Seattle’s Best is a Starbucks subsidiary, so they are no stranger to social media buzz, but the Old Spice campaign has been an advertising juggernaut. The campaign is a cool mix of user generated content, social channels and an improv comedy show. Hackers are targeting people via social and mobile applications. As more people shift to these tools the hackers will continue to “phish” where the fish are. Enjoy.
I. Seattle’s Best Plots to Upstage Old Spice, adage.com, April 11, 2011
II. Mobile Devices And Social Networks Key Malware Targets, wsj.com, April 11, 2011
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I. Seattle’s Best Plots to Upstage Old Spice, adage.com, April 11, 2011
http://adage.com/article/news/seattle-s-taps-facebook-city-levels-system/226910/
Did you hear the one about Seattle’s Best? In one of the more ambitious social-media plays in recent memory, the brand is engaging in improvisational comedy on Facebook with skits custom-tailored for people who “like” it.
II. Mobile Devices And Social Networks Key Malware Targets, wsj.com, April 11, 2011
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704101604576248330680975662.html?mod=WSJ_Tech_LEFTTopNews
Consumers using Facebook and other social media sites, or using mobile devices, are among the key targets of malware according to the latest Internet Security Threat Report published by anti-virus company Symantec.
The company’s 16th report still sees attacks in which specific industries or even individuals, are targeted as one of the main threats, but highlights the developing vulnerabilities that social media and mobile devices open up.
Good morning. The Department of Homeland Security plans to use Facebook and Twitter to alert the public of terror warnings. The move comes as more people rely on social networks for real-time news. In a twist of all things social, Facebook decided to open up their server systems for hardware design. This is a very bold move for the company, as they are looking at improving the open source information by sharing it with the world developers. The real estate industry is no stranger to social networking. From apps, to real-time video tours the industry has truly been changed through social integration. Twitter announced a 41% increase in tweets in Q1 this year, and they are now seeing 155 million tweets per day. Enjoy.
I. Homeland Security Taps Twitter, Facebook For New Alert System, techcrunch.com, April 7, 2011
II. Facebook Shares Server Design, wsj.com, April 8, 2011
III. How the Real Estate Industry Is Using Social Media, mashable.com, April 7, 2011`
IV. Twitter Tweets Some Big Q1 Stats; 155 Million Tweets A Day Now, techcrunch.com, April 6, 2011
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I. Homeland Security Taps Twitter, Facebook For New Alert System, techcrunch.com, April 7, 2011
http://techcrunch.com/2011/04/07/homeland-security-taps-twitter-facebook-for-new-alert-system/
The Department of Homeland Security plans to use Twitter and Facebook to warn citizens about threats with its new National Terrorism Advisory System. The new program will in part replace the old color-coded system, put in place following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, that’s being phased out. Please RT, etc.
II. Facebook Shares Server Design, wsj.com, April 8, 2011
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704013604576248953972500040.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLE_Video_Top
Facebook Inc. said it would share details for its new server systems and computer rooms with other companies, hoping to set off what it characterized as an open movement for hardware design. Many tech companies, such as Google Inc., keep key details about their computing infrastructure confidential. But Facebook said it will publish technical specifications for a new data center it built from scratch in Prineville, Ore.—including details of the computers, power supplies, server racks, battery backup systems and building design.
III. How the Real Estate Industry Is Using Social Media, mashable.com, April 7, 2011
http://mashable.com/2011/04/06/real-estate-social-media-infographic/
The real estate industry has seen a number of social media innovations over the past few years. Real estate pros are using social media to provide online property tours, schedule showings and showcase local expertise. Alexis Lamster, VP of customers at Postling and creator of the infographic below, told us that the company analyzed more than 500 Posting accounts specific to real estate and more than 7,000 small business accounts to extract information on how the real estate industry is using social media.
IV. Twitter Tweets Some Big Q1 Stats; 155 Million Tweets A Day Now, techcrunch.com, April 6, 2011
http://techcrunch.com/2011/04/06/twitter-q1-stats/
Since the first quarter just ended, Twitter’s PR team decided to tweet updates stats regarding the state of Twitter today. Of them, the biggest is that Twitter saw a 41 percent increase in tweets per day (and a 38 percent increase in the U.S.) for the quarter.
