Is This How Twitter Will Offer Friends For Sale?

ReadWriteWeb

Twitter has rolled out a number of new monetization models in recent weeks and a change to the search results page tonight may be the next one we'll see. Last Friday Peter Kafka published a report on AllThingsD predicting that Twitter would soon start offering followers to customers, for a price. Now tonight, MG Siegler at TechCrunch spotted a new feature that integrates people search directly into the basic search results page on the site.

Put those two reports together and what do you have? Big clues pointing to a future cost-per-action auction of people search listings for popular topics. Check out some of these example searches below and ask yourself: is this a bidding war waiting to happen?

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Twitter%20/%20Search%20-%20NBA

When Twitter sold a trending topic to the NBA earlier this month, there was a big spike in people tweeting about basketball and Lebron James in particular. Think particular teams would pay for a space in the top results here? How about the NBA itself buying all of them and switching out what appears?

Twitter%20/%20Search%20-%20hollywood%20gossip

TMZ? I wouldn't be surprised. TMZ-challengers? Perhaps all the more likely.

Twitter%20/%20Search%20-%20new%20music

Talk about direct e-commerce possibilities. If search communicates intent - won't the sales people line up to be introduced as the face to follow regarding popular goods and services? The ROI will be easy to calculate, too.

I think people have assumed that Twitter would monetize search with ads the way Google has - by inserting links to destinations. Twitter is people though - so it makes sense to monetize connection to people and to brands. It would essentially be a way to sell subscriptions to syndicated content, including promotional materials.

It's pretty amazing to think that this social media era may be one where monetization happens when consumers opt-in to receiving commercial communication over time.

We've requested comment from Twitter and will update this post if we hear from the company about our speculation.

See also our scoop of Twitter's @earlybird promotional account (which, by the way, just said it is about to spread its wings soon) and our maybe-scoop of a maybe/maybe not forthcoming Twitter analytics service. Twitter told us there was nothing happening with that analytics news, but then days later announced something that sure looked like an admission of a forthcoming analytics product.

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Facebook's OpenGraph is Coming to the Mobile Web

ReadWriteWeb

Facebook's new head of mobile products, Eric Tseng, spoke today at MobileBeat 2010, introducing a new approach to the company's OpenGraph.

"Where we're going from here is a platform strategy. We're going away from a one-off app strategy,"

In other words, OpenGraph's going mobile, in more ways than one.

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Goin' Mobile

First, Facebook considers and will approach further development of OpenGraph as a platform with infinite reach. Second, you'll soon see OpenGraph elements, like the Like button, growing out through unconnected mobile apps, as they already have through the non-mobile space. Facebook, after all, counts its mobile users at 150 million.

The "'Like' button for the entire Web" has now become the Like button for the post-Web world. Whether that is a good thing is highly debatable. That it is in fact a reality is not.

Social Intelligence

facebook_mobile.pngOne of the examples Tseng gave, according to CNET, was of a location-aware coupon program that would gather feedback from friends and acquaintances. (Though if the current state of that technology is any indication, this example may remain just that for a while.)

The melding of app and social is happening apace. If Facebook's intuition is right, it will continue, especially in the area of marketing and commerce. Tseng was quoted on VentureBeat.

"If you can actually layer on top of [location] some kind of social intelligence -- not just the fact that I'm near Starbucks, but the fact that 30 of my friends really like this frappuccino over the last couple months -- I've got an interesting use case."

For a certain value of "interesting" anyway. Not necessarily thrilling, but maybe profitable.

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Ben & Jerry's: How a Big Brand Explores Augmented Reality

ReadWriteWeb

moovision3_jul10.jpgAs we have mentioned previously, the success of augmented reality depends partly on its exposure through major mainstream brands. Late last week, the Ben & Jerry's ice cream empire took its first steps into the world of AR by adding the functionality to its iPhone app - but not in the way you might immediately assume. Today, I had the opportunity to chat with Katie O'Brien from Ben & Jerry's about the app and how a large brand approaches unique and niche emerging technologies.

