I found this article in BusinessInsider: Facebook To Announce Plans To Take Over The Internet With Facebook Pages really interesting.

• Are all the websites and places just going to look like one big, giant facebook?
• Who owns the IP?
• What happens when facebook decided to change the rules?
• How secure are the widgets?

There are so many questions when using a 3rd party software to run your brand rather than own your own real estate on the interwebs.

What are the risks that you are willing to take with your brand? What do you think?…have a read and tell me…

Thanks to @markrcameron for sending this article on to me today.

Article: BusinessInsider: Facebook To Announce Plans To Take Over The Internet With Facebook Pages

Mark Zuckerberg has long signaled that the future of Facebook will be off Facebook.com.  His social network will take a big step toward that future at a developers conference in April.

That’s when, according to a WSJ report, Facebook plans to launch a tool set for Web developers who want to make their off-Facebook Web sites look and work more like on-Facebook “pages.”

On its site for Facebook developers, Facebook calls this toolset the “Open Graph API,” and describes it this way:

The Open Graph API will allow any page on the Web to have all the features of a Facebook Page – users will be able to become a Fan of the page, it will show up on that user’s profile and in search results, and that page will be able to publish stories to the stream of its fans.

Facebook also provides the following “details”:

The Open Graph API will allow any page on the Web to have all the features of a Facebook Page. Once implemented, developers can include a number of Facebook Widgets, like the Fan Box, or leverage any API, which enable the transformation of any Web page so it functions similar to a Facebook Page.

For example, AwesomeTees might decide that strategically they would like to locate their brand identity at www.awesometees.com. AwesomeTees will install the Fan Box widget, which will allow any Facebook user to “Become a Fan” of AwesomeTees, thereby establishing an official connection to AwesomeTees. The user will then have AwesomeTees listed in their list of connections on their profile as Pages are represented today. Additionally, any content that AwesomeTees publishes on AwesomeTees.com will show up in the stream on Facebook like it normally would. And, any time the user searches on Facebook, AwesomeTees will show up in the typeaheads and prominently in search results.

At the Wall Street Journal, Jessica Vascellero writes that Facebook’s goal here is to “make it even easier for users to share information from the Web on Facebook and to have that information associated with their Facebook identity.”

This move to expand Facebook beyond the domain of Facebook.com has been under way since Fall 2007, when Mark came to New York, announced that advertising changes every 100 years, and launched Facebook Beacon. Facebook Beacon transmitted Facebook user activity from third-party sites back to Facebook. The product quickly flopped, mostly because it wasn’t opt-in.

Facebook re-branded the technology behind Beacon as an opt-in service called Facebook Connect in fall 2008 and launched it as a tool that allows Facebook users to sign into third-party sites using their Facebook IDs. Facebook Connect has been a huge hit.

In the year since Facebook Connect launched, more and more major brands have begun driving traffic not to their own domains, but to their branded Facebook Pages. These pages are attractive brands because once Facebook users become fans of a page, that page is free to update that friend regularly. It has been the return of email marketing. The Open Graph API, which will take Facebook fan pages out of Facebook without sacrificing these marketing tools is the next logical step.

The other two big reasons Facebook wants to expand beyond Facebook.com and onto third-party sites is that 1) there is hope within Facebook’s executive ranks that the company can someday launch an ad network 2) Facebook would love to find itself in a position to offer e-commerce sites Facebook Connect-like “Pay With Facebook” one-click option. Some Facebook executives believe this business could eventually be larger than Facebook ads.

Congratulation to the AFLPA Blog relating to the same article featured in yesterday’s Code name Max blog.

As Anthony commented on your blog: ‘Dialogue not mologue’ It’s the best way to engage the fans Ian. You guys are definitely leading the path for sporting associations in Australia and I can tell have had some great advice along the way.

Check out their retweet from @AFLPAToday

RT @IanPrendergast: @stevealessio delivering the AFLPA’s strategy re Social Media at Sydney club visit http://yfrog.us/744h3z

Article : SOCIAL MEDIA IS ALL ABOUT ENGAGE ENGAGE ENGAGE posted by Ian Prendergast, AFLPA’s General Manager of Player Relations

At the AFL Players’ Association, we like to take a glass half full view when it comes to social media.

Sure, there are a number of pitfalls, but with care, support and education, we see mostly upsides for players in this space.