Good morning. The search engine giant Google is getting social with the addition of the +1 button on search results. The +1 is similar to the “Like” button on Facebook, as it allows users to recommend the site to friends. The +1 campaign comes after Google’s attempt at building a social networking site that failed. Clearly Google isn’t letting the flop of Google Buzz stop their efforts to socialize the web. Salesforce grabbed up Radian 6 in a play to diversify their enterprise offerings to customers. Radian6, a social monitoring tool has a good reputation in the social world and Salesforce probably saw this as an easy way to get into the ever popular social game. Biz Stone spoke to Howard Stern yesterday about the day he and co-founder Evan Williams of Twitter met with Mark Zuckerberg about the possible sale to Facebook in 2008. The conversation sounded interesting enough to share. Enjoy.
I. Google Wants Search to Be More Social, wsj.com, March 31, 2011
II. Salesforce.com Snaps Up Radian6 for $326 Million, adage.com March 30, 2011
III. Twitter’s Biz Stone Talks About Awkward Acquisition Meeting With Zuck On Howard Stern, techcrunch.com March 30, 2011
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I. Google Wants Search to Be More Social, wsj.com, March 31, 2011
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703806304576232771273306208.html?KEYWORDS=google
Google Inc. is offering to add a twist to Web searches, in a bold offensive to prevent Facebook Inc. and other social-networking companies from gaining an upper hand on Web innovation and potential advertising dollars.
The Internet search giant said it would allow users to recommend useful search results to friends and potentially reorder the way sites are ranked based on what they and their friends like or find useful.
The “social search” effort, dubbed “+1” or “plus one,” could change the way that some people use Google’s search engine.
II. Salesforce.com Snaps Up Radian6 for $326 Million, adage.com March 30, 2011
http://adage.com/article/digital/salesforce-snaps-radian6-326-million/149634/
The social-media-monitoring space just got a little hotter. Cloud computing giant Salesforce.com snapped up Radian6, the leading social-media-monitoring firm, for $325 million in cash and stock, a sign of how important monitoring the social web has become to corporate America. Founded in 2006, Radian6’s technology monitors conversations across Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs and online communities and is used by marketers including General Electric, PepsiCo, Dell, and more than half of the Fortune 100, according to the company.
III. Twitter’s Biz Stone Talks About Awkward Acquisition Meeting With Zuck On Howard Stern, techcrunch.com March 30, 2011
http://techcrunch.com/2011/03/30/biz-stone-talks-about-awkward-acquisition-meeting-with-zuck-on-howard-stern/
After talking to Conan a few weeks ago, and CNN’s Piers Morgan last night, Biz Stone made an appearance on another mainstream media show today: Howard Stern. You can access the interview here.
Good morning. Social media being used for social good is nothing new, but still very cool. Beremedy is an organization that utilizes social media to help those in need. The company was founded after the 2009 Atlanta floods and uses social tools to bring a human element to each individual story. The power to humanize and spread the need makes each case unique, and brings light to an issue that would have been dealt with on a much smaller level without the reach of social media. An interesting clash between the old school and new has shown up in the form of a twitter account. The @FreeNYTimes twitter account allows people to consume the New York Times articles without having to subscribe to the publication online. This is obviously an issue for the NYT as they are looking for revenue from their site as news papers lose market share. The Times filed a trademark infringement complaint with Twitter in hopes of getting the profile shut down. Just as soon as you thought you heard enough from Groupon, their President announced he’ll be stepping down due to the explosive size of the company. I’m not buying the reasoning, but this may be a solid move for a company with such a large global growth potential. Enjoy.
I. Company uses social media to streamline compassion, cnn.com, March 21, 2011
II. New York Times Asks Twitter to Disable Paywall-Jumping Feed, mashable.com, March 21, 2011
III. Groupon President Stepping Down, wsj.com, March 22, 2011
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I. Company uses social media to streamline compassion, cnn.com, March 21, 2011
http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/social.media/03/20/social.media.charity/index.html
A pile of red, white and blue blankets on the cold, linoleum floor.
This is how Kecia Cruz’s 20-year old son had been sleeping since returning to live with his mother nearly two weeks ago. A family with a past — Cruz has served time in prison and her son is a recovering methadone addict.
II. New York Times Asks Twitter to Disable Paywall-Jumping Feed, mashable.com, March 21, 2011
http://mashable.com/2011/03/22/nyt-twitter-feed/
Think you’re pretty smart, figuring out a way to get around that 20-article limit The New York Times will begin imposing in the U.S. next Monday (3/28)? Not so fast. In the new paywall scheme, if you get to a Times article by following a link, it doesn’t count against the 20 articles you can read for free before you have to pay a monthly subscription fee. That’s where Twitter feed @FreeNYTimes could come in handy, linking to every single New York Times article so people can use Twitter as a free jumping-off spot
III. Groupon President Stepping Down, wsj.com, March 22, 2011
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703921204576217290662981546.html?mod=WSJ_hp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsFifth
Groupon Inc.’s president and chief operating officer, Rob Solomon, is stepping down as the Internet company remakes itself from a small startup to a major online player.
