Social Media News 8/12/10

Here’s your weekly recap of recent Social Media News.

Google Wave waves goodbye. In a blog post last week, Google announced that it will no longer continue to develop Google Wave as a stand alone product, citing low user adoption. Instead, Google will utilize some of Wave’s functionality in other projects and maintain some features as open-source code. The ill-fated online collaboration tool was extraordinarily innovative, however many users were at a loss for trying to find practical uses for the technology and how to integrate it into everyday life. This blogger was an early adopter of Wave and an outspoken supporter, however even I found the tool to be worthless when majority of my social contacts were not Wavers themselves. Google Wave had a lot of potential, but with so many existing technologies that allow users to share and collaborate already ingrained into our normal web habits (like email and social networks), there was never a strong enough need for Wave. Further, Wave was not an easy tool to adopt quickly: many users faced a large learning curve in understanding Wave’s functionality, and limited Wave invites at its launch presented a barrier to entry that may have stunted adoption from the onset.

Warm and friendly wins in social. Researchers from Relational Capital Group have studied the science behind making brands more people-friendly that offers strategic insight for social media. Chris Malone writes in a recent Ad Age article about  his team’s psychological study in perception and brand loyalty, and offers three actionable customer service strategies for social media. For more tips on how to connect with your audience in a warm and friendly manner, also check out 5 Ways to Build Your Blog’s Voice from ProBlogger.

MySpace just won’t die. One month after its profile redesign, Myspace is rolling out a new homepage to provide users with more utility and better access to MySpace’s best features. The former social media giant is focused on growing its user network, which includes luring back users that haven’t signed in for years, and specifically targeting 13-34 year olds. The homepage redesign is available to some users in beta, and will be rolling out across all users by August 16. The most important addition to the homepage is the new MySpace Stream, which functions much like the Facebook News Feed providing a feed of friends’ activities, media content, and events. Screenshots are available from Mashable.

Social Media: Strategy

What Are Social Media Good For? Putting a Face to a Brand – AdAge

5 Ways to Build Your Blog’s Voice – ProBlogger

What Facebook Questions Means for Marketers – Ignite

Looking Online to Verify Word-of-Mouth Recommendations – Brandweek

Hot or Not: E-mail Marketing vs. Social-Media Marketing – AdAge

Social Media: Consumer Electronics

RIM’s rumored ‘BlackPad’ tablet due in November? – Yahoo! News

The Dell Streak Shows The CE World How To Be Relevant In An iDevice World – CrunchGear

Social Media: Location-Based Services

HOW TO: Visualize All Your Foursquare Check-ins – Mashable

Facebook’s Foursquare competitor is imminent – cnet

Groupon + Foursquare = GroupTabs, Group Deals for Check-Ins – RWW

Digital Advertising

Google Rolls Location-Based Mobile Display Ads – Brandweek

Facebook, AOL quietly talking online ad hookup – New York Post

Twitter API to Get Ads Inserted, Revenue to be Shared With Developers – RWW

Internet Trends

MySpace to revamp site in aim to simplify – Yahoo! News

MySpace Launches a Revamped User Homepage [EXCLUSIVE] – Mashable

74% of Social Media Users Expect Cries for Help to Be Answered Within an Hour – RWW

Google & Verizon Propose Enforceable Net Neutrality – RWW

RIP Google Wave – Mashable

Twitter Still Grew 109 Percent In June, Fueled By Global Visitors - TechCrunch

Social Media News 4/12/10

Twitter ads are here. Just launched last night, Promoted Tweets is a platform that allows advertisers to push messaging within Twitter search results. Twitter is expected to expand the ad system beyond search, one day allowing advertisers the ability to push paid tweets directly to user streams. User acceptance is critical, and Twitter has stated that branded messages will be “clearly labeled” as advertisements, according to AdWeek.

The Promoted Tweets vehicle isn’t the only new development currently brewing at Twitter. Recently, the micro-blogging service had acquired Atebits, the developer of  Tweetie for iPhone and Mac. This move signals a vital shift in Twitter’s evolution: Twitter will now compete directly with third party developers and produce its own proprietary software. Notorious as an open platform, Twitter couldn’t be what it is today without the programmers who have built over 70,000 applications that have made Twitter more accessible to many users. With dollar signs in their eyes, Twitter is bringing some of that development in house and is putting itself at odds other developers.

