Meredith Corp. Serves Up Social Networking Via Mixingbowl

The upcoming launch of Mixingbowl.com represents Meredith Corp.'s first attempt at creating an independent social network. Mixingbowl takes the approach that authentic community building must happen outside the digital spinoffs of its established print products, which include Better Homes and Gardens and Parents.

The site provides a venue for consumers to share recipes and connect with others on food-related community groups. Due to launch in late November, Mixingbowl is powered by technology company Ripple6, which has built local mom networks for Gannett Co. and a health information site for Procter & Gamble.

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MyAds Give Access To MySpace

MySpace's solution to a dreadful economy is allowing small businesses and individuals outside its social network to affordably create and service their own graphic ads that are hyper-targeted to its 72 million domestic members, beginning Monday.



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Google Gets In To Advertising On Social Networks

Last night Google announced that they had launched Google AdSense for games. One of the largest gaming companies benefiting from the new advertising platform is Playfish. Google actually included a demo of AdSense for Games directly integrated into Playfish’s Word Challenge game. This is a big step for Google and one that competing advertisers should pay close attention to.

Why? According to sources within Google, games are not the only applications that Google is advertising on within social networks. Google is testing out their AdSense platform for other social applications. Take a look at some of the most popular applications on Facebook and you’ll quickly realize that Google is testing banner advertising on some of the largest applications.

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Facebook Intros Microsoft's Live Search

Which company partially owns Facebook again?

The deal should open more opportunities to serve local ads from Facebook's small and medium-sized business ad programs that allow advertisers to target users by location and demographics, according to the Kelsey Group.

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Publishers Ask Facebook Executive 'WTF?'

The astounding rise of the social networking phenomenon rightly has many traditional media executives wondering, "WTF?" or perhaps more accurately, "HTF did you do that?" So observed BusinessWeek Editor Steve Adler, drawing laughter as he introduced Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer for Facebook, at the American Magazine Conference in San Francisco on Monday afternoon. Sandberg had plenty of advice for magazine publishers, but was also careful to distinguish their functions from Facebook.

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Estée Lauder Hits Social Nets to Warn About Breast Cancer

The Estée Lauder Company is, for the first time, using social networks in a multi-faceted online effort to heighten awareness about breast cancer.

As do all the elements of the company's new Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign (BCA), the Web components stress the importance of learning about the breast cancer and the need for early detection. The company hopes the various social network-related elements of the online effort will prompt users to spread the message.

"It's the first time we've used social networks," said Marisa Thalberg, vice president of global online marketing for Estée Lauder. She said doing so "felt like a natural extension" of the social network marketing efforts of Estée Lauder's various brands. "Social networking and social media have been very important to several of our brands this year," said Thalberg. She said using these viral networks to warn about breast cancer and the value of early detection "seemed like an incredible opportunity."

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Branding on Facebook: Groups or Fan Pages?

Facebook allows for 2 networking tools:

1. Creating/ joining a Facebook group;
2. Creating/ joining a Facebook fan page.

Which one is better?

Find out