We said we were done with these, but hek, we're still working so we figured we'd share. Happy New Year!
Nielsen & Twitter To Start Social Media TV Rating Service
Nielsen and Twitter are creating a social media TV rating service - all to capture TV-related content activity to trend rapidly growing second-screen activity. The new service, called The Nielsen Twitter TV Rating, will complement Nielsen's existing TV ratings, giving TV networks and advertisers real-time metrics for understanding the social activity of the TV audience.
New COPPA Rules Will Allow Facebook to Advertise to Children
The Children's Online Privacy Protection, or COPPA, allows the FTC to set rules protecting the privacy of Internet users younger than 13. The most important of changes: no notice or parental consent will be required if a website users children's data "for the sole purpose of supporting the website or online service's internal operations, such as contextual advertising, frequency capping, legal compliance, site analysis, and network communications." This means that sites like Facebook can allow children under 13 to use the site and deliver first party advertising to those new young users. However, only contextual is allowed. Behavioral advertising is still forbidden.
Facebook Set to Change Your Timeline Again
Facebook is experimenting with some significant changes that are already showing up for a small number of users - and may roll out to the masses very soon. The new version of Timeline is a return to tabs. Gone are the thumbnail pictures of "Friends," "Photos," and "Map." There is a new "About" tab at the top of the page, which includes all the info you've given the social network about yourself plus your list of friends. Check out a screen shot of the new design here.
Twitter Begins Rolling Out Downloadable Tweets to All Users
Twitter confirmed this week that it has begun rolling out the ability to download all of your tweets. All of your tweets and retweets can be downloaded, going back to the beginning. Once the Twitter archive is downloaded, you can view tweets by month, or search the archive to find tweets with certain words, phrases, hashtags or @usernames.
Relax everyone. Instagram Doesn't Want to Sell Your Photos.
Instagram released a new privacy policy that sent the Internet into a tizzy earlier this week. The photo sharing app announced that as part of their terms & conditions, Instagram user photos could be used in advertising and for promotional purposes. Users responded in outrage and even threatened to boycott the platform. Many assumed this meant that Instagram would be selling user images and likenesses to advertisers for a profit. However, that was never the intention. Instagram responded to user concerns by revising their T&C's to quiet any further dissent. The company made it clear that they will NOT be selling your images to advertisers but instead will be experimenting with ways that they can monetize their platform. They have since reverted back to their original policy from 2010.
Global Social Media
How the Middle East Uses Social Media
A new report issued two years after the Arab Spring, suggests that social media in users in Lebanon, Tunisia, Egypt, and Jordan still take to social media to discuss politics at nearly twice the rate of their Western counterparts. The report also found that Middle Easterners post about religion and community issues far more frequently than the rest of the world. Six of every 10 Egyptian, Tunisian and Jordanian social media users post about religion; in Western Europe, that number plummets to barely one in 10. The report also finds that Middle Eastern users see social networks as places to engage on critical issues.
Noteworthy Campaigns
Nissan Launches New Car In A Video Game
Nissan is launching the new Juke Nismo in the popular mobile driving game Asphalt 7: Heat, enabling players to 'test drive' the car on their iOS or Android device before it goes on sale in early 2013. The game features a meticulously recreated virtual Juke Nismo that incorporates the car's motorsport-style dynamics and performance. It also includes a virtual version of the Nissan Juke-R and special Nissan Race Track set in Tokyo, which passes the Nissan Omori factory.
Heineken Challenges Fans to Meet Someone From Every Country, In One City
Heineken recently launched 'Meet The World in One City,' a campaign that challenged two ordinary guys, Barnaby and Mick, to meet someone from all 194 internationally recognized countries worldwide... in two weeks... without leaving Amsterdam. The two used Facebook to encourage fans to get involved and become a part of the global Heineken community and help them achieve this seemingly impossible mission. The Heineken Facebook page asked users to send names of their friends and family who would be in Amsterdam that would be willing to meet Barnaby and Mick. The Facebook Page also allows you to check out individual stories and videos from people they meet and learn more about the countries they are from. The competition ended yesterday, and unfortunately Barnaby and Mick fell just short of their goal. They met people from 151 out of the 194 countries on their list. Still quite impressive.