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Usually when a large brand experiments with mobile AR, they immediately think to provide the heads-up navigator that helps people find store locations. We saw this earlier this year when the popular sandwich chain Quiznos partnered with Layar to provide this exact functionality, but the company peppered in a bit of its own brand of fun as well.

The AR Decision

gesmartgrid_jul10.jpgBen & Jerry's, a brand with hundreds of shops around the world, could have easily followed a similar path, but instead it has taken things a bit further. Katie O'Brien, manager of Ben & Jerry's global digital marketing initiatives, says the company first became excited about AR when it was "blown away" by General Electric's Smart Grid Web-based AR campaign. "Wow, one day we should do something like that," O'Brien remembered thinking.

Earlier this year, that day came. Ben & Jerry's began planning for a campaign that highlighted the fact that many of its ingredients come from small family farms. The campaign, named "It's what's inside that counts," was to feature rich visualizations and was the perfect opportunity for the company to finally jump into AR, O'Brien says.

New Tech, New Opportunities

Taking what it had seen from GE, the company originally began planning for a Web-based experience, but shifted to mobile when it learned that iOS 4.0 would allow for natural feature tracking within AR apps. The company originally struggled with the idea of how to get a special AR marker onto its existing ice cream carton designs, but the shift to mobile natural feature tracking (which could have also been accomplished on the desktop) eliminated the need for these markers.

Right now, Ben & Jerry's fans can download the company's official iPhone app and use what it calls "Moo Vision" to unlock 3D AR experiences launched by the carton lid designs. With one of four flavors of ice cream, users can view different virtual dioramas that display scenes from small family farms where ingredients originate. By unlocking all four, users can access special Ben & Jerry's iPhone background images - a small token that encourages participation.

Looking Back on the Process

moovision1_jul10.jpgBen & Jerry's worked with its PR firm, Edelman, and "imaginative tech" development shop Circ.us, which used metaio's Unifeye Mobile SDK to roll out natural feature tracking on the iPhone. O'Brien says the company had a very positive overall experience working AR into its campaign - a process that only took two months from start to finish, with many changes and revisions along the way.

One lessons she and the company took away from the process was to remain flexible when implementing AR or any emerging technology. The project began as a print campaign, that eventually moved to the Web and then to mobile. The AR shifted from marker-based to natural feature tracking, all making for a frantic last couple of months, she said.

It was certainly worth it, as Ben & Jerry's is now the first major brand to sport natural feature tracking on the iPhone. So much for pointing people to scoop shop locations.

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Microsoft Launches Outlook Facebook Integration [Exclusive]

Mashable!


Microsoft is announcing today that it has integrated Facebook and Windows Live Messenger into Outlook, bringing the streams of millions of Facebook users into inboxes across the world.

Last year, Microsoft launched Outlook Social Connector, a plugin that syncs social networking feeds with your Outlook contacts, giving you immediate data on what they are doing and thinking. It started last year with LinkedIn integration, but soon the company announced MySpace and Facebook were coming.

Today, Outlook completes the cycle with not only Facebook integration, but support for Windows Live Messenger as well. Not only that, but the company is releasing the plugin for Outlook 2003 and 2007 users as well, bringing Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, and Windows Live Messenger to millions of business and personal inboxes worldwide.

Last week, we got a sneak peek at the new Outlook at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington. Here’s what you can expect from the new Facebook integration, as well some features that you can expect in the near future:


Facebook + Outlook = Realtime Contact Data


Facebook and Microsoft worked together to get the launch of Facebook’s integration in Outlook Social Connector right. Facebook’s Strategic Partner Manager Rick Armbrust told us that they worked closely with the Office team to make the experience more social. One of the things he immediately highlighted was the pulling of Facebook profile pictures into Outlook.

The entire experience is a step above the Outlook-LinkedIn integration, which itself was pretty strong. Not only does it pull Facebook profile photos so that you can associate a name to a face, but it pulls the news feeds of your contacts into your inbox. When you’re looking at someone’s email, you’ll also get a glance at their status updates, picture uploads and wall posts, among other activities.

