MySpace to launch News Feeds

Following the success of Facebook’s news feeds, MySpace plans to launch a “news feed” feature in the near future. This unique feature added yet another feather in MySpace’s crowded hat. These feeds provide the user with updates from his/her friend list. But the best part of MySpace news feeds are that it allows its members to operate different versions of a profile for groups like family, friends, and co-workers. Currently Facebook lacks the same.

Peter Levinsohn, president of Fox Interactive Media confirmed the launch of the news feeds at the Reuters Media Summit on Monday. It is said to be launched in the next 30-40 days. Though MySpace is a clear leader in the social networking circuit it still has to catch up with competitors in terms of design, architecture and user-interface. But with new ventures and tie-ups MySpace is still maintaining its lead in the race. MySpace assure the same as it joins Google’s OpenSocial platform. This should surely earn them brownie points in comparison to Facebook.

Record Sales of $733 Million this ‘Cyber Monday’!

After Black Friday’s and Ruby Tuesday’s the latest fad is ‘Cyber Monday’. A brainchild of Shop.org, Cyber Monday has mushroomed as an online shopping phenomena. US online shoppers spent a record $733 million in a single day on ‘Cyber Monday’. According to market research firm ComScore the most trafficked sites included those belonging to Amazon.com, Wal-Mart Stores Inc, Target Corp, Dell Inc and Best Buy Co Inc.

Cyber Monday is an innovative concept consumers have loved, accepted and supported. The online shopping phenomenon sets newer benchmarks every year. The holiday shopping season has been ever-growing with record sales of $485 million in 2005 and $608 million in 2006. The research company even indicated 38% user-growth from a year ago.

While the Shop.org team made-merry with their bubbly the guys at Yahoo! were at the vortex of a marketing whirlpool. With their check-out service failing for more than 11-hours the Yahoo! team had to face the wrath of their online merchants. The process failure is said to have affected over 40,000 online merchants subsequently hampering sales.

MySpace’s Hypertargeting Venture

HyperTargeting is the new business mantra! And MySapce is one of the companies that are riding the HyperTargeting wave. Fox Interactive Media’s Michael Barrett announced the new HyperTargeting by MySpace.

Well, for the ignorant ones, Hypertargeting correlates user data to help create effective target based advertisements. Though HyperTargeting is not much different from Google Search it is said to have its own set of super powers compared to the latter. The system will utilize users-data which they share to create benchmarks for targeted ads. But Facebook is just behind the tail with the launch of its widely-trailed targeting network. The new Facebook system tracks the purchases its users make on the third-party sites.

For now it’s the fight of the techno-geeks who brainstorm in their tiny cabins and fight for technological supremacy in the online space. So, let the show continue!

Facebook and ABC Launch Apps for Elections-Savvy Users

Facebook and ABC News have cracked the perfect method to involve politically inclined social networkers. With their new Facebook application called “US Politics” ABC News has created an innovative and effective platform for election-obsessed users. With this unique tool you get access to political reporting from ABC News. And to add some spice to the process there are discussion forums open for debate.

ABC News will supposedly use these debates in their reporting material. In a move to promote the stupendous application both the parties will jointly sponsor the Democratic and Republication presidential debates in New Hampshire on January 5.

It looks like a win-win situation for both parties. Facebooks gets a new app while ABC News gets more exposure. But with the 2008 Presdential elections closing up many channels have used the Internet to propagate and promote the same. CNN’s live web-cam debate session for YouTube users and the launch of the website Political Base by CNET, are just a few examples.

ABC’s new initiative hopes to cerate a free-vocal platform for everyday users. This move surely opens a new array of possibilities for ABC News as well as users. But let’s hope Facebooker’s digest a serious topic like “US Politics” and participate in the same.

Search engine marketing (SEM) in spotlight at 2007 DMA conference

Search engine marketing, popularly known as SEM, is indeed hot. It has become one of direct marketing technique’s most powerful and effective tools. No wonder that SEM was in front and focus at this year’s Direct Marketing Association (DMA) conference.

The direct marketing industry’s premier event held at McCormick Place West, Chicago, IL, debated in detail various aspects of Search engine marketing, popularly known as (SEM).

Expertise in SEM was made readily available to participants of DMA07. There were useful educational sessions like ‘Surfing Search Marketing Wave - What’s Hot, What to Watch…’, ‘Free Clicks & Top Search Positions - Strategies of Advanced SEO Copywriting’, ‘Website critiques & valuable networking opportunities’, etc.

Participants greatly benefited from various SEM insights on offer at DMA07. They enjoyed fast-paced, highly informative sessions. According to DMA group show director, Paul McDonnough, it was a great opportunity for marketers to update themselves about the trends in Search engine marketing (SEM).

There were leading experts present at the conference who evaluated some of the audience members’ websites and outlined specific solutions for proper search engine positions.

The attendees were given specific advice and free consulting about their site’s optimisation. Plus, they were offered key search engine marketing tips and informed about techniques and trends in various ‘search sessions’.

These DMA 07 initiatives are a sort of follow-up to the recent initiative of DMA SEMC (Search Engine Marketing Council) to shore up its roster of meetings, and events.

Direct marketers are craving for enhanced search engine marketing expertise. Keeping this in mind, SEMC offered several educational avenues at DMA07.

It was a great learning experience for all participants – right from new learners to experts trying to sense and capture the next big wave in Search engine marketing (SEM).