Social Networking Insider

Social Networking Insider #175, November 28th, 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 November 30 and save $500.

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

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

The Top Viral Video Campaign, Updated November 24th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/adcampaign135

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Cyworld Hopes To Make Comeback With Redesigned Global Service

KOREA TIMES - Nov 27 - Cyworld, once a social networking phenomenon in Korea before losing ground to Facebook and Twitter, vowed to make a comeback. Cyworld believes there still is a need for a new social network that cares less about information, and more about people and users.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/11/cyworld-hopes-to-make-comeback-with-redesigned-global-service.html


Social Networking Apps Bring The Close Closer

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD - Nov 25 - Blendr enables users to check their smartphones and then text other users a few metres away. If they hit it off, they can meet up for a date within minutes. Blendr is the heterosexual version of Grindr, which has more than 2M gay users in 192 countries. Joel Simkhai, who founded Grindr and Blendr, says the main difference between the two apps is that the straight version is less focused on casual sex. Other geosocial networking apps, such as OkCupid Locals and HowAboutWe are popular.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/11/social-networking-apps-bring-the-close-closer.html


Twitter Gains Popularity In Arab Nations

AFP - Nov 25 - Online Twitter messages in Arabic rocketed from 99K a day in October 2010 to over 2M last month. Arabic is now the eighth most popular language on Twitter. Tweets in Japanese -- the second most popular language on Twitter -- account for 14.2% of the daily total, down from 19% a year ago.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/11/twitter-gains-popularity-in-arab-nations.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
_______________________________________________________________________


Facebook Buys Baltimore Company That Sued It

BALTIMORE SUN - Nov 23 - WhoGlue, a small Baltimore company that sued Facebook two years ago, was reportedly acquired by Facebook earlier this month for an undisclosed amount. The lawsuit that he had filed against Facebook -- for infringing on a patent titled "distributed personal relationship information management system and methods" -- was settled last year in a "very positive" way, WhoGlue founder said, and he and Facebook execs kept in touch.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/11/facebook-buys-baltimore-company-that-sued-it.html


MyHeritage Has Acquired FamilyLink

TECH CRUNCH - Nov 22 - Israeli company MyHeritage, which operates a huge family-based social network has acquired FamilyLink, the developer behind family history content sites FamilyLink.com and WorldVitalRecords.com. While financial terms of the deal are not being disclosed, this is MyHeritage’s seventh and largest acquisition since 2007. Past acquisitions include Germany’s OSN, Poland’s Bliscy.pl, Dutch Family Network ZOOOF and most recently BackupMyTree.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/11/myheritage-has-acquired-familylink.html


Zynga’s CastleVille: 5 Million Users Less Than A Week

MASHABLE - Nov 22 - Zynga‘s CastleVille has had a solid opening. In just under a week, the game has garnered 5M daily active users — meaning it’s growing faster than any other Zynga game did at this stage.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/11/zyngas-castleville-5-million-users-less-than-a-week.html

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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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Social Networking Use Among Mobile Users Grows In Europe

PC WORLD - Nov 21 - The number people accessing SNS in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the U.K. using their mobile phone has grown by 44% in the last year, according to comScore. In Sep, 55M users in the five countries accessed SNS or blogs on their mobile device, representing about one in four of the total mobile audience. Twitter and LinkedIn more than doubled its audiences, but Facebook is still the biggest by a wide margin. Facebook's audience grew from ~25M to ~39M.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/11/social-networking-use-among-mobile-users-grows-in-europe.html


61% Of Top Brands Have Google+ Pages, No One Is Following

TECH CRUNCH - Nov 16 - SEO firm BrightEdge is reporting that 61% of world’s top 100 brands have already created Google + Pages. 94% of the Top 100 brands have a presence on Facebook. BrightEdge says that only 12% of the brands that created these pages displayed a link to them on their home page. About 53% of the Top 100 brands display a link on their home page to their Facebook page. Coke, McDonalds and Verizon have only dozens of fans (but have millions of Facebook fans).

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/11/61-of-top-brands-have-google-pages-no-one-is-following.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 #174, November 21st, 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 November 30 and save $500.