When you combine that with LinkedIn, MySpace, Windows Live Messenger, and Outlook data, you get a very detailed history of your interaction with your contacts, as well as an at-a-glance look at their activities and interests. Knowing that a potential client just returned from a trip to Hawaii can be all that you need to have the upper hand against your competition.

Microsoft Group Product Manager Paco Contreras told us that there’s another new feature to the Facebook integration: realtime updates. Thanks to a new update to the social connector platform, also being released today, updates from your contacts will automatically be pushed to your inbox. There’s no need to refresh anything: new Facebook status updates will pop up in realtime within Outlook.

The Facebook integration does have limitations, though: except for friend requests, Outlook can only pull data from Facebook. There is no “liking” posts or updating your status via Outlook, at least right now. Microsoft says that the next step is to provide a richer social experience by integrating the ability to push data to other social networks, improving the look and feel of Outlook Social Connector, and adding other social networks from other regions.


The Social Inbox


Microsoft has known for a while that social technologies are going to dominate the web. That was made evident by its $240 million stake in Facebook and its many partnerships and attempts at social media (some of which have bombed).

However, Outlook Social Connector has always felt like one of the company’s smarter social media plays. Facebook’s Rich Armbrust probably put it best:

“What’s unique is that it’s bringing social elements and context from Facebook form your colleagues and your friends into the Outlook experience, which is pretty unique given that there are so many that use Outlook as their primary communiction tool.”

Email isn’t inherently a “social” experience (it’s not a one-to-many platform), and attempts at integrating social into the inbox (think Google Buzz) have mostly fallen flat. However, social data can be incredibly useful in the business world, especially when you need to understand what your client or colleague is thinking or doing right now. While we’d still love to see Twitter integration in Outlook, Facebook is far larger and, in most cases, has far more useful information.

Microsoft’s also learned a few lessons from the privacy fiascos Facebook and Google have undergone in recent months. Outlook will only pull data from emails connected to Facebook accounts. If your business email isn’t linked to your Facebook, your data stream won’t appear in Outlook Social Connector. It gives users a choice, although most people do choose to add their work emails to Facebook in order to join their company’s Facebook network.

If you want to learn more about the announcement, Microsoft has also released a short video articulating Outlook’s new features:


Facebook Outlook Social Connector Announcement Video



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Social Media Use in the Workplace on the Rise [STATS]

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A new study from Trend Micro shows that more workers around the globe are using social networks while in the office and on the clock.

The survey took a look at the habits of 1,600 Internet users from the U.S., UK, Germany and Japan and found that over the past two years alone, social web use in the workplace has risen from 19% to 24%. In Germany specifically, social media use at work saw a 10% increase.

It’s still unclear whether this gradual but significant rise is being used to drive our businesses ahead, or if we’re instead wasting our companies’ time and money — a distinction that’s especially important to managers concerned with network security and productivity issues.


For workers on laptops, these numbers are even higher — 8% globally and 14% in Germany. All told, almost a third of laptop users around the world will use social websites while at work.

A company’s size also seems to make a difference whether or not employees will use social sites while at work. Especially in the U.S. and Japan, workers at larger companies are more likely to stay off social networks — perhaps due to firewalling or other forms of restricted access. In the UK and Germany, however, employees at big companies are slightly more likely to browse the social web while at the office.

Of course, many IT and project managers are concerned about loss of productivity and compromised network security due to social media use on work computers. But this increase could also be due to the rise in social media marketing and other social-based multitasking tools as much as slacking off. Remember that, once upon a time, general Internet use at work was considered frivolous; now, most of us use at least some websites to do our work every day.

We might not be the best judges, though, since our jobs involve a lot of day-to-day social media use. What’s your workday like? Do you use social media for business purposes? Is there some gray area between true productivity and pure socializing? Or are you a Facebook-using slacker while at work?

Let us know about your social media and work overlap in the comments.

[img credit: Balakov]

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Earthquake Rocks L.A., Celebs Go Twitter-Crazy

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Twitter has been picking up steam among the celebrity set for months now. So when a 5.9 earthquake hit Southern California this evening, all the rock stars, TV demigods and film legends took to the web to tell the world all about it.