As an organisation we’ve made the decision to commit to opening up via social media.

We’ve established our blog – http://www.aflpablog.com.au/ which features opinion pieces from a range of AFLPA staff on a range of topical issues.

A number of key people are a regular presence on Twitter with @SteveAlessio and @IanPrendergast providing regular updates and insights as well as our organisational wide Twitter presence – @AFLPAToday.

We also have a Facebook presence – www.facebook.com/AFLPA of which in the coming weeks you will see the introduction of some exciting new features.

This is all in the spirit opening up regular two way communication channels.

We want to shine a light on our work.  We want people to know about it.

Today’s Herald Sun back page – ‘Clubs spy on Stars’ makes some valuable contributions to this area.

We are strong advocates for players to make use of the variety of social media options – with thought.

But we also see great upsides for Players and fans.

For some time, the AFLPA has advocated for a ‘3 E’ approach when it comes to use of social media by players.

For us, its all about EDUCATION, ENFORCEMENT and ENGAGEMENT.

We educate the players on the opportunities and threats.

We enforce and vigorously protect the rights of AFL Players online rights.

We engage and reach out to fans.

In particular, Facebook and Twitter are terrific ways for Players to engage and communicate with fans.

Whilst our work in reaching out and connecting fans with players’ social media may be in its infancy, we are committed to promoting and developing such two way conversations.

FAKE PLAYER SITES

A tweet from harry_0:

2 days ago I started taking stats 4 http://harrysworld.com.au/ & in that 48hrs Iv had 4,000 hits. Im so grateful & its just the beginning.  Fri 5 Mar. 09:29

In recent days I have noticed Harry O’Brien, AFL Collingwood player has taken on social media in big way. You can catch him at his Blog Harry’s World.  He is doing a great job and all Collingwood Fans must love it.

He has not listed a Facebook page on his Twitter Profile. @Harry_O seems to be handling the Social media scene okay…If you know it is the real deal then everyone should realize any others are fake.

@Jobe Watson and @AngusMonfries are on Twitter as well.

@ JobeWatson:  Just got our new suits from Soho. Glad the pirate will have something to wear to the Season Launch at Etihad on March 16. http://is.gd/9yzJk Wed 3 Mar 9:13

@JobeWatson: getting ready to head to visy for practice match against melbourne, looking forward to a good hitout. Sat 27 Feb 9:52

@AngusMonfries: Thanks for questions. I’m studying journalism at Latrobe Uni, been doing it for a few years part time, trying to fit it in around training!! Thur 4 Mar 20.52

Let’s not scare then off, an official presence makes all other dummy pages just that, fakes….and as for facebook there is always Unfriend.`

In the article below McLean said she was not deterring players from using Facebook, but was urging them to play it smarter.

Great Advice: PLAY IT SMARTER.

Article : Herald Sun: AFL clubs spy on football stars by Mark Stevens

AFL clubs are turning to a renowned “cyber cop” amid mounting concerns about the pitfalls of mobile phones and Facebook pages.

Susan McLean, a former policewoman with 27 years’ experience, has been called into the inner sanctum at Carlton and Fremantle in recent weeks.

McLean, who also visited the Brisbane Lions last year, has delivered warts-and-all briefings on the dangers of the web and “sexting” on phones.

It is understood the clubs paid McLean, Australia’s leading expert on the issue, about $1500 a session.

McLean said yesterday she confronted players with examples close to home, researching heavily to expose dangerous Facebook pages.

“When I go into clubs I’ve spent a fair bit of time trying to dig the dirt on the players,” McLean said.

“I say to them, ‘These are the pictures I can find’. I’ve got some interesting stuff on all the clubs that I’ve been in.

“Clubs have now got a handle on this, identifying it as a welfare issue and the players are jumping on it.

“Clubs, certainly the ones I’ve spoken to, are now developing it as part of their code of conduct to give them guidance.”

Several players have also been the victim of fake Facebook sites, using their name to lure friends.

Even Carlton coach Brett Ratten is the target of a dummy page as the problem spreads, with McLean offering advice on how to kill off fakes.

McLean has also focused on mobile phones, warning that young players keeping naked photos of girlfriends under 18 were breaking the law.

With Brendan Fevola copping heat for allegedly forwarding a naked photo of Lara Bingle via his mobile phone, McLean’s services are likely to be in high demand.