On that note, friction also continues to rise between Apple and Adobe. Hostility has reduced these multi-million dollar corporations to childish antics and name-calling. Read for yourself: Apple Gives Adobe The Finger With Its New iPhone SDK Agreement; and Adobe Flash evangelist: ‘Go screw yourself Apple’.  Can’t we all just get along?

Out with the old, in with the new. In the midst of ever declining market share, Palm is rumored to be looking for a buyer. News of the possible sell coincidentally come the same week that Microsoft unveils two new social media centric phones, Kin 1 and Kin 2. No word yet on whether Microsoft will pay royalties to Dr. Seuss for the names of the new devices.

Social Media: Strategy

How to Develop a Sound Facebook Fan Page Strategy: Step 1 – Ignite Social Media

Remember Google’s Super Bowl Search Ad? Now You Can Make Your Own (this is an awesome viral campaign)- TechCrunch

Twitter Launches A New Guide For Media Organizations – Tech Crunch

Yahoo Opens New Firehose of Social Media Data to Developers – Mashable

Zappos CEO on How To Deliver Happiness with Social Media [INTERVIEW] - Mashable

10 Essential Social Media Tools for B2B Marketers – Mashable

Social Media: Consumer Electronics

Adobe Flash evangelist: ‘Go screw yourself Apple’ – cnet news

Verizon CEO: U.S. Tops in Cellular Service – PC Mag

Sharp to launch advanced 3D panels for mobile gear – Reuters

Palm Said to Tap Goldman, Quattrone to Find Buyers – Bloomberg

Next, a Kin: Microsoft to try new consumer phones – Washington Post

Microsofts Project Pink phones now official, known as “Kin 1″ and “Kin 2″ - TechCrunch

Digital Advertising

Yelp makes two major changes in the way reviews are posted – LA Times

Source: Twitter’s Ad Platform Launches Tonight – TechCrunch

Twitter Starts ‘Promoted Tweets’ Ad System – AdWeek

The Multi-Billion Dollar Question: Will Users Click on Twitter Ads? – Mashable

Into Hand: Jobs Unveils iAd, Says ‘Search Is Not Where It’s At’ - Media Post

Internet Trends

Google Docs Overhauled, Microsoft Should Be Worried – Fast Company

Tensions Rise for Twitter and App Developers – New York Times

Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” in Twitter twist – Reuters

The Real Reason VCs Think Foursquare Is Worth $100 Million – Business Insider

HuffPo Launches Separate ‘Twitter Edition’; More Focus On Real-Time News – Paid Content

Apple Gives Adobe The Finger With Its New iPhone SDK Agreement – Tech Crunch

Social Media News 3/29/10

It’s iPad Week. The new Apple tablet will begin shipping this week, and iPad has been at the center of a media frenzy. The articles below are what I found most interesting in iPad news, including speculation about Apple’s mobile advertising platform called iAd, and rumors that Best Buy will stock the iPad later this week (if only a very small supply of them…).

In early February, Google announced a new endeavor to build an experimental fiber network and asked state, county and city officials across the US to respond to a RFI to be a part of the program. The selected communities would be eligible to become partners with Google in building the new broadband network. Everyday citizens were invited to participate by nominating their community for consideration. The deadline for responses was last Friday, and Google announced this week that they received over 1,100 official applications.  You can learn more about the project at Google Fiber for Communities.

Just when you thought you knew all the ins and outs of Facebook, Facebook changes something. This week, Facebook sent a memo to advertisers that “Become A Fan” will change to “Like” within Facebook ads and Fan Pages. The decision to change apparently comes from data testing “Like” buttons against “Become A Fan” buttons within Facebook ad units, in which users were twice as likely to click on the former. When this goes into effect, users that click “Like” on a Facebook ad will become a Fan of that advertiser’s Page and receive News Feed updates. There could be a very large backlash from users on this change (after all, there’s always some kind of backlash when anything changes on Facebook.) The question is, will users blame Facebook, or blame the advertisers?  See the memo from Facebook, or read this article from RWW.

