Social Networks Don't Have to Install Filters for Pirated Material, EU Court Rules by Erik Sass

Anti-piracy lobbyists received another setback (and social network sites another victory) in the form of a European Union court ruling that social networks aren't obliged to install filters to prevent users from illegally sharing pirated music and media content. The ruling by the top EU Court of Justice in Luxembourg read in part: "The owner of an online social network cannot be obliged to install a general filtering system, covering all its users, in order to prevent the unlawful use of musical and audio-visual work." ...Read the whole story

  • Timeline Apps Drive Traffic For Facebook Partners by Mark Walsh

    A month after releasing 60 new Timeline apps, Facebook touted initial results showing big increases in sign-ups and traffic for sites including Pinterest, Foodspotting and Fab.com. The lifestyle apps that went live last month followed Facebook's launch of Timeline in September. The Open Graph platform allows developers and brands to create apps that integrate with the revamped profile page. ...Read the whole story

Thank You For Your Pinterest, But I Don't Know What To Post by Catharine P. Taylor

This is an open letter to my 72 followers on Pinterest, including my friend, Sue, who stood next to me in line on the high school cheerleading squad; my sorority Big Sister; Mobile Marketing Association CEO Greg Stuart, fellow Social Media Insider David Berkowitz, and that guy I worked with way, way long ago at Ogilvy & Mather. Here's what I want to tell you: I'm sorry that my pinning is so sporadic, and so, well, lame. Three weeks in, I have no earthly idea what I should do with this thing, so I'm throwing it out to all of ...More

  • SMBs Missing Email to Social Collaboration by Jack Loechner

    According to The State of Email Marketing in SMBs, by GetResponse, most small-to-midsize businesses (SMBs) have mastered the basics of organic email list-building, making use of Web-based sign-up forms and even offering incentives to encourage subscriptions, but fewer than half use any type of email-to-social collaboration, limiting the potential of cross-channel marketing. ...More

  • Welcome To The (Hype) Machine: Fragmentation Is So 2011 by Cory Treffiletti

    The last month has been amazing in terms of showing the influence of social media. Three events unfurled to tell a story of the scope of social media and the virtual hype machine that it feeds, and you are insane if you're not paying attention. If you're a brand marketer, there are some interesting concepts to take away as well. ...More