“I missed Fevola at Brisbane because he wasn’t there last year and I missed him at Carlton because he was at Brisbane,” McLean said.

At least two other clubs are considering calling in McLean, who said players were in need of an outlet to discuss cyber and phone issues.

McLean was the first Victoria Police officer appointed to a position involving cyber safety and young people and now has a key role in schools and universities to eradicate bullying.

She yesterday outlined several damaging examples on the web, including:

A HIGH-PROFILE player whose first friend on Facebook was pictured naked.

McLean told the players at the club: “If she had any clothes on, I couldn’t find them. This is one of your teammates’ No. 1 friends … but what is this showing?”

A YOUNG star at the centre of a fake Facebook page, which attracted hundreds of female friends thinking they were interacting with the player himself.

“While the player has nothing to do with it, he was concerned he was hurting people,” McLean said.

A PLAYER had 1600 “close personal friends” listed. “That’s not manageable in any way, shape or form. It’s just sheer stupidity,” McLean said.

McLean, who provides a 90-minute presentation as well as a one-on-one follow-up, made it clear the message on Facebook was getting through.

“About 50 per cent of each club’s players have a presence on Facebook. After I’ve been, it would probably drop down to 10 per cent,” McLean said.

“I know because I go back and look. They’ve all gone. They’ve heeded the message.”

McLean said she was not deterring players from using Facebook, but was urging them to play it smarter.

The Baby Boomers are taking a beating at the moment, you name it and they are getting the blame. Organic consumers advise: Why Growing Numbers of Baby Boomers and the Elderly Are Smoking Pot and The Vancouver Sun suggests Aging boomers set to put brakes on auto industry.

These Baby Boomers are the same people that are grandparents or about to be grandparents to our kids.  These same people who are coping with today’s new social media expectations.

For all of those Grandparents or soon to be Grandparents, I could not resist this excellent article by bostonkayakguy: Baby Boomer Grandparents: Good Bye Nana & Papa, Hello Avatars and wish you all luck.

I am sure that my Mum and Dad would one day love to be iNana and iPop!  Mum’s been training for it for years on the computer and Dad does have a flip camera.

Article:bostonkayakguy: Baby Boomer Grandparents: Good Bye Nana & Papa, Hello Avatars

So… who am I?

Or more definitively, what name should I  be called by my granddaughter… who’ll be arriving in a mere 83 days??

Once my daughter gives birth, I will have a new job, a new title, and require a new name – another addendum to my resume of life.

Of course this is the chance that we grandparents2B get to define ourselves, to position ourselves for that first impression, …or maybe it’s the last impression?

So maybe you didn’t like the name you were born with?  Or you think your parents chose a name that really doesn’t fit you, doesn’t convey the essence of who you are as a person?

And with the impending arrival of your new grandchild, you’ve begun to realize you now have an opportunity to create a new impression or moniker for yourself!

You now get to decide how you want to be perceived; how you want to be remembered.

And in this day of reality TV, social media, and mobile devices, you have to consider a name that will easily transcribe onto smartphones, iPads, and texting platforms.

So what does this mean for me?

I must envision a name that doesn’t use up too many of my 140 characters on Twitter, so that my updates are easily retweetable.

My facebook profile has to be hip, full of witty wall posts and multimedia extravaganzas so as not to embarrass the grandchildren!  I want them to artfully create fan pages of their grandmother and grandfather.

I want my home on facebook to be a comfortable place where they’ll want to bring their friends to hang out.

I need to make sure my blogger persona and my blog are perceived as a cross between The Daily Show, TMZ, Tech Crunch, and The Drudge Report so that the grandchildren will want to be part of my world and I can easily glide into their conversations and text messaging.

My avatar needs to show my creative side, and must position me to attract followers – in massive numbers hopefully so that my grandkids will be eager to ‘follow’ me.

My mentions on Digg, Stumble Upon, Technorati, and Delicious must be sure to not embarrass the next generation, nor cast me in an unflattering light in their social networks.

My feeds must be timely and not mundane.  I need to share enough of my life to entice, but not so much as to cause my family to cringe and implore me to ‘get off the grid.‘

I know I must make certain to never capitalize because SHOUTING isn’t dignified, and can incite certain groups.

My flip camera videos must be accompanied by rockin’ musical scores and Photoshopped images, before being cast onto the internet.