iPad Week

MTV Developing ‘Co-Viewing’ Apps for the iPad – AdAge

iPad Out to Prove Itself as Gaming Platform, but Will Users Play Along? – AdAge

iPad App Store Preview Leaks: App CoverFlow – Fast Company

Apple posts up iPad Guided Tours… lots of Guided Tours – Engadget

Best Buy’s iPad supply: 15 per store – CNNMoney.com

Apple’s iAd Could Bite a Chunk Out of Google’s Mobile Ad Business – Fast Company

Social Media: Strategy

Viral Complexity (a review of ROI from 2009′s most viral videos) – Brandweek

Social Media Boosts E-Mail Marketing – Brandweek

Lessons From Leno and Twitter Bombers: 3 Rules for Next-Gen Marketing – Fast Company

The Two Most Important Questions in Social Media Marketing – Ignite Social Media

Social Media: Consumer Electronics

This Is What Cars Might Look Like On Your Next Kindle – Gizmodo

Android Devices Crave Google’s Attention - Wired

CTIA End-of-Convention Roundup: Android, 4G, and Even More Android – Fast Company

LinkedIn for BlackBerry Released [SCREENSHOTS] – Mashable

Digital Advertising

What Type Of Social Media Ads Are The Most Effective? – MediaPost

Apple’s iAd Could Bite a Chunk Out of Google’s Mobile Ad Business – Fast Company

Do You Like Us Or Like Like Us? “Become A Fan” Changing To “Like” On Facebook – RWW

Internet Trends

Facebook Will Rule the Web During the Next Decade – AdAge

Google Receives More Than 1,100 Official Applications for Fiber Broadband Network – Fast Company

Gowalla + Foursquare + Brightkite + Yelp + Google Maps=Checkin Mania – Fast Company

Social Media News 3/15/10

Sigh. Guess what mega-huge interactive conference is happening right now in Austin? SXSW. Guess who didn’t get to go? Me… a social media blogger that blogs weekly on social media news, and I couldn’t be at the single most important interactive conference of the year. Yeah… It’s ok. At least I can pretend #fakesxsw.

(That’s “South By Southwest” for those of you who do not speak geek.)

Big News from SXSW

Universal Check-in App Confirmed: Brightkite’s Stealth Service - RWW

Big Changes Are Coming to Digg: More Power to Publishers, Less Power to Top Diggers – RWW

Twitter’s New “At Anywhere” Platform Allows For Deeper Integration Into Third Party Sites – TechCrunch

Sneak Peek: Rhapsody’s Upcoming iPhone App – Wired

SXSW: Pandora in the Car Could Kill Sirius – PC World

Foursquare and Rival Geo-Location Games Find Lots of Love at SXSW – DailyFinance

SXSW Feeds

CMS Wire SXSW News and Articles

Wired SXSW News

Mashable SXSWi

Social Media: Strategy

9 Killer Tips for Location-Based Marketing – Mashable

Exploring Why Social Business Will Drive 21st Century Enterprises – Social Computing Journal

4 Ways to Effectively Use Social Media as a Catalyst – Mashable

Why User Competency Matters in Social Design – Mashable

Social Media: Consumer Electronics

More Droids Sold In First 74 Days Than iPhones – Nexus One Sales Very Slow – TechCrunch

PayPal Launches Revamped iPhone App, Teams With Bump For Phone-Tapping Money Transfers - TechCrunch

Digital Advertising

LivingSocial Raises $25 Million to Take On Groupon – Mashable

Hitwise: Facebook Hits No. 1 In U.S. – MediaPost

What Kind of Brand Associates With Chatroulette?: French Connection Offers Shopping Spree to Winner Who Hooks Up Using the Webcam Chat Room – AdAge

Twitter Expected To Take The Wraps Off Its Advertising Platform Today – TechCrunch

Internet Trends

How Twitter and Facebook Make Us More Productive – Wired

A Short (and Personal) History of Social Media: Why It’s Important to Consider the Boring Basics That Keep Things Sustainable – AdAge

Why Wikipedia Should Be Trusted As A Breaking News Source - RWW

5 Ways to Use Google Wave for Business – Mashable

Foursquare Hits 347,000 Checkins in a Day – Mashable

Reuters to Journalists: Don’t Break News on Twitter – Mashable

Social Media News 3/1/10

March 1st brought joy to many Facebook users, a date which marks the end of Facebook app Notifications. Apps on Facebook are no longer able to send updates via Notifications, which are now reserved mainly for friend activity. Find out what alternatives app developers now have at this Mashable article.