The move comes as Groupon, which offers group discount deals, has experienced explosive growth. Mr. Solomon, a Silicon Valley veteran who joined the company a year ago, said in an interview he is stepping down partly because “Groupon got really big.” When he joined the company a year ago, the company had 200 employees, but today it has some 6,000, he said.
Good morning. LinkedIn hit the 100 million user milestone this week just in time for their IPO later this year. The professional social networking site has been around since May of 2003, and they are now adding roughly one new member per second. Radio Shack is feeling the Foursquare blues despite offering 10-20% off purchases when customers check-in. This same story has been echoed by other retailers, as the population is slow to gravitate towards the location based deals. The technology is available, the brands are willing, but the educational piece is missing with most consumers. A new Grocer report showed that Coke cut their ad spend by 6.6% in 2010 in favor of a heartier social media investment. Coke sees the value in deepening their relationships with consumers, and launching products via social media and getting constant, real time feedback on campaigns. The company goes even further to say that the ability to break out of the on again, off again campaigns of old and engage customers more regularly is a large reason for the investment change. Enjoy.
I. LinkedIn Surpasses 100 Million Users, mashable.com, March 22, 2011
II. Radio Shack Fails to Feel the Foursquare Love, adage.com, March 21, 2011
III. Coca-Cola Cuts Ad Spend by 6.6% and Invests More in Social Media, socialmediatoday.com, March 21, 2011
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I. LinkedIn Surpasses 100 Million Users, mashable.com, March 22, 2011
http://mashable.com/2011/03/22/linkedin-surpasses-100-million-users-infographic/
LinkedIn has announced that it has finally reached a major milestone: 100 million users and counting. The company, founded in December 2002 and launched in May 2003, reached profitability fairly soon, and its growth has been accelerating over the last few years. It took LinkedIn six years to reach 50 million users, but it only took a year and a half for the business social network to double that number. LinkedIn hit 85 million members in October 2010 and revealed that it had more than 90 million users when it filed to go public earlier this year. LinkedIn is now adding one new member per second.
II. Radio Shack Fails to Feel the Foursquare Love, adage.com, March 21, 2011
http://adage.com/article/adagestat/discount-offer-radio-shack-scores-low-check-ins/149510/
While SXSW was in full-swing — and making the transition from interactive to music — Starbucks had turned 40 and the iPad 2.0 was out in the world. It could have been a big let-down week for check-ins, especially as Starbucks had nearly crested 200,000 the previous week. But things were actually up in most corners of our check-in chart. One retailer who isn’t feeling the check-in love, however, is Radio Shack. Despite offering 10% discounts to anyone who makes a purchase in the store — 20% if it’s your first check-in at the location — the electronics retailer posted a mere 881 check-ins for the week. The peak for any given day was just 166.
III. Coca-Cola Cuts Ad Spend by 6.6% and Invests More in Social Media, socialmediatoday.com, March 21, 2011
http://bit.ly/gJzxqv
The Grocer recently published its Top 100 advertisers report and showed that Coca-Cola cut ad spend by 6.6% in 2010 and invested more in social media. A spokeswoman at Coca-Cola said that while TV is still an important medium from promoting their brands,”many of our recent advertising campaigns and promotions have also utilized online facilities such as Facebook and YouTube more”.
Good morning, Groupon can’t seem to get over their botched Super Bowl ad. Andrew Mason, Goupon’s CEO recently blamed himself and the agency that created the ad for the debacle. Groupon seems to be moving along despite the ads poor taste, but this is a perfect example of why companies need to keep to their core messages even when letting agencies run campaigns. Twitter turns 5 today. The social site went from 5k tweets per day in 2007 to a staggering 140 million per day in 2011. Twitter has really grown itself into a real-time news hub for everything from celeb gossip to global streams of information. Rebecca Black is the perfect example of why viral videos can be your worst nightmare. Her video “Friday” went viral after The Daily What posted it up last week and the critics came pouring in. The video features the 13 year old singing some auto tuned version of her Friday happenings, and it’s picked up nearly 30 million views and 80k dislikes over the course of the week. Enjoy.
