Social Media Resources

• Facebook Plans for the End of Its Salad Days | Technomix | Fast Company
• How Facebook Can Ruin Your Friendships - WSJ.com
• More marketers use social networking to reach customers - USATODAY.com
  Social-media services, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and countless other websites, have had a profound effect on how millions of Americans — especially those under 35 — interact with others (or don't), shop and view brands. It's a real-time digital lifestyle, powered by smartphones and netbooks, that often colors what products they purchase, how they view brands and where they spend most of their waking hours.
• Businesses turn to Facebook for word-of-mouth advertising - USATODAY.com
  Facebook, with 250 million members, has gone beyond being just a place where you can alert friends about the music you're listening to, who you're dating or what movies you like. The social network's expanded Pages feature lets businesses, organizations and public figures in on the action. They can create profiles that let them sign up fans, issue status updates and send messages. Businesses like Baja Sharkeez that cater to young people and big companies like Pizza Hut and Coca-Cola are finding it's profitable to be your Facebook friend.
• Who Uses Social Networks? - eMarketer
  According to the “Consumer Internet Barometer” report from TNS and The Conference Board, 43% of US Internet users visited social networking sites in Q2 2009.
  
  That figure was up 16 percentage points from the previous year.
• The 10 Commandments of Social Media | The Ten Commandments Of Social Media | Fast Company
• MediaPost Publications Ten Ways To Decide If Your Business Should Tweet 06/09/2009
• MediaPost Publications People Are The Medium 06/02/2009
  Since long before "You" was named person of the year by Time magazine, people have been increasingly taking on the role of content producers, curators and distributors. Nielsen just released a report that found "total minutes spent on Facebook increased nearly 700 percent year-over-year, growing from 1.7 billion minutes in April 2008 to 13.9 billion in April 2009..."
• Study: Young adults haven't warmed up to Twitter | The Social - CNET News
  "This is a classic 'glass half full' scenario for Twitter because it's clear that Gen Y has an appetite for social networking, but still hasn't fully embraced micro-blogging. There is a tremendous opportunity now for marketers to develop strategies to get this important group active on Twitter too."
• The sexes act differently on the Internet - May. 20, 2009
  And although women are sometimes pegged as more avid shoppers, men are just as keen as women to make online purchases. But their shopping behavior may differ.
  
  "Men generally have the attitude, I'm going to go there, I've got to get it and get out," says Phillips. "Females like to go online and socialize and shop around - much like going into a store."
• How to Use Social Technology in Pharma Marketing - Advertising Age - DigitalNext
  Based on the interviews I did for Forrester's report on the topic, the level of paranoia among pharmaceutical companies is epic (and I talked to 10 of them). Fear runs the marketing in this industry, and that's a shame, because people with health problems really want to connect -- and drug companies really want to help
• Launch an awesome Facebook app in 10 easy steps - iMediaConnection.com
  Over the past two years, some brands have tried, failed, and moved on, and some have been successful and have built on that success to establish a strong presence on Facebook. Many brands are still testing the waters and making that first leap. For those brands, here are a few recommendations that will increase their chances of developing and launching a successful Facebook application.
• Drilling Down - Social Networks Eclipse E-Mail - NYTimes.com
  Although Charles Buchwalter, senior vice president for research and analytics for Nielsen, said marketers had yet to master advertising on social media, he predicted that “over the next 12 months a model will emerge” that takes into account “the influence factor” of users who wield disproportionate power.
• Men, Social Media and Marketing to Women Explode. Are You Ready? « She-conomy
  But it is not only the volume of people who are now participating at exponential rates that makes Social Media relevant; it is also the diversity in how it is used. We are seeing interactive sites used as:
  
  * a platform for people to have their say and give their opinions
  * a place to create like-minded communities
  * a vehicle for real-time updates on virtually any event
  * a place to learn details from baking cookies to performing surgery
  * a voice for philanthropies
  * a place to share recipes
  * a place to build relationships
• The Inside Facebook Guide to Protecting Your Privacy on Facebook
  Facebook allows users to customize their privacy settings at a granular level, but a surprisingly low percentage of users actively manage their privacy settings. Many users who complain about the lack of privacy on Facebook aren’t even aware of the privacy configurations available to them. Below, Inside Facebook guides you through all the steps you need to know to protect your privacy on Facebook.