Twitter and YouTube are also rolling out new features. On Twitter, the new “Be Found On Twitter” feature allows users to opt-in to share their email address and/or phone number, making it easier for contacts to find them. For YouTube, it’s a massive redesign that will improve the user experience by adding a video queue feature and improved playlist design. The redesign also includes the release of an AutoPlay feature, which will allow YouTube to be consumed more like TV, allowing the user to sit back and just watch one video after another in a push model rather than the current pull model. Find out more about these releases under the New Features heading below.

“Have you heard of Chatroulette?”  The latest fad of social media, Chatroulette is a video chat service which will randomly pair you to another video conferencing user. It’s a bare bones interface with minimalistic functionality- basically just two web cam windows and a chat room. The site connects users to complete strangers, there is no way to control who will pop up on the other side. Some believe that Chatroulette will become as popular as Twitter, though it’s not the first interactive video conferencing site, and probably won’t be the last.  I don’t think Chatroulette will be able to go mainstream without significant investment and added functionality. If the interest continues to increase, there’s a good chance that established social networking platforms like Facebook will adopt video conferencing as a new feature, which may kill Chatroulette before it has a chance to get out of the gate.

Want to know how your brand compares to your competitor in social media? Try uberVu Compare. A freemium social media comparison tool, Compare is a new product from uberVu that performs a side-by-side comparison of two brands based on their social media performance. It could be considered overly simplistic for veteran social media analysts, but this a great tool for a quick snapshot of social media presence.

“Crowdsourcing” is a still a hip buzzword. Grogger is a new platform that allows you to crowdsource your blog content. Mash together the words “group” and “blog”, what do you get? A “Grog”! For people that believe two heads are better than one, Grogger is an appealing tool that allows a community of users to write, edit, and vote on blog content. For more details, read the TechCrunch review.

New Features

Be Found on Twitter: Connecting Our Dots in the Social Graph – RWW

Twitter Comes To Yahoo - PC World

YouTube Redesign Keeps You Watching – RWW

Facebook to Say Goodbye to App Notifications on March 1st – Mashable

Chatroulette

Did Chatroulette Just Launch the Interactive Video Conferencing Boom? - AdAge

Chatroulette, by the Numbers – WSJ Digits

Social Media: Strategy

Most Super Bowl Ads Don’t Go Viral – AdAge

Vitrue Adds Facebook ‘Wall Apps’ To Social Platform – MediaPost

Compare Social Media Performance Head-to-Head with uberVu – Mashable

Oh Yeah, Well I’m Going To Twitter You! – MediaPost

Social Media: Consumer Electronics

Scribd Makes Push Into Mobile – MediaPost

Consumers Are Pushing Up Sales of Smartphones – Yahoo! News

Digital Advertising

Measure the Web Like TV and Brand Advertising Will Follow - AdAge

Sources: Twitter Ad Platform Quite Google-Like – MediaPost

Display Ads Stimulate Search, Confirms Eyeblaster Study – MediaPost

Internet Trends

Social Networking In Matters Of Life And Death – MediaPost

Grogger: A New Platform That Lets You Crowdsource Your Blog’s Content – TechCrunch

E-Cards Are Dead… Except on Mother’s Day – RWW

Time Spent on Social Networks up 82% Around the World – BrianSolis

How Twitter in the Classroom is Boosting Student Engagement – Mashable

Facebook to Take 30% Cut of Developers’ Facebook Credits Revenues – Mashable

Social Media News 2/1/10

Apple’s iPad was the biggest news last week, drawing attention from every corner of the web. Within minutes of the announcement, hype turned into hysterics as the jokes started pouring in. Apparently #iTampon was the third most trending topic that evening. Many see the Maxi- I mean iPad as a huge threat to existing eBooks like the Kindle. I’m not so sure about that. Yes the iPad has a full color LED display, but one very important feature of a true eBook is eInk. This is a low res, black and white display with a low refresh rate that reduces eye strain, making the screen more like reading printed paper. To me the iPad is like a glossy magazine, but the Kindle is like a simple black and white novel. The bookworms that consume the most eBook content are going to stick with Kindle, and the iPad will appeal to people looking for a Netbook first, eBook second.