I. Groupon CEO: We Placed Too Much Trust in Agency for Super Bowl Ads, adage.com, March 21, 2011
II. Happy 5th #Birthday @Twitter, cnn.com, March 21, 2011
III. Rebecca Black makes ‘Friday’ video; Internet attacks, msn.com, March 19, 2011
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I. Groupon CEO: We Placed Too Much Trust in Agency for Super Bowl Ads, adage.com, March 21, 2011
http://adage.com/article/news/groupon-ceo-relied-agency-bowl-ads/149498/
Talk about adding insult to injury. As if CP&B’s breakup last week with one of its biggest clients, Burger King, wasn’t bad enough, it also was publicly slammed by another marketer — which just happens to be one of the most-talked-about companies in the world right now. It seemed to be a rapid change of heart. After defending controversial Super Bowl ads created with CP&B, Groupon CEO Andrew Mason is now blaming CP&B and himself for trusting it as an ad partner.
II. Happy 5th #Birthday @Twitter, cnn.com, March 21, 2011
http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/social.media/03/21/twitter.anniversary/index.html?hpt=T2
The message was cryptic. Two words. No context, no punctuation, just: “inviting coworkers” But that short statement proved to be enough to launch a global phenomenon that has launched careers, reunited long-lost relatives, and even, some would argue, topple dictators.
It was the first tweet. Since Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey posted it on March 21, 2006, Twitter has registered nearly 200 million users who now post more than a billion tweets every week.
III. Rebecca Black makes ‘Friday’ video; Internet attacks, msn.com, March 19, 2011
http://digitallife.today.com/_news/2011/03/18/6295651-rebecca-black-makes-friday-video-internet-attacks-
The Internet is no place for the faint of heart, and failing a Vonnegutian “Welcome to the Monkey House” future envisioned by our Facebook overlords, that’s just the way it is. No one knows this better than the adolescent American female demographic, what with their penchant for tweeting death threats to and vandalizing Wikipedia entries of anyone who dares cast even the vaguest aspersions on, or stand too close to, their beloved Justin Bieber.
Good morning. The social IPO madness continues with the Groupon evaluation climbing as fast as Facebooks. Groupon’s value seems to be floating around $25 billion according to Bloomberg, which is much higher than anyone previously anticipated. Just last December, Google made a $6 billion acquisition play at Groupon. LivingSocial, Groupons largest competitor is offering up some amazing social good in the form of a deal. For every $5 donation given by users of the social coupon site they will match the donation. LivingSocial users have donated over 1 million dollars and the company will continue to match these donations through today. Would you believe Facebook fans are more valuable than Twitter followers? According to Eventbrite, an online event management company, the ROI on a Facebook fan is much larger than that of a Twitter follower. The company also noticed that the propensity to share information with friends changed drastically during the process of purchasing a ticket. GAP is no stranger to the social space, and just this week GAP started testing a new tactic allowing people to haggle with them over the price of clothing. Gapmyprice.com is a site where you can name your price for a pair of khakis and GAP will come back with another offer. This is their latest tactic in keeping consumers engaged and shopping in a tricky economy. Enjoy.
I. Is Groupon Worth $25 Billion? Revenue Now “Multiple Billions Of Dollars”, techcrunch.com, March 17, 2011
II. LivingSocial’s Newest Deal: Matching Donations for Japan Earthquake & Tsunami Relief, mashable.com, March 18, 2011
III. Facebook ‘Likes’ more profitable than tweets, cnn.com, March 17, 2011
IV. Gap Invites Shoppers to Make a Deal, adage.com, March 15, 2011
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I. Is Groupon Worth $25 Billion? Revenue Now “Multiple Billions Of Dollars”, techcrunch.com, March 17, 2011
http://techcrunch.com/2011/03/17/groupon-25-billion/
As Groupon pursues its plans for an IPO, it’s proposed valuation keeps on going up. First it was $15 billion, now it’s $25 billion, according to a report by Bloomberg. Remember, it was only in January, 2011 that it closed a $950 million venture round at a valuation just shy of $5 billion.
II. LivingSocial’s Newest Deal: Matching Donations for Japan Earthquake & Tsunami Relief, mashable.com, March 18, 2011
http://mashable.com/2011/03/18/livingsocial-red-cross/
LivingSocial, Groupon’s largest and most prominent competitor, has launched a new daily deal across its entire network to raise money for relief efforts in Japan. The offer is $5 for a $10 donation to the American Red Cross’s Japan Earthquake & Pacific Tsunami fund. For every $5 donation the Red Cross receives through LivingSocial, the daily deals company has pledged to make a matching donation.
