Fan Sites, Reinvented by Erik Sass

The branded social network concept is getting a new lease on life thanks to celebrity fan sites that either aggregate other social networks in a distinct online hub or host bona fide, stand-alone social networks or "communities" (usually with integration of other social networks, of course). ...Read the whole story

  • LinkedIn Ad Sales Up 63%, Revs Double by Mark Walsh

    Professional networking site LinkedIn said revenue surged 89% in the second quarter on strong gains in its hiring services business in particular. Revenue rose to $228 million from $121 million a year ago. ...Read the whole story

  • media NFL Media: Join Us For 'Serious Fun' by Aaron Baar

    The Olympics aren't even half over, but for many Americans, it's nearly time to turn to the country's favorite sport: Football. With the season fast approaching, NFL Media wants to expand its fan interaction beyond just the diehards to the more casual watcher. ...Read the whole story

  • packaged goods Gardner Becomes Wisk's 'Sweat Ambassador' by Aaron Baar

    Sun Brands' Wisk Deep Clean has partnered with former Olympic gold and bronze medal-winning Greco-Roman wrestler Rulon Gardner and his mother, Virginia, as the company's first "Sweat Ambassadors." ...Read the whole story

  • Judge: 'Sponsored Stories' Settlement Raises Concerns by Wendy Davis

    A federal judge reportedly said on Thursday that he had concerns about the proposed settlement of a class-action lawsuit about Facebook's sponsored stories program. The agreement calls for Facebook to pay $10 million to various law schools and advocacy organizations, and $10 million to lawyers who sued the company on behalf of users . ...Read the whole story

  • Eloqua Debuts IPO, Ups Financial, Biz Viability by Laurie Sullivan

    Eloqua, a marketing automation platform that helps companies determine where marketing money gets spent and whether it pays off, began trading stock under the symbol ELOQ on Thursday with 8 million common shares priced at $11.50 per share. It recently issued an IPO. ...Read the whole story

  • Report: Brands, Agencies to Increase Video Spending Across Platforms by Ross Fadner

    Most marketer and agency executives anticipate increasing their digital video advertising spend this year, according to a new study from Advertiser Perceptions -- and a good portion of the momentum will come from the combined deployment of video creative across TV and digital platforms. ...Read the whole story

Three Catalysts For Healthy Social Networks by Gord Hotchkiss

Look at any graphic representation of a social network, and you will see a somewhat globular cluster of nodes -- and, at the center, you'll find the subject or owner of the network. The density of the nodes will be greater near the center, but there will be small clusters of interconnected nodes that will appear throughout the map. This pattern, the visual interpretation of human connection, looks much the same now as it did for tribal humans 100,000 years ago. But there is one important difference. Then, you probably only had one network you belonged to, which was defined ...More

  • at the olympics The First Transmedia Olympics by Katie Kuhn

    The London 2012 Olympics are being called the first "social Olympics," and sponsors are approaching their role in a different way -- through transmedia storytelling, which communicates different things within the broader strategy or story across multiple platforms and multiple audiences. ...More

  • When Social Media Isn't The Answer by Kaila Colbin

    "We need to be on Facebook," they tell me. "Everyone's on Facebook." "Yes," I say, "but you're a B2B company. When people are on Facebook they want to hang out with friends and family -- they're there to avoid their job, not do more of it." "Yes," they say, "but our chief competitor is on Facebook." "Yes," I say, "but they have 12 Likes. Nine of them are staff, and the other three are teenagers." ...More

  • Why Millennials Share On Social Media by Sharalyn Hartwell

    Marketers are far too acquainted with the "whats" of Millennials and social media. They can rattle off stats such as three in four Millennials use Facebook at least weekly and the average Millennial belongs to two social networking sites and has 231 connections. The two terms have become are interdependent-social media marketing efforts aren't successful without Millennials and Millennial marketing efforts aren't successful without social media. But success in either area is dependent upon understanding the "whys" behind Gen Y and social media, not just the "whats." ...More