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Inside Facebook

Featured Facebook Campaigns: Taco Bell, Boeing, Pesek Zman, El Al and Mercedes-Benz

Posted: 15 Feb 2011 07:45 AM PST

Free food, free trips and free cars were on our list of Featured Facebook Campaigns this week. Taco Bell began giving away tacos on their Facebook page while Boeing’s Page has begun