And my apps available on the iPhone and iPad must be moderately priced, but attract throngs of devoted, passionate fans willing to set up forums to discuss how awesome an app maker I am.

My mashups must deliver on imagination and ease of retainment, and my squidoo lenses must encompass breaking news and relevancy.

My iTunes library should recognize that music is a deeply personal form of communication, so my rap and hip hop lyrics must be clean; they must also show that I understand the intimate stories that drive these convos, and my classic rock preferences must steer away from a roster of musicians who are close to signing up for assisted living. So I won’t be waiting to learn what the kids call me; rather I will be positioning myself so that I will slip easily into Generation-2’s daily dose of social media.

What may be the greatest grandparent names of all? – the iNana and iPop!

The next milestone in innovation should be grandparents- for we’ve lived a life that’s been unbelievable, and we look forward to a future that is the ultimate in high performance as loving and relevant grandparents!

image thanks to Activity Village.co.uk: Grandparents Day Cards To Print

A tweet from zacmartin “There are more Farmville users than people on Twitter” – Jesse Schell on the future of game design http://ettf.net/archives/13978

Yes, I am a Farmville user but have never actually purchased any cash.  I am finding it is becoming more intrusive especially now wanting me to sign to receive offers via email.

An interesting video ettf.net explains the differences in the virtual games and how it can cost you to play and how fees become reocurring fees and the physiological cleverness that goes into getting you to pay.

Jesse Schell’s talk about the future of game design as it invades the real world is just astounding. If you do experience design of any kind it’ll be the most valuable (and entertaining) 20 minutes you’ll spend all week.

If you do not think you have the time to watch, read the article below at gigoam: Video: Reality TV, the iPhone & the Future of Technology — Why It’s All a Game by Om Malik.

You might change your mind and decide to watch after all.

Jesse Schell’s talk about the future of game design: Facebook is big, strange,  unexpected.

thanks to zacmartin,ettf.net and fox@fury

Article: gigoam: Video: Reality TV, the iPhone & the Future of Technology — Why It’s All a Game by Om Malik

Forget everything you did today. Clear your schedule and spend the next half hour watching this video. It’s a presentation by Jesse Schell, founder of Schell Games and former creative director of the Disney Imagineering Virtual Reality Studio. A veteran game designer, he is also on the faculty of the Entertainment Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon University.

In a talk at the DICE 2010 conference held last week in Las Vegas, he gave a presentation called Design Outside the Box. It is the most mind-blowing thing I’ve seen in a long, long time. And while this presentation was about the future of games, Schell could very well be talking about the future of technology.

Schell, in a very articulate manner, weaves together various technologies — from the social web to reality television to the iPhone to geolocation data — and lays out the future as he sees it. And I buy it. He talks in particular about how no one saw Facebook games coming, and why they threw many people into a panic.

He quips that “there are more Farmville than there are Twitter accounts” and that in Facebook you “pay real money to get virtual money.” From the Playfish acquisition to billions of dollars in revenue generated by WiiFit and Guitar Hero, he talks about how the new games are essentially “psychological tricks.” For instance, Club Penguin offered everything free, including free virtual currency, but in order to spend the virtual money you needed to go to a store where you paid real money.

Schell points out that the future of games is in finding psychological angles and making experiences based in reality. If the past of games was about fantasy, today’s games are about reality (not realism), much like our collective obsession with reality TV.

Schell talks about why technological convergence is a total myth. Technologies are like species on the Galapagos islands, and like them they diverge. Of course, there are exceptions — such as the iPad, which is essentially a new kind of Swiss Army knife. It works as a Swiss Army knife because it fits in your pocket. In comparison, the iPad is stupid because it’s essentially a giant Swiss Army knife that doesn’t fit in your pocket.

I can go on and sum up the entire talk, but you should just watch it. I would never be able to do justice to its brilliance. (Hat tip. #)

Just catching on on the TV goss and came across this article in  2SnapsTV: American Idol Top 24 Joins Twitter, Facebook and MySpace.   So now all contestants are to be on social websites, I am surprised that they all dont have to have their own blogs also like Miss Universe Competition etc etc.   What a difference 12 months makes.

I am an addicted reality show watcher, Mastaerchef, So you think you can dance, The Apprentice, Runaway, Top Model, Idol, You’ve got talent.   I have been known to put the occasional tweet out there about the show and contestants.