Alyssa Milano, Jordin Sparks, Wil Wheaton, Khloe Kardashian and Larry King were among the concerned Twitter-loving celebs to reach out to followers and friends in the minutes following the quake.

And of course, L.A.’s digerati checked in, as well. Social media-ite Alana Joy was fatalistic and profound, while MySpace VP Sean Percival and photog Jonathan Nafarrete were simply funny.

This quake, which originated in Borrega Springs and was felt in areas from San Diego to L.A. itself, was a fairly large one for the Los Angeles area, which sees its fair share of smaller rumbles throughout the year. Over the past decade or so, most residents have been relatively unaffected by earthquakes; in fact, most tremors have been small enough to sleep through for the more quake-calloused of Angelenos. There hasn’t been a truly devastating earthquake in L.A. since the 1994 Northridge quake.

Because of its immediacy and reach, Twitter is fast becoming a good medium for spreading the word about natural disasters of all kinds. Earlier this year, Twitter was used to locate a missing person after a Chilean earthquake. Twitter was the first source of information when a meteor hit Wisconsin recently, too. And who can forget the images spread via Twitter when earthquakes wracked Haiti and Baja California?

Ponder the meaning of and uses for Twitter as a disaster reporting and response mechanism while you check out these amusing tweets, and let us know your thoughts in the comments.


Hunter Burgan


This bass player (currently with AFI) chose to express his shock with a quotation from the musical Annie. Charming, don't you think?


Sean Percival


This MySpace VP thought taking cover was a good idea.


Demi Lovato


This tween queen stars in Disney's Camp Rock. She was apparently filming as the quake hit.


Larry King


As usual, you can count on King for the accurate 411!


Candace Cameron Brue


Don't be scared, D.J. Tanner! "There's a hand to hold on to."


Jordin Sparks


We feel for this girl -- no one wants to be that elevated during even a small quake.


Wil Wheaton


We'll always roll out the red carpet for you, Wesley Crusher.


Common


This considerate rapper is in Chicago but still wanted to check in with his L.A. peeps.


Alyssa Milano


We feel you, girl. Milano was also sent one of the first quake-related tweets in our stream.


Khloe Kardashian


This L.A. princess was sweet enough to ask how the West Coast was holding up.


Jonathan Nafarrete


Fat jokes go over well in L.A., especially self-deprecating ones. Lookin' good, Jonathan!


Alana Joy


This missy brings it home. We're grateful to be safe and sound, indeed.


Danny Sullivan


This fellow edits the stellar Search Engine Land and was one of the first to tweet about the quake.


Reviews: Twitter

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Facebook Credits Available Offline at Asian, Australian Retailers

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Through a partnership with MOL – the online micropayment company that bought Friendster about 7 months ago — Facebook is making its virtual currency, Facebook Credits, available at a large network of retail outlets around Asia and Australia.

MOL has its own virtual currency — MOLPoints. In a few months, Facebook users will be able to buy Facebook Credits using their MOLPoints, trading one virtual currency for another. They’ll also be able to buy Facebook Credits outright at certain locations.

MOLPoints bought at half a million outlets throughout Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, India, Australia and New Zealand can be used to purchase Facebook Credits.

At some stores in some countries, users will be able to buy co-branded gift cards redeemable for Facebook Credits. You’ll also see Facebook Credits sold at MOL’s online banks, in Internet cafes and at 7-Eleven stores.

We’re told by a Facebook rep that in these parts of the world, many consumers use prepaid cards instead of credit cards for online purchases; the MOL partnership will make it much simpler for this group of people to buy and spend Facebook Credits, creating more invested users in Asia and more profits for the social network, itself.

Vaughan Smith is Facebook’s director of business and corporate development. In a press release, he stated, “We’re investing in the long-term future of Facebook Credits, and we view this agreement as a major opportunity to broaden the availability of a simple, unified currency that can be used in games and applications across Facebook.”

Facebook Credits have already been shown to be a solid revenue stream for this site. And the mobile- and web-connected millions in these countries could provide a significant boost to this program if the MOL partnership takes off.

What are your thoughts? Do you think Facebook should work out more offline Credits-purchasing deals in the U.S., too? Let us know your opinions in the comments.

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