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

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

The Top Viral Video Campaign, Updated November 17th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/adcampaign134

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Interview with Neil Steinhardt, GM Of PaysafeCard
http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/11/interview-with-neil-steinhardt-gm-of-paysafecard.html

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Google+ Traffic Rises By 25% Last Month

COMPUTER WORLD UK - Nov 18 - Google+ has had a recent traffic boost, recording its third-largest week of visits since the site launched in June, according to Experian Hitwise. It had ~6.8M US visits in the week ending 12 November. That's a 5% increase compared to the week before and a 25% increase compared to a month ago. Now that Google + has 40M+ users, people are finding more friends and colleagues on the site than they were when it launched last summer.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/11/google-traffic-rises-by-25-last-month.html


Yelp Files For IPO To Raise $100 Million

TECH CRUNCH - Nov 18 -  Local recommendation site Yelp has finally filed an S-1 to IPO, wanting to raise $100M. The site generated $58.4M net revenue in the first nine months of 2011, 80% growth over the same period in 2010. It operated at a net loss however, of $7.6M. Revenues have grown pretty fast, from $12.1M in 2008 to $47.7M in 2010 but it is still not profitable.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/11/yelp-files-for-ipo-to-raise-100-million.html


PayPal Launches Facebook App For Sending Money

IT WORLD - Nov 17 - The app, named Send Money, features a greeting card component for accompanying the money transfer with an e-card containing a message, photos and videos to mark occasions like birthdays and anniversaries. Cards are posted to recipients' Facebook Walls, although the message is kept private. Users can also opt to just send someone money, without posting an e-card to their Wall.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/11/paypal-launches-facebook-app-for-sending-money.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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LinkedIn Shareholders To Offer Shares

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES - Nov 16 - LinkedIn said shareholders will unload ~6.7M shares in a planned equity sale. LinkedIn will pair the stock from the selling shareholders with its plans to sell another $100M in equity, which the social networking company first unveiled earlier this month. Yesterday, LinkedIn said it would sell a minimum of about 1.3M shares, or roughly $100.4M worth at its latest closing price.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/11/linkedin-shareholders-to-offer-shares.html


Two-Thirds Of Online U.S. Adults Use Social Media

MASHABLE - Nov 16 - The most common reason U.S. adults use social networks is to stay in touch with friends and family members, A Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project study reveals. Older users (ages 50 to 64) are more likely than younger users (ages 18 to 29) to use social media to find others with similar interests or hobbies. Only 3% of respondents say finding potential romantic or dating partners is a “major reason” they use social media. Conversely, 84% say it was “not a reason at all.”

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/11/two-thirds-of-online-us-adults-use-social-media.html


Quepasa's Last Horrendous Quarter

THE MOTLEY FOOL - Nov 15 - Quepasa revenue plunged 46% to a mere $1.5M. The drop occurred primarily due to a 32% plunge in monthly active users of its website. The quarterly deficit widened to $3.5M. Quepasa also served up 579M page views during the quarter, 29% ahead of where it was a year ago. In short, there may be fewer users around but they're more engaged even if they're not being monetized more effectively.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/11/quepasas-last-horrendous-quarter.html

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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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Google Joins $250 Million Social Network Fund

ITPRO PORTAL - Nov 14 - Google joined the $250 Million sFund for investing in "small social networking startups" which was started by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB), a world leading venture capital firm last year.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/11/google-joins-250-million-social-network-fund-.html


IAC Launches Crowded Room To Help Users Make Real Friends

VATOR.TV - Nov 14 - IAC's new app Crowded Room aims to make that very online/offline social networking bridge by helping users connect with people who frequent the same hangout spots. The service is clearly geared toward those who are looking for love…or something like it. Users can even meet people at places they plan to go, such as a party, via the “Go” button, which allows them to sync up their check-ins with Facebook, Foursquare, or Twitter.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/11/iac-launches-crowded-room-to-help-users-make-real-friends.html

______________________________________________________________________

:~ TWITTER ~:

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

______________________________________________________________________

:~ DAILY DEALS OBSERVER ~:

Interview with Jajoop's CEO, Kelly Kampen - Thailand’s Daily Deal Site
http://www.dailydealsobserver.com/daily_deals_observer/2011/11/interview-with-the-ceo-of-jajoop-kelly-kampen-thailands-daily-deal-site.html

______________________________________________________________________


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 #173, November 14th, 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 November 30 and save $500.

