Social Networking Insider

Social Networking Insider #170, October 24th, 2011

The SNW/SMC Industry Insider is the weekly news summary for the social networking industry
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~ SOCIAL MEDIA CONFERENCE & STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS CONFERENCE ~:


Next social media conference will be held in Miami and is scheduled for January 23-30 2012.
Register before October 31 and save $175.

http://www.socialmediaconference.com/form-1-miami.php
______________________________________________________________________

:~ TOP SOCIAL NETWORKING WATCH NEWS ITEMS AND INTERVIEW ~:

The Top Viral Video Campaign, Updated October 13th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/adcampaign129

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Facebook Facing $138,000 Fine for Holding Deleted User Data

MASHABLE - Oct 23 - Facebook‘s Ireland offices are being audited, as the company is facing a possible €100,000 ($138,000) fine for retaining data deleted by users.  The case began when a 24-year-old Austrian law student, Max Schrems, asked Facebook for a copy of all his personal data in June. Facebook complied, sending him a CD containing 1,200 pages of data, including his likes, “friend” and “defriend” history, and chat logs. The problem? Schrems had deleted some of the data returned to him from his profile, yet Facebook retained his information.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/10/facebook-facing-138000-fine-for-holding-deleted-user-data.html


Google Mulls Buying Yahoo

MASHABLE - Oct 23 - Google is mulling purchasing Yahoo and has contacted at least two venture capital firms to help buy the company’s core business. Google’s not the only one rumored to be interested in buying the troubled Yahoo. Microsoft, which has a 10-year search deal with Yahoo, is also said to be interested.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/10/google-mulls-buying-yahoo-.html

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Accept multiple currency payments through Optimal Payments. Fraud prevention tools, custom reporting, and premier customer support. For more information visit www.optimalpayments.com
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ComScore: Mobile SN App Audience Grows 126%

READ WRITE WEB - Oct 20 - U.S. mobile social media audiences increased 37%, and more than half of social mobile audiences read a post from an organization, brand or event on their mobile device. The social networking app audience has grown five times faster in the past year. While the mobile browsing social networking audience has grown 24% to 42.3M users, the mobile social networking app audience shot up 126% to 42.3M users in the past year. The Facebook mobile audience is fast approaching 60M users.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/10/comscore-mobile-sn-app-audience-grows-126-.html


Man Suing for Half of Facebook Loses Another Lawyer

CNET NEWS - Oct 17 - Paul Ceglia, the man who claims he has a contract that entitles him to a half ownership in Facebook, is again changing legal representation. His lawyer's departure comes after telling the court that Ceglia instructed him not to comply with a court order to turn over evidence in the case. The court had ordered him to produce, among other things, accounts and passwords for all email accounts he had used since 2003.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/10/man-suing-for-half-of-facebook-loses-another-lawyer.html

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Google Killing Buzz to Focus on Google+

PC MAG - Oct 16 - Google will kill off its beleaguered Buzz social-networking product in the next few weeks in order to focus its attention on Google+. Google will also shut down the Google Labs site and replace Boutiques.com and Like.com with Google Product Search later today, as promised, in addition to getting rid of several lesser-known products.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/10/google-killing-buzz-to-focus-on-google.html


Zynga Worth Just Quarter of $20bn Float Value

TELEGRAPH.CO.UK - Oct 14 - A leading US analyst has claimed Zynga is worth just a quarter of its $20bn proposed flotation valuation. The company, which creates games such as FarmVille, in which players trade virtual goods, bought just shy of $6M of its own shares from Michael Verdu, its senior VP of games, and Cadir Lee, its chief technology officer, at $6.43 a share in January. However, the CityVille and MafiaWars creator paid $13.96, more than double that figure, when Zynga’s founder Marc Pincus sold nearly 8M of his shares to the company in March, collecting $109.5M. In July, Zynga said it was seeking to raise $1bn, although it was expected that it could raise up to $2bn valuing the company at $20bn.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/10/zynga-worth-just-quarter-of-20bn-float-value.html


Zynga Builds Social Network

AFP - Oct 12 - Zynga is building a game-themed social network in a move that promises to reduce its dependence on Facebook as it prepares for a billion-dollar debut in the stock market. More than 232M people play Zynga games each month.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/10/zynga-builds-social-network.html

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:~ TWITTER ~:

Get the Social Networking Watch newsfeed delivered straight to your Twitter account: http://twitter.com/social_news

