More ads on facebook?!

Facebook will now allow corporate advertisements on the status updates menu and on the news feed. There will also be "static ads" popping up when you view and update your profile. It is a free service, therefore it is supported by ads. Advertisers that join the program can also pay for a small ad for their product to appear any time it is mentioned on a news feed. Such ads appear on a personal page that only the user sees, and not on their public profiles.

I really hope this doesn't lead to a MySpace. Facebook is a SOCIAL NETWORKING site, not an advertisement. So much for the college only style that started Facebook. I'm sure the Facebook users will put in their two sense about how they feel about the ads once they start popping up. When the news feeds started complaints and groups were formed instantly. Their public relations team better be ready for that again.

Granny Bloggers

When you think of a blogger most people tend to think of a young, trendy, educated person, who is up on technology. Here is a blogger, Amelia Lopez, who is 95 years old. This granny has over 60,000 readers worldwide. She first got into blogging from her grandson who set up a blog for her birthday. The main subject Amelia discusses is history, and all the history she has lived through such as the Spanish Civil War. The blog is in Spanish and is quite opinionated. She is one hip granny!

"Invention of the Year": the iPhone

Who would've guessed, Time Magazine has named Apple's iPhone the "Invention of the Year." The iPhone has been discussed like crazy and is constantly on the news, with positive and negative feedback. Time gives five reasons for naming it the "invention of the year":
1. It's pretty.
2. It's touchy-feely.
3. It will make other phones better.
4. It's not a phone, it's a platform.
5. It is but the ghost of iPhones yet to come.

This invention has already created spin offs, the iTouch. With so much success I can't wait to see the new cell phones to come. The competition is going to get greater, which will mean more work for the PR teams! Last year's winner was YouTube. Who knows what the next year will bring!

Second Life on CSI

After hearing about Second Life in class this week, I saw this week's episode of CSI: New York in which it featured Second Life. The CSI 's were called to a murder scene in which the victim was a woman who was dressed like a popular avatar from Second Life. The CSI's create their own avatar and look for virtual evidence to try to solve the case. They trace people who were logged on, as well as have to

It was interesting to hear them use some of the Second Life terms such as "tp" (teleport), "tell" (private message), "calling card", a "griever" (some that harasses people), and different user names. This showed the more eccentric side of the program, but it definetly showed how obsessive some people are with it. Obviously this was an extreme version of the program, but very cool that it has been incorporated into a popular tv show!

This episode of CSI will bring about new Second Life users. A commercial during the show even featured a site to join the CSI Second Life team to "feel what it's like to be part of the CSI team". A good PR technique on their behalf.

Here's a preview, check it out.

Podcast!

The JenKasMeg Show – Social Media for Non-Profits

:28 sec – Jennifer: Social Networking

3:44 min – Megan: Blogging

7:08 min – Kassie: Twitter

This podcast is the result of a class project for our "social media and internet for PR" class. This podcast was made in Audacity. The song we used is called "Move Your Body" by miyoshimasato.
Listen to our podcast here.

i can't get no....SATISFACTION

Satisfaction is a people-powered customer service website for ANYTHING. "Satisfaction is a place for real people to get the most from their products and services, and for companies to get real with their customers." You can ask a question, report a problem, share an idea, or just say what's on your mind and start a topic of your own. You can also join an existing conversation if you would like to talk about that topic. Satisfaction is just a big open conversation for everyone.

When I first got on Satisfaction some of the topics being discussed were Apple, O'Reilly Media, and Moola. They were discussing their latest problems and their favorite aspects of the programs. This is seems to be very helpful for companies because it allows them to receive feedback, complaints, improvements, or get their questions answered.

It's pretty cool, check it out.

Google Alerts

While reading chapter nine of The New Influencers i learned about several social media alerts that let you monitor certain information, brands, companies, or whatever it is you like to keep up with. I decided to try these sites out. They are very helpful and convenient. I subscribed to a few Google Alerts and it gave me instant feedback. What an effective source; all I know is thank goodness for Google!