We interrupt what was supposed to be this week's column topic with a discussion we must have about Scrabulous. You should know by now that the game's creators pulled the game from Facebook yesterday, because of Hasbro's copyright infringement lawsuit against Scrabulous. (Mattel, which owns rights to the game in some countries, is also in this dirty mix.) The punch line -- and isn't there always one where brand power struggles are concerned? -- is that Hasbro's own version of the game, which is available on Facebook, was hacked yesterday and wouldn't work.» 0 Comments
It's been a while since I've thought about IMing -- or instant messaging, by its more formal name. In fact, I don't use it much at all these days, save for an occasional Gmail Chat conversation. But IM really was the original social medium, and, of course, it's still used by millions of people. Just not me. But then I had a chat -- by phone- -- with Meebo CEO Seth Sternberg, and Vice President/Business Martin Green, and it made me wonder if IM can also ride the wave that's currently being surfed by companies embracing newer forms of social ...» 0 Comments
Not just because I'm currently staring out at Niagara Falls as I write this from my more-or-less vacation, but I thought it was time for the Social Media Insider to turn the column over to the community with another group critique. The one I chose this time was the RadioShack MyMosaic Facebook app that launched last week to promote RadioShack's digital imaging products and the "get more out of every megapixel" positioning.» 0 Comments
As anyone who has been reading my column knows, I've been traveling hill and dale (or more likely Facebook and FriendFeed) in search of workable ad models for social media. Therefore, I'm intrigued when any company tries to solve this most essential of social media problems, and WPP Group-backed VideoEgg, particularly with its announcement today that it is rolling out a few new features aimed at making its advertising more engaging, bears a closer look. (The company distributes ads to social networks and other of what it calls "social environments," such as gaming sites.)» 0 Comments
Maybe I should be writing about something more substantive this week. Or maybe not. The Fourth of July is only two days away. But it's time I discussed my creeping Twitter addiction. It's been weighing on me for some time.» 0 Comments