______________________________________________________________________

:~ DAILY DEALS OBSERVER ~:

Daily deal sites like Groupon and Living Social are storming along. We thought it would be nice if there was a news illumination blog for the daily deals industry. So we created The Daily Deals Observer. We hope you like it, and it's useful for you.
http://www.dailydealsobserver.com

______________________________________________________________________


The business conference for the social networking industry @ SocialMediaConference.com

Industry Message Boards @ mb.socialnetworkingonference.com

Conference Organiser, Marc Lesnick, marc@lesnick.net, 212-722-1744

Social Networking Watch, www.socialnetworkingwatch.com or snw1.com

Editor: Mark Brooks, mark@socialnetworkingwatch.com, 212-444-1636

Social Networking Insider #169, October 17th, 2011

The SNW/SMC Industry Insider is the weekly news summary for the social networking industry
______________________________________________________________________

~ SOCIAL MEDIA CONFERENCE & STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS CONFERENCE ~:


Next social media conference will be held in Miami and is scheduled for January 23-30 2012.
Register before October 31 and save $175.

http://www.socialmediaconference.com/form-1-miami.php
______________________________________________________________________

:~ TOP SOCIAL NETWORKING WATCH NEWS ITEMS AND INTERVIEW ~:

The Top Viral Video Campaign, Updated October 13th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/adcampaign128

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Spotify's Paying U.S. Users Have Grown by 42%

READ WRITE WEB - Oct 13 - Spotify, the all-you-can-stream music service, has picked up ~250K paying American customers. This number has grown by 42% since early August. Still, the company is not turning a profit. That's because the licensing costs are huge and not easily offset by its current subscription and advertising revenue. Spotify lost ~$41M last year.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/10/spotifys-paying-us-users-have-grown-by-42.html


Google+ Has 40 Million Users

MASHABLE - Oct 13 -Google came very close to its first $10 billion quarter and hit another milestone: 40 million users for Google+, as the company announced its third-quarter earnings on Thursday. Google posted $9.72 billion in revenues, a 33% jump YOY.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/10/google-has-40-million-users.html

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Accept multiple currency payments through Optimal Payments. Fraud prevention tools, custom reporting, and premier customer support. For more information visit www.optimalpayments.com
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Hulu Is No Longer for Sale

MASHABLE - Oct 14 - Hulu started considering a sale in June after Yahoo expressed interest in acquiring the world’s second largest video website. Yahoo, Google, Amazon, Dish Network and others were reportedly in the running. However, none of the bidders offered an amount that was satisfactory to its owners. Google apparently offered ~$4 billon, but wanted longer-term guarantees to its video content.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/10/hulu-is-no-longer-for-sale.html


Spanish SN Tuenti Looks Ahead

TMCNET - Oct 13 - 12M users and counting: Spanish social network 'Tuenti' now accounts for 15% of Internet traffic in the country. In recent months, Tuenti opened a second office in Madrid and a new center in Barcelona, and doubled its staff. Tuenti also launched its own mobile phone operator for its users, the logical result of Telefonica's buyout of the company last year. With Telefonica looking to expand its activities in Latin America, there is speculation that Tuenti is also planning to spread its wings abroad.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/10/spanish-sn-tuenti-looks-ahead.html


LinkedIn Buys Real-Time Search Startup

MASHABLE - Oct 12 - LinkedIn has acquired IndexTank, a provider of real-time hosted search technology, for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition will help improve LinkedIn’s internal search technology.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/10/linkedin-buys-real-time-search-startup.html

_______________________________________________________________________

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Zynga Unleashes New Games

MASHABLE - Oct 12 - Zynga announced a slew of new Facebook games, add-ons and “express” versions of their social hits, including CastleVille, Zynga Bingo and Dream Zoo. The games are part of the company’s effort to expand into new genres such as hidden objects, animals and mobile.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/10/zynga-unleashes-new-games.html


Twitter Secures “Tweet” Trademark

MASHABLE - Oct 11 - Twitter has settled a lawsuit that will give the company control over the “tweet” trademark. Twitter doesn’t currently own the trademark to the term. Instead, Twittad controls the trademark. Twittad, a provider of sponsored advertising on Twitter, has trademark its tagline, “Let your ad meet tweets.” It also has trademarked various variations of the word “tweet.” As part of the settlement, Twittad will transfer the “tweet” trademark to Twitter, though Twittad will continue to use its current trademark.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/10/twitter-secures-tweet-trademark.html