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

:~ TOP SOCIAL NETWORKING WATCH NEWS ITEMS ~:

The Top Viral Video Campaign, Updated November 10th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/adcampaign132

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Germany To Sue Facebook Over Facial Recognition Feature

PC WORLD - Nov 11 - The Hamburg Data Protection Authority (DPA) is starting preliminary procedures to bring legal action against Facebook over the facial recognition feature used for photo tagging. German data protection laws require companies to clearly inform users about how their personal information is being used and the Hamburg data protection agency says that this didn't happen. As a compromise, Facebook proposed the introduction of a checkbox for users to accept terms and conditions and guidelines on data usage, but the DPA feels that such a solution is not enough to legitimize the collection and use of biometric facial characteristics.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/11/germany-to-sue-facebook-over-facial-recognition-feature.html


Groupon’s New Feature Lets You Buy Expired Deals

MY BANK TRACKER - Nov 10 - Groupon is rolling out a new system to highlight user “tastes” and interests. With the new feature, which went live yesterday, users can each deal will be tagged with user interests such as “Bring the Kids,” “The Finer Things,” “Skip Town,” and “Sporting Life,” among many others.This new feature will allow customers to purchase deals even after they have expired.

http://www.dailydealsobserver.com/daily_deals_observer/2011/11/groupons-new-feature-lets-you-buy-expired-deals.html


Dealsandyou.com Raises $17M

TECH CIRCLE - Nov 10 - Smile Group’s daily deal site Dealsandyou.com has raised $17M in its second round of funding that closed a few weeks ago. The investment was led by Mayfield Fund and Norwest Venture Partners, with Nokia Growth Partners and Intel Capital participating as well. The fund will be used by Dealsandyou.com to rev up its focus on customers and also for technology and infrastructure development.

http://www.dailydealsobserver.com/daily_deals_observer/2011/11/dealsandyoucom-raises-17m.html

_______________________________________________________________________

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


UK Facebook And Twitter Users Reject Big Brands' Marketing

GUARDIAN.CO.UK - Nov 10 - 61% of UK internet users do not want to engage with brands on social networks, according to the research firm TNS, compared with 57% across other developed countries and a low of 45% in Latin America. One-fifth of the 2,093 Britons in the survey agreed that social networks are a good place to buy products, compared with the global average of 40%.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/11/uk-facebook-and-twitter-users-reject-big-brands-marketing.html


Proximity Based Mobile Social Networking Report

BUSINESS WIRE - Nov 9 - Research and Markets has added the "Proximity Based Mobile Social Networking: Applications and Technology, Making New Connections in the Physical World" report to their offering. This report details the opportunity, players and strategic relevance of these applications and associated technologies.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/11/proximity-based-mobile-social-networking-report.html


AOL, Yahoo, And Microsoft Band Together To Fend Off Facebook’s Ad Assault

TECH CRUNCH - Nov 9 - There have been a number of rumors circulating around Yahoo, Microsoft, and AOL, most of them focusing on a potential AOL/Yahoo merger, or Yahoo’s acquisition by AOL or Microsoft, etc. Well, it seems the companies have officially become linked, by way of display ads. The agreements will allow each to offer the other’s display ads to their respective customers. This strategic partnership creates somewhat of a mega ad network. It’s also a play to fend off the meteoric rise of Facebook (and, in turn, Google, which owns a 75% share of search advertising).

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/11/aol-yahoo-and-microsoft-band-together-to-fend-off-facebooks-ad-assault.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 Launches Google+ Pages

FORBES - Nov 8 - Google’s launch of Google + Pages is an attempt to make that social network more useful for businesses, allowing businesses and Plus users to connect via Google Hangouts and to +1 businesses and so forth.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/11/google-launches-google-pages.html


Groupon, Yelp Sued Over Mobile Commerce Patent

MOCONEWS - Nov 8 - The patent in question is owned by a subsidiary of Hothand, a firm that gained attention in 2009 by offering advertisers a way to send messages to students on their mobile phones. The company received the patent in 2010 and has already used it to sue Foursquare. The new lawsuit says that Groupon’s apps for the iPhone and iPad violate the patent as do its Android, Windows and BlackBerry apps. The patent abstract describes it as: A subscription-based system for providing commerce information for one or more mobile devices for one or more merchants.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/11/groupon-yelp-sued-over-mobile-commerce-patent-.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 #172, November 7th, 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 November 30 and save $500.

