20% of Social Network Users Have Shared Negative Brand Experiences by Erik Sass

One of the great things about the Web, from the consumer's point of view, is that it's highly conducive to complaint: where a company could just shrug off your customer service issues in the old days, with the Web in the mix they pretty much have to pay attention lest it blow up into a horrible fiasco. Of course, while they put the best face they can on it ("no, we're thrilled to have a new channel to resolve customer service issues!") big brands are probably less enthusiastic about this part of the Web. ...Read the whole story

  • Coca-Cola, Facebook, Microsoft, YouTube On Social Party Line by Laurie Sullivan

    Facebook Fans are important, but Mich Mathews, chief marketing officer at Microsoft, told attendees at the exclusive 40-exec invitation-only PTTOW event in Dana Point, Calif. that when brands play in social, it's just as important to follow the writing on the wall, whether it's positive or nagative. ...Read the whole story

  • LivingSocial Raises $14M Financing Round by Gavin O'Malley

    Amid a flurry of interest in social buying startups, LivingSocial on Thursday announced the completion of a Series C financing round worth $14 million. The round was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, along with participation from U.S. Venture Partners, Grotech Ventures, and Steve Case's Revolution, LLC. ...Read the whole story

Quantifiable Lift With The Addition of Social Media to Advertising by Jack Loechner

A recent joint study from Nielsen and Facebook, titled "Advertising Effectiveness: Understanding the Value of a Social Media Impression," analyzed survey data from more than 800,000 Facebook users with regard to more than 125 Facebook ad campaigns from 70 brand advertisers. The report provides quantifiable data that can be mapped to trusted advertising benchmarks: Ad Recall, Brand Awareness, and Purchase Intent. ...More

  • One Week After Open Graph Goes Live, Facebook Faces Its Death Panel by Catharine P. Taylor

    One piece of advice for Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg whenever he meets with New York senator Chuck Schumer over the social network's privacy: bring a translator, who can explain technology in layman's terms. Because most of the world -- including some very influential organizations, and millions of Facebook members -- have no idea what the Open Graph does, or doesn't do. ...More