Facebook Finally Launches iPad App

CNET NEWS - Oct 10 - Facebook's app joins other popular social-networking apps on the iPad including Twitter, Flipboard, and Gowalla, all of which had a heady lead on Facebook.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/10/facebook-finally-launches-ipad-app.html

______________________________________________________________________

:~ TWITTER ~:

Get the Social Networking Watch newsfeed delivered straight to your Twitter account: http://twitter.com/social_news

______________________________________________________________________

:~ DAILY DEALS OBSERVER ~:

Daily deal sites like Groupon and Living Social are storming along. We thought it would be nice if there was a news illumination blog for the daily deals industry. So we created The Daily Deals Observer. We hope you like it, and it's useful for you.
http://www.dailydealsobserver.com

______________________________________________________________________


The business conference for the social networking industry @ SocialMediaConference.com

Industry Message Boards @ mb.socialnetworkingonference.com

Conference Organiser, Marc Lesnick, marc@lesnick.net, 212-722-1744

Social Networking Watch, www.socialnetworkingwatch.com or snw1.com

Editor: Mark Brooks, mark@socialnetworkingwatch.com, 212-444-1636

Social Networking Insider #168, October 10th, 2011

The SNW/SMC Industry Insider is the weekly news summary for the social networking industry
______________________________________________________________________

~ SOCIAL MEDIA CONFERENCE & STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS CONFERENCE ~:


Next social media conference & Stratcom event will be held in Miami and is scheduled for January 23-25, 2012.
Register before October 31 and save $575.

http://www.socialmediaconference.com/form-1-miami.php
______________________________________________________________________

:~ TOP SOCIAL NETWORKING WATCH NEWS ITEMS AND INTERVIEW ~:

The Top Viral Video Campaign, Updated October 6th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/adcampaign127

_______________________________________________________________________

EU Approves Microsoft’s $8.5 Billion Acquisition of Skype

TECH CRUNCH - Oct 7 - The European Commission has cleared Microsoft’s $8.5 billion proposed acquisition of Skype. With this approval, the acquisition can now take place.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/10/eu-approves-microsofts-85-billion-acquisition-of-skype.html


LinkedIn Acquires Social CRM Company Connected

FORBES - Oct 6 - LinkedIn has acquired Connected, a contact management start-up, raising possibilities for a future LinkedIn CRM service. Connected is a customer relationship management tool for people or businesses who do not want to or are too small to use Salesforce.com. Connected provides a way for people to manage all their contacts online from Gmail, Google Contacts, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. People can tag and sort their contacts and also enter notes about the contact after a meeting or a call.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/10/linkedin-acquires-social-crm-company-connected.html

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Accept multiple currency payments through Optimal Payments. Fraud prevention tools, custom reporting, and premier customer support. For more information visit www.optimalpayments.com
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Apple Co-founder, Chairman Steve Jobs Dies

CNET NEWS - Oct 5 - Apple co-founder and Chairman Steve Jobs died on Wednesday. He was 56. Personal computing was invented with the launch of the Apple II in 1977. Legal digital music recordings were brought into the mainstream with the iPod and iTunes in the early 2000s, and mobile phones were never the same after the 2007 debut of the iPhone. Jobs played an instrumental role in the development of all three, and managed to find time to transform the art of computer-generated movie-making on the side.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/10/apple-co-founder-chairman-steve-jobs-dies.html


Quepasa Signs Global Publishing Agreement with Viximo

MARKETWIRE - Oct 5 - Quepasa has signed a global publishing agreement with Viximo to publish Wonderful City – Rio to alternative social networking platforms that collectively drive 150 million monthly unique visitors. The game had over 4.4 million installs across Quepasa.com, Facebook and Orkut with 850,000 daily active users as of August 31st.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/10/quepasa-signs-global-publishing-agreement-with-viximo.html

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Brazil Launches MyFunCity Social Network

PR NEWSWIRE - Oct 5 - Brazil has become the first country in the world to implement a social networking site focused on civic responsibility with the launch of MyFunCity – Sustainable Cities. The site creates political and civic engagement through blogs, websites and social media. Cities will be assessed by citizens across 12 factors, including traffic, safety, education and health. Facebook will support the site as well.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/10/brazil-launches-myfuncity-social-network.html


Social Network Ad Revenues to Reach $10B in 2013

EMARKETER - Oct 5 - Social network ad revenues are projected to reach $10 billion worldwide in 2013, with half of the total coming from the U.S. market. Revenues this year will reach $5.54 billion. By 2013, non-U.S. revenues are expected to increase 51.9%.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/10/social-network-ad-revenues-to-reach-10b-in-2013.html

_______________________________________________________________________

iTelebill is offering mobile recurring billing which leads to higher conversions at no additional cost to site. Perfect for members where credit cards are not possible. Visit www.itelebill.com.