Tweet:

Jan 18 22.02  codenamemax:  I do love Top Chef, such a great season.  The boys were hot! and a great winner. what to do now for 6 months!!!

I would love them to be on Twitter and Facebook.   Just gives the audience another platform to participate.

Will it tip off America about who is more popular… And perhaps who is in the lead to win, or possibly go home……bring it on, it is all part of the game.

Article: 2SnapsTV: American Idol Top 24 Joins Twitter, Facebook and MySpace

After rumors back in January that American Idol hopeful, Michael “Big Mike” Lynche, was kicked off the show for Tweeting early about making the Top 24, Ryan Seacrest announced on his Twitter account, that “contestants will have MySpace, Twitter, and Facebook pages” while on the show.

Click here for a complete list of the Top 24 Idol contestants’ Twitter accounts

While it sounds fun to be able to follow Idol contestants on social websites, it does raise the question if it will tip off America about who is more popular… And perhaps who is in the lead to win, or possibly go home. Even before one live show has been aired, contestant Tyler Grady has 450 followers, and Casey James only 127. Does this mean the 70s rocker wannabe has an early advantage?

Contestant Paige Miles — who got very little airtime — has only 54 followers, while Crystal “Needs a Toothbrush” Bowersox” has 134, Lacey Brown (she lost out to the annoying Megan Joy last season) has 303 followers and Katie Stevens (grandmother has Alzheimer’s) has 276 followers.

We all know strange things can happen on Idol, but allowing the Top 24 to tweet and socialize on Facebook (MySpace really? Does anyone even use it anymore?) should make for an interesting season 9. So Idol fans make sure you show your support (or hate) for this season’s Top 24 by following you favorite Idol on Twitter.

thanks to @Twitter_Tips for their tweet:American Idol contestants will have Twitter & Facebook pages while on the show: http://j.mp/aQmGUi

Some interesting stats about online shopping.  I can relate to the special deals and don’t you just love those email newsletters with “Free Shipping.”

I haven’t quite grasped the coupon sites but I try and remember if I have purchased before at that site and receive a discount code for next time.

Article: The New York Times:  More Shoppers Go Online, Hungry for Deals by Claire Cain Miller.

If online shoppers do not get a deal and free shipping, they are unlikely to make a purchase.

That was one conclusion made by comScore, the online measurement firm, when it analyzed e-commerce data for 2009.

Online shops know what their customers are looking for. Over the holidays, they offered more deals than ever before, though the discounts were smaller than last year. They used social networks like Facebook and Twitter to publicize deals. They also adjusted to free shipping becoming “another fact of life,” in the words of Gian Fulgoni, chairman of comScore.

Thirty six million people visited coupon sites in December to get discount codes for e-commerce sites. Private, limited-time sale sites, led by HauteLookand Gilt, had huge increases in traffic and attracted a surprisingly broad cross-section of shoppers.

Mom-and-pop shops online lost business last year as customers flocked to the big sites like Amazon.com and HSN.com, probably because those sites could afford to keep advertising during the recession, Mr. Fulgoni said.

A quarter of small online businesses reported a drop in sales and 54 percent reported a drop in earnings. Meanwhile, the combined market share of Amazon.com and Walmart.com grew from 10 percent during the 2008 holiday season to 13 percent last year.

Over the holidays, online shoppers spent more than the year before on jewelry and watches, consumer electronics and computer games, event tickets, books and magazines. They spent less, though, on home and garden supplies, furniture, video games, flowers, toys and clothes.

That last finding was particularly surprising for Mr. Fulgoni, since people have done a lot of apparel shopping online in recent years. It was the only sector where sales fell online but increased offline.

Over all, dollars spent online in 2009 sank 2 percent, after growing 7 percent in 2008 and around 20 percent in the several years prior. Holiday sales inched up 5 percent.

Ten percent more households shopped online — 92 million of them — but each shopper spent 5 percent less.

Of course, shoppers cut back on spending across the board last year, and as they timidly begin spending again, e-commerce sales will pick up, Mr. Fulgoni predicted.

Though people are spending more online as they spend less offline, online shopping still accounts for only 8 percent of retail sales.

That is expected to grow, too, he said. “Each year we have a new set of people entering the job market out of school, who are very, very comfortable online and with e-commerce.”