Interested in measuring ROI from your Facebook efforts? That’s about to become a little easier when Facebook rolls out its new conversion tracking tool. Facebook announced the upcoming feature at last week’s OMMA Social event in San Francisco. MediaPost embedded video from the discussion on this article.

Proctor & Gamble is officially in favor of social media marketing, embracing Facebook in particular and encouraging its brands to do the same. I found it interesting that in the article reporting on this topic, AdAge felt it was necessary to quote Ted McConnell, general manager-interactive marketing and innovation for P&G, with contradictory remarks from 2008. This one caught my eye:

“Who said this is media?” he said. “Media is something you can buy and sell. Media contains inventory. Media contains blank spaces. Consumers weren’t trying to generate media. They were trying to talk to somebody. So it just seems a bit arrogant. … We hijack their own conversations, their own thoughts and feelings, and try to monetize it.”

With this quote AdAge is perhaps trying to demonstrate a riff in P&G’s ranks, though the remarks were said over a year ago and I have the suspicion that it may have been out of context. Whether McConnell supports social media marketing or not, this is a great quote with a lot of truth behind it. We can’t treat social media as advertising, it’s an entirely different kind of game. Ignite’s Jim Tobin was on the same wavelength in a recent Web Trends episode when he said, ”The web is the worst place in the world for interrupting people.”  I couldn’t agree more.

Facebook

P&G Embraces Facebook as Big Part of Its Marketing Plan – AdAge

Facebook Now Has Yahoo In Its Sites, Already Bigger In Pageviews (ComScore) – Tech Crunch

Facebook Develops Conversion Tracking Tool: What’s A Fan Worth? – MediaPost

Why Your Boss Hates Facebook – ReadWriteWeb

Baby Boomers and Seniors Are Flocking to Facebook [STATS] – Mashable

Foursquare

Does Foursquare Have A Douchebag Problem? - Tech Crunch

Will Foursquare’s Users Say ‘Bravo’ for Bravo? - ReadWriteWeb

Social Media: Strategy

Web Trends Talks Social Media Marketing with Jim Tobin [VIDEO] - Ignite Social Media

MediaPost’s OMMA Social SF 2010 [VIDEO] - MediaPost

Social Media: Consumer Electronics

Apple IPad Charges at Kindle and Netbooks – AdAge

Apple vs. Amazon: The Great E-book War Has Already Begun – Mashable

Firefox for Mobile Makes Its Debut – Mashable

AT&T Will Spend $2 Billion To Improve Wireless Network – Mashable

Digital Advertising

Study: Consumers Are Not Annoyed by Ads on Facebook – AdAge

Why Most Digital Ads Still Fail to Work – AdAge

Internet Trends

Apple’s Tablet and the New Splintered Web – AdAge

Proof the Splinternet is real – Groundswell

Google Exec: We’re Here to Help Newspapers – AdAge

Yahoo and the AP Reach a New Deal – But What About Google? – ReadWriteWeb

Social Media News 1/25/10

I’ve made a change to SMN that I hope will be helpful to you. Instead of listing news articles by source, I’ve listed this week’s set by topic. This should help bring a little more context to the list, and allow you to skim the headlines faster to find the news that most interests you. And as a bonus, it will improve my blog’s SEO. I would love to hear your feedback, let me know if this is better.

A pizza shop in New York has discovered how to generate a lot of social media buzz and sell more pizzas from it, without having any corporate presence in social media. Read about Crocodile Lounge and their strategy here. The key is to craft a compelling story that people will want to share. I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but if you want social media to work for you, offer something of value.

Be sure to check your Twitter stream this Wednesday, as rumors have been swirling that Apple will officially announce the iSlate tablet, or possibly the iPhone OS 4.0. Other rumors have claimed that Apple will end its exclusivity with AT&T for the iPhone, and make the announcement at this event. The invitation-only Apple event is said to be held in San Francisco at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts this Wednesday at 10am pacific.

I love the Intel ads. But I love Intel’s “Value Point System” even more. Developed with media agency OMD, Intel has developed a points system for website interactions that allows it to measure the effectiveness of its advertising.  This is web marketing genius, read about it here.