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Twitter: 1,600 Advertisers, 80% Retention

TECH CRUNCH - Oct 5 - According to Twitter CRO Adam Bain, the company now has 1,600 advertisers, up from just a few hundred last year. The Super 8 Twitter campaign helped sell 1 million sneak peek tickets and box office revenues exceeded projections by 50%. An new eMarketer report is forecasting lower revenues for Twitter this year, but significant growth over the next few years as Twitter's self-serve ad product enters operations. 2013 Twitter ad revenues are projected to reach nearly $400m.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/10/twitter-1600-advertisers-80-retention.html


Zynga Launches Its Most Detailed Game to Date, Mafia Wars 2

TECH CRUNCH - Oct 4 - Social game developer, Zynga, has launched its most detailed game to date. Mafia Wars 2, its first direct sequel, features 3D graphics, quality sound, and sophisticated gameplay. The original Mafia Wars has about 4.4 million monthly active users compared to Zynga’s popular CityVille’s 71 million.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/10/zynga-launches-its-most-detailed-game-to-date-mafia-wars-2-.html

______________________________________________________________________

:~ TWITTER ~:

Get the Social Networking Watch newsfeed delivered straight to your Twitter account: http://twitter.com/social_news

______________________________________________________________________

:~ DAILY DEALS OBSERVER ~:

Daily deal sites like Groupon and Living Social are storming along. We thought it would be nice if there was a news illumination blog for the daily deals industry. So we created The Daily Deals Observer. We hope you like it, and it's useful for you.
http://www.dailydealsobserver.com

______________________________________________________________________


The business conference for the social networking industry @ SocialMediaConference.com

Industry Message Boards @ mb.socialnetworkingonference.com

Conference Organiser, Marc Lesnick, marc@lesnick.net, 212-722-1744

Social Networking Watch, www.socialnetworkingwatch.com or snw1.com

Editor: Mark Brooks, mark@socialnetworkingwatch.com, 212-444-1636

Social Networking Insider #167, October 3rd, 2011

The SNW/SMC Industry Insider is the weekly news summary for the social networking industry
______________________________________________________________________

~ SOCIAL MEDIA CONFERENCE & STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS CONFERENCE ~:

Next social networking conference will be held in Miami and is scheduled for January 23-30 2012.
Register before October 31 and save $575.

http://www.socialnetworkingconference.com/form-1-miami.php
______________________________________________________________________

:~ TOP SOCIAL NETWORKING WATCH NEWS ITEMS AND INTERVIEW ~:

The Top Viral Video Campaign, Updated September 29th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/adcampaign126

_______________________________________________________________________

PassMyWill Is a Will For Your Online Assets and Passwords

TECH CRUNCH - Oct 3 - PassMyWill distributes your social network passwords to your trusted loved ones after you die. You create an account with your name and enter who your next of kin is and their email address. You also enter an encryption key that the recipient would know. And then you enter the data, passwords and more that you want your next of kin to takeover once you pass. When you die, this information will be passed on to the recipient.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/10/passmywill-is-a-will-for-your-online-assets-and-passwords.html


Blendr Social App Raises Fears

BOSTON HERALD - Oct 3 - Blendr, a new location-based app, is raising concerns that it could be used to prey on teens. Blendr, which doesn’t bill itself as a dating app like Grindr, lets users know how close they are to others by relying on a smartphone’s GPS or Facebook’s location software. But child advocates aren’t viewing the new app as just a way to make friends and review places. When asked for its position, the company pointed to a 2010 statement: “As an added protection, we encourage parents to add Apple’s parental controls to their children’s iPod Touches, iPhones and iPads to help ensure that their children cannot access 17-and-over sites and apps. Grindr strongly condemns the inappropriate and criminal use of our service and actively cooperates with local authorities on any alleged illegal activity on our service.”