III. Facebook ‘Likes’ more profitable than tweets, cnn.com, March 17, 2011
http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/social.media/03/17/facebook.twitter.profits.mashable/index.html
If event registration site Eventbrite’s experience is any indication, social media marketers looking for monetary returns on their efforts might get more value from Facebook than Twitter.
The company announced Wednesday that an average tweet about an event drove 80 cents in ticket sales during the past six months, whereas an average Facebook Like drove $1.34.
IV. Gap Invites Shoppers to Make a Deal, adage.com, March 15, 2011
http://adage.com/article/news/gap-kicks-daylong-online-deal-promotion/149411/
Gap began promoting the site gapmyprice.com on its Facebook page today, allowing customers to name their price for a pair of men’s khakis. The deal lasts until tomorrow. The site keeps it simple: Clicking on the “Let’s Make a Deal” button takes users to a page where they select one of 18 styles of khakis, retailing for either $49.50 or $59.50, and make an offer. Gap then presents a deal, and users can either accept or make a counter-offer before Gap makes its final offer. Gap’s offers ranged from $35 to $45 for a $49.50 pair, according to the site’s winners tab.
Good morning. Facebook is going deal crazy in the coming weeks. They’ve apparently noticed the buzz that all the social coupon sites have generated, and the market share they are quickly gaining. With the recent catastrophes in Japan we’re seeing a lot of communication on Twitter and other social sites that truly displays the severity of the situation. These social channels are often the only form of communication after land lines are wiped out, and the comments are raw, compelling and somewhat disturbing. Foursquare is making a play to become the host for all location based services with a new API that allows other companies to utilize their location data. The location based services are littered with misinformation and poor user generated data, and this is the first step in clearing them up. Retailers (us included) are really jumping into the world of social commerce. The article below gives some great examples of growth trends and the brands behind the campaigns. Enjoy.
I. Facebook to launch Groupon-inspired deals service in the “coming weeks”, thenextweb.com, March 14, 2011
II. Tweeting in Japan: The Good, the Bad, and the Panicked, adage.com, March 10, 2011
III. Foursquare Moves to Become the Rosetta Stone for All Location Data, fastcompany.com, March 15, 2011
IV. Top Of Mind For Retailers? Facebook, investors.com, March 10, 2011
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I. Facebook to launch Groupon-inspired deals service in the “coming weeks”, thenextweb.com, March 14, 2011
http://tnw.co/hLvKtw
Facebook is to unveil a new daily discount deals service, similar to Groupon, that will provide its 500 million members with the opportunity to purchase products or services at significantly reduced prices. Bloomberg reports that Facebook will initially offer deals in San Francisco, San Diego, Dallas, Atlanta, and Austin, Texas, working with local businesses to highlight deals to users in specific areas and allow them to share them with their friends.
II. Tweeting in Japan: The Good, the Bad, and the Panicked, adage.com, March 10, 2011
http://www.fastcompany.com/1738847/the-uses-of-twitter-in-a-crisis
As today brings further news of a potential nuclear disaster following the earthquake in Japan, Twitter has become an echo chamber for an understandable emotion: sheer panic. Some Reuters reporters in Asia spent time sifting through tweets and other messages from Japanese and Chinese Internet users, and came up with the following:
III. Foursquare Moves to Become the Rosetta Stone for All Location Data, fastcompany.com, March 15, 2011
http://www.fastcompany.com/1738897/foursquare-the-universal-keeper-of-venue-data-for-location-based-services
Could the expansion of Foursquare’s API allow it to become a universal look-up list for venue and location data for all location based services online?
In a blog posting late yesterday, Foursquare tried to summarize where it stands in its long-term vision, and set out its thoughts about “the foundation that underlies a lot of the location-based world.” The post pays particular attention to Foursquare’s API–the open code framework that lets other third-party apps access certain aspects of Foursquare’s system for their own purposes.
IV. Top Of Mind For Retailers? Facebook, investors.com, March 10, 2011
http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/565574/201103101730/Big-Retail-Trade-Show-Is-Friending-Facebook.aspx
Retailers have discovered social media in a big way, and they like what they see. The fast-growing role of Facebook in particular was a constant topic at the National Retail Federation’s Innovate 2011 conference in San Francisco this week. And while most retailers’ social media presence remains limited to Facebook fan pages and a steady flow of Twitter posts, several conference presenters made clear that the industry is only scratching the surface of social media’s potential.
Boats, Bacon, Beaches & Life 