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

:~ TOP SOCIAL NETWORKING WATCH NEWS ITEMS ~:

The Top Viral Video Campaign, Updated November 3rd, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/adcampaign131

_______________________________________________________________________


Badoo Has 130 Million Users

MOBILE ENTERTAINMENT MAGAZINE - Nov 4 - Badoo claims to be the 4th largest social network in the world. Russian owned and London-based, Badoo is available in 35 languages in 180 countries on the web, and also as an iPhone, Android, Facebook and Blackberry app. Badoo has 130M members, up 62% compared to the last year.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/11/badoo-has-130-million-users.html


Zynga Q3 Revenue Up 80% To $306.8M

TECH CRUNCH - Nov 4 - Zynga just filed a new S-1 today in its upcoming IPO, reporting new revenue, income, and usage stats. Revenue came in at $306.8M for the quarter, which is up 80% from Q3 2010. Net income was $12.5M, down 50% from the Q3 2010 ($27.2M).

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/11/zynga-q3-revenue-up-80-to-3068m-.html

_______________________________________________________________________

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

LinkedIn By The Numbers

MASHABLE - Nov 4 - LinkedIn now has 131M members and more than a million groups. ~15M people joined LinkedIn in Q3 2011. That’s a boost of 63% YOY. Mobile pageviews are up by 400% YOY. In total, mobile accounts for 13% of LinkedIn’s unique visits. The revenue jumped by 126% to $139.5M. Despite the positive numbers , LinkedIn’s stock is down by 9% in after-hours trading.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/11/linkedin-by-the-numbers.html


Facebook Claimant Accuses Zuckerberg Of Destroying E-mails

CNET NEWS - Nov 2 - Paul Ceglia, the man who claims he is owed half of Facebook, has asked that co-founder Mark Zuckerberg be sanctioned for allegedly deleting e-mails that describe their partnership. Ceglia said that Zuckerberg destroyed messages from his Harvard University e-mail account after receiving a litigation hold on it contents. Ceglia claimed in a lawsuit filed last year against Facebook and its CEO that Zuckerberg entered into a contract with Ceglia in 2003 to design and develop the Web site that would ultimately become Facebook.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/11/facebook-claimant-accuses-zuckerberg-of-destroying-e-mails.html


Grindr Is The Gay Foursquare

IRISH TIMES - Nov 2 - Most social networks connect people in the virtual world but Grindr helps gay people meet for real. And now its founder is launching an app for the straight community too. Grindr is uncomplicated. Create a profile, upload a photo and see gay men in your area who have done the same. Blendr replaces sexuality as a commonality with categories of “interests” concerning everything from sport to religion. But there are also complexities in creating a safe environment in which heterosexual people can interact.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/11/grindr-is-the-gay-foursquare.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.

_______________________________________________________________________

Justin Timberlake To Re-Launch MySpace In 2012

DIGITAL SPY - Nov 1 - Justin Timberlake is set to take on the social networking responsibilities of his movie counterpart Sean Parker and breathe new life into MySpace in 2012. Timberlake claimes that the site will undergo revolutionary changes, stating that, “It will be an entertainment hub. People will go there to explore their artistic side and we will give them tools to do that.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/11/justin-timberlake-to-re-launch-myspace-in-2012.html


DeNA, GREE Report Impressive Financial Numbers

TECH CRUNCH - Oct 31 - GREE and Mobage, mobile social gaming platforms hugely successful in Japan, reported some big financial numbers today. DeNA's sales reached $457M for the second quarter of this fiscal, while operating income hit $203M. That translates into 28% and 13% YOY growth respectively. GREE is now expecting sales to hit $1.67 billion to $1.8 billion for the current fiscal (up 40-44.4% from the previous forecast), while operating profit is expected to land somewhere between $770 -900M (up 40-50%).

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/10/dena-gree-report-impressive-financial-numbers.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 #171, October 31st, 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.
Early cutoff date extended to Nov 4 - save $575 off the registration.