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/10/blendr-social-app-raises-fears.html

_______________________________________________________________________

Accept multiple currency payments through Optimal Payments. Fraud prevention tools, custom reporting, and premier customer support. For more information visit www.optimalpayments.com
_______________________________________________________________________

Twitter Revenue to Hit $400 Million by 2013

MASHABLE - Sep 30 - The success of Twitter‘s Promoted Products will propel the company into $400M in revenue in 2013 compared to $45M last year. Twitter will earn $139.5M this year, a 210% YOY, according to eMarketer. Twitter has 100M active users compared to 800M for Facebook.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/09/twitter-revenue-to-hit-400-million-by-2013.html


Google in Talks to Acquire Katango

TECH CRUNCH - Sep 29 - Google is in talks to acquire Katango, the Kleiner-backed startup that uses algorithms to automatically sort your friends into different groups, with very little effort required on the user’s part. Katango would be a very obvious fit for Google Because Google+ revolves around grouping your friends into different Circles.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/09/google-in-talks-to-acquire-katango.html

_______________________________________________________________________

Halve your customer service team costs!  Procall knows internet dating, and is ready to help you offshore your customer service center, and compete!
_______________________________________________________________________

Facebook Wins First Round in Fight With Teachbook

PAID CONTENT - Sep 28 - A federal judge refused to dismiss its complaint against Teachbook, a site for teachers. Teachbook markets itself as a “professional online community for teachers” where educators can enjoy social networking and share resources in a student-free forum. In response to a trademark complaint from Facebook, the company tried to dismiss the lawsuit on the grounds that the two sites look nothing alike. Teachbook also argued the word “book” is generic, and called the court’s attention to Facebook groups with names like “Catbook” and “Faithbook.” Facebook has recently grown more aggressive in defending perceived threats to its brand. Earlier this year, it succeeded in taking down a website run by Friendfinder called FacebookOfSex and is suing to recover damages. It is also moving to take down another “adult dating” site called Shagbook. And in August, it settled its case against parody-site Lamebook, allowing the website to remain online provided it disavow any association with Facebook.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/09/facebook-wins-first-round-in-fight-with-teachbook-.html


Yammer Raised $17 Million

TECH CRUNCH - Sep 27 - Yammer, an enterprise social network and communications platform, has raised $17M in new funding led by The Social+Capital Partnership, a new fund established by former Facebook VP Chamath Palihapitiya. Previous investors Charles River Ventures, Emergence Capital and U.S. Venture Partners also participated in the round. Palihapitiya will have an observer’s seat on Yammer’s board of directors. This brings Yammer’s total financing to $57M.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/09/yammer-raised-17-million-.html

_______________________________________________________________________

iTelebill is offering mobile recurring billing which leads to higher conversions at no additional cost to site. Perfect for members where credit cards are not possible. Visit www.itelebill.com.

_______________________________________________________________________

Google+ Has 43 Million Users

MASHABLE - Sep 27 - Google+ was grabbing a record number of new users. According to Paul Allen, Ancestry.com co-founder and unofficial Google+ statistician, Google+ is up to ~43.4M users — and ~30% of them have been added in the few days since Google+ opened itself to the public.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/09/google-has-43-million-users.html


Renren Buys Video Sharing Site 56.com for $80 Million

TECH CRUNCH - Sep 27 - Chinese social network Renren has purchased China-based video and photo sharing site 56.com. The deal size is ~$80M. Founded in 2005, 56.com is a Chinese video sharing site where users can upload, view and share videos, similar to YouTube. Renren has ~30M active monthly users and ~100M registered users in total. The social network recently went public earlier this year.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/09/renren-buys-video-sharing-site-56com-for-80-million.html

______________________________________________________________________

:~ TWITTER ~:

Get the Social Networking Watch newsfeed delivered straight to your Twitter account: http://twitter.com/social_news

______________________________________________________________________

:~ DAILY DEALS OBSERVER ~:

Daily deal sites like Groupon and Living Social are storming along. We thought it would be nice if there was a news illumination blog for the daily deals industry. So we created The Daily Deals Observer. We hope you like it, and it's useful for you.
http://www.dailydealsobserver.com

______________________________________________________________________


The business conference for the social networking industry @ SocialMediaConference.com

Industry Message Boards @ mb.socialnetworkingonference.com

Conference Organiser, Marc Lesnick, marc@lesnick.net, 212-722-1744

Social Networking Watch, www.socialnetworkingwatch.com or snw1.com

Editor: Mark Brooks, mark@socialnetworkingwatch.com, 212-444-1636