Twitter

Marketers’ Use of Twitter Goes Beyond Just Tweeting - Brandweek

The Twitter Suggested Users List Is Dead: Great News for Mainstream Users - ReadWriteWeb

Twitter Launches Location-Based Trending Topics – Mashable

Bill Gates Surpasses 100,000 Twitter Followers in 8 Hours – Mashable

Seesmic Look Tries to Take Twitter to the Masses – Mashable

Social Media: Strategy

Crocodiles and Free Pizza – Daily Sense

The K-factor Lesson: How Social Ecosystems Grow (Or Not) - Social Computing Journal

The New Social Gurus - Brandweek

4 Ways Social Media Budgets will Move in 2010 - Ignite Social Media

Clorox Seeking Attorney to Oversee Social-Media Programs – Ad Age

Facebook Starts Rolling Out Post Insights – Mashable

Social Media: Consumer Electronics

Apple ‘Tablets’ Sniffed by Analytics Are More Likely iPhones - Wired

R.I.P. iPhone Exclusivity – PC World

Apple’s Secret Cloud Strategy And Why Lala Is Critical – TechCrunch

iPhone Coming to All U.S. Carriers? [REPORT] – Mashable

Digital Advertising

Inside Intel’s Effectiveness System for Web Marketing - Ad Age

Double Fusion Brings Ads to PlayStaion 3 - Brandweek

Internet Trends

Life after Windows: What happens to tech if Microsoft dies - Yahoo! News

Why is Google Afraid of Facebook? Because Social Networking Could Soon Pass Search - ReadWriteWeb

The Era of Location-as-Platform Has Arrived - ReadWriteWeb

Search Engine Usage Soared in 2009 - PC World

Study: Mobile Web Beats Mobile App – Media Post

Bing, Google, And The Enigmatic T2: The Race For A Complete Semantic Search Engine – TechCrunch

Study: Internet radio reaching 32% of households, e-readers are hot – CrunchGear

Social Media News 1/4/10

Welcome to the year “twenty ten!” Make sure you start the year off right by reading this article about the grammatically correct way of saying “2010.” Or, check out www.TwentyNot2000.com

In this first edition of Social Media News, I want to talk about a growing fad called FourSquare. The user base of FourSquare pales in comparison to say Twitter, but I’ve touched on the geo-location social networking service in a few blog posts (the first one in my 9/11/09 post), and I believe it’s definitely worth taking notice.  FourSquare allows registered uses to “check-in” at restaurants and retail establishments, or any place that has a physical address, and the service will allow users to keep track of their history and the whereabouts of their friends. Currently, apps are available for iPhone, Android, and now PalmPre.  The user with the most check-ins will become the “Mayor” of that establishment, a designation that holds little value other than bragging rights.

Restaurants hip to social marketing are now exploring FourSquare promotions, such as giving discounts to their Mayors. Today, yours truly has been crowned the Mayor of Dunkin’ Donuts, and here’s hoping I can get a free coffee out of it! FourSquare promos can be used as a free distribution channel for coupons and discounts, and also spur competition between potential Mayors- who are probably your biggest local brand advocates.

Remember when I mentioned Google Caffeine way back in an August blog post? Probably not, so here’s a refresher. Google has been working on “secret project” called Google Caffeine to update how Google finds content on the web by improving the search algorithms. Though the average user won’t notice a huge difference, it’s important to note because it does change how Google indexes news and social media. Read more at TechCrunch here.

I’m an AT&T customer, and I hate AT&T. So I’m very pleased to share this snippet of AT&T’s folly in social media during the brief hours iPhones were unavailable on the AT&T website:

Something worth noting is AT&T has a responsive, stellar public relations team that uses a Twitter account, a YouTube channel and a Facebook page to interact with the media and consumers. The story could’ve been defused in a matter of minutes with a clear, believable explanation. Instead, AT&T used its PR to respond with an empty statement, leaving the world guessing the reasons for the suspension of iPhone sales in New York.

Read the full article– AT&T: The Communications Company That Failed to Communicate in 2009.

Ad Age

What We Can Learn From the Top Viral Videos of 2009

Gmail Points to Possibilities of the Coming Data Decade

Planning Your Next Move in Ad Land

Fast Company

What Can We Expect From the Consumer Electronics Show?

Uh-oh — Robots Can Learn and Generalize

Geotagging’s Seasonal Danger: Burglary

Is Google-AdMob Deal Bad for Consumers and Apple?

TechCrunch

Cheap Beer If You Check-In… Or Just Tweet

At Foursquare Venues, the Mayor Eats For Free

Google Is About To Get Caffeinated With A Faster Search Index

Privacy Theater: Why Social Networks Only Pretend To Protect You

Meebo Launches Self-Serve Meebo Bar, Takes A Look Back At Its Big Year

World Map of Social Networks Shows Rise of Facebook

Blippy Already Showing Off $1 Million Worth of Your Credit Card Purchases

The Rumors Are True: We Spend More And More Time Online

Mashable

In 2010, Your iPhone Could be a Credit Card Reader

REVEALED: The 100 Most Social Brands of 2009

BROWSER WARS: Google Chrome Overtakes Apple’s Safari

Foursquare Launches on Palm Pre

HOW TO: Do Almost Anything Online in 2010

Wired

AT&T: The Communications Company That Failed to Communicate in 2009

Boxee Beta Is a Web Video Streamer’s Dream

MySpace Replaces Embedded Imeem Playlists With Ads

Reports: AT&T Stops Some iPhone Sales in NYC (Update)

Blogs and Other News Sources

Google Nexus One Sold Directly and Only by Google, Officially Supported By T-Mobile (Gizmodo)

Apple Dominates Social Brand Ranking (Brandweek)

Social Media News 12/14/09

After months of rumors and speculation, it’s official: the Google phone is real. It’s called the Nexus One, and several Googlers (Google employees) have been issued beta devices and are using them now. Google has been working on a partnership with T-mobile to offer the phone at a discount, after Verizon turned down the deal. However, the Nexus One will not be exclusively sold through T-mobile, it will be an unlocked device (unlike how the iPhone is tethered to AT&T). News about the Nexus One is all over the web, but a good place to start is with this Mashable article.

More changes to how Facebook handles privacy settings.  With an update last week, users can now set privacy settings for each wall posting separately, and now Facebook profile information can be indexed by search engines (which has implications for real-time search). Be sure to read up on the changes from cnet News and PC World.

Holiday shopping is in full swing, and analysts have reported an up tick in online shopping this season. New research from comScore has shown just how much social media is effecting holiday shopping.  Check out this TechCrunch article for details, stats and charts.

A great article from ChannelWeb discusses Google and Apple’s dance with acquisitions. Earlier, Social Media News reported Google’s acquisition of AdMob. Recently, Apple just purchased online music streaming service LaLa, which may revolutionize the way Apple sells music.

Mashable

What Do Goo.gl and Fb.me Mean for Bit.ly?

8 Must-Have Traits of Tomorrow’s Journalist

Friendster’s Fate: Sold to Malaysian E-commerce Giant

Facebook Connect: 365 Days, 60 Million Users, 80,000+ Web Sites

What Do Seniors Do Online? Visit Facebook and YouTube, of course [STATS]

Nexus One: T-Mobile Partners on Google Phone

Ad Age

Augmented Reality Is Overhyped And Abused

Tech Crunch

Apple Brings iTunes Gift Cards To Its Facebook Fans, With Help From Black And GroupCard

Online Holiday spending Reaches $16 Billion; Social Media Continues To Influence Purchases

MySpace Kills Off Imeem API Without Warning Developers

Yahoo! News

How fakes sites trick search engines to hit the top

What the Apple-LaLa Deal Cpould Mean for Video Streaming

cnet News

Facebook backtracks on public friend lists

Facebook details new privacy settings

Fast Company

Today’s vision of Tomorrow: All Your Music in the Cloud

Major Print Publishers Gang Up to Pre-empt Apple, Already Make Mistakes

Cheddar for Tweets: @HuffingtonPost’s Twitter-Based Revenue Scheme

Blogs & Other News Sources

Facebook Simplifies Privacy Options (PC World)

Love The One Your’re With: Apple Wanted AdMob, Google wanted Lala (Channel Web)

HarperCollins Joins Ranks Of Those Delaying E-Books (WSJ)

Online, Offline, No Line (WSJ)

Google ponders risky Android solo act (CNN Tech)