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

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

The Top Viral Video Campaign, Updated October 27th, 2011
http://tinyurl.com/adcampaign130

_______________________________________________________________________


Lawsuit over Facebook’s Friend Finder Feature Dismissed

TECH CRUNCH - Oct 28 - A class action lawsuit filed against Facebook over its FriendFinder feature was dismissed yesterday by a California federal judge. In the case of Robyn Cohen, et al. v. Facebook, a group of the network’s members alleged that Facebook misappropriated users’ names and likenesses to promote its Friend Finder service, which suggests new Facebook friends to a user who chooses to upload his or her email contacts.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/10/lawsuit-over-facebooks-friend-finder-feature-dismissed.html


Hitwise: Google+ Traffic up in October Over Last Month

PC WORLD - Oct 28 - Google+ usage has increased in October compared with last month, but it couldn't sustain a dramatic one-week surge that took place after it became publicly available on Sept. 20, according to Experian Hitwise. Compared with the first four weeks of September, total visits to Google+ rose 30% during the same period in October, when the site attracted an average of 6M total visits per week. Total page views climbed 37%, as the site averaged ~15M page views per week.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/10/hitwise-google-traffic-up-in-october-over-last-month.html

_______________________________________________________________________

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

Did Facebook's $100 Billion Dream Just Die?

MOTLEY FOOL - Oct 27 - Once thought to be worth $100 billion or more, new data from private equity exchange SharesPost says Facebook is trading for an implied value of $68.2 billion. Facebook's value has long been driven by a feeding frenzy of demand. If demand has dried up in the wake of Google's introduction of Google+ and Apple's integration of Twitter into the iPhone, it means there's little chance that Facebook will reach the $150 billion highs.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/10/did-facebooks-100-billion-dream-just-die.html


Lawsuits Alleging Extortion Over Yelp’s Review System Dismissed

TECH CRUNCH - Oct 27 - Last year, several lawsuits emerged that accused Yelp of extorting businesses to advertise in exchange for positive reviews. A judge granted Yelp’s request to dismiss these suits. As CEO and founder Jeremy Stoppelman writes “our automated system applies the same objective criteria to all reviews regardless of a business’s advertiser status.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/10/lawsuits-alleging-extortion-over-yelps-review-system-dismissed.html


Tencent in Talks to Buy Stake in Chinese SN Happy Networks

WSJ - Oct 26 - Tencent is in talks to buy a stake in Chinese social network Happy Networks, owner of Facebook-like social network Kaixin001. Terms are still being finalized, but would involve Tencent initially spending ~$40M to buy an undisclosed minority stake in Happy Networks, which also has investment from Tencent's rival, Sina Corp.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/10/tencent-in-talks-to-buy-stake-in-chinese-sn-happy-networks-.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.

_______________________________________________________________________

Anti-Facebook Social Network “Unthink” Launches to Public

TECH CRUNCH - Oct 25 - Startup Unthink.com, which bills itself as the “anti-Facebook,” is opening up its doors today, allowing in its first round of beta testers. The company with $2.5M in funding from DouglasBay Capital sees itself as a more open, more honest form of social networking. On Unthink, user data isn’t sold to brands. Instead, users choose a brand to sponsor their page, by way of an ad dubbed “iEndorse.” The idea is that a user will select a brand they feel some affinity with, and will then become an advocate for that brand. Users who don’t want to select a brand have the option to pay for the service instead ($2/year).

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/10/anti-facebook-social-network-unthink-launches-to-public.html


Zynga IPO Set for November

MASHABLE - Oct 25 - Zynga‘s long-awaited IPO will hit a week before Thanksgiving. Zynga’s IPO, set for roughly November 17, appears back on track just as Groupon appears to be once again readying its plans to go public, also in November. Other social media-related IPOs, including the largest of them all, Facebook’s, are set for 2012.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/10/zynga-ipo-set-for-november-.html


Google+ to Integrate with Blogger

TECH CRUNCH - Oct 24 - Google+ will soon be integrated with Google’s blogging platform, Blogger. That would position Google+ against Facebook on another front beyond just social networking: blog commenting.

http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/2011/10/google-to-integrate-with-blogger.html

______________________________________________________________________

:~ TWITTER ~:

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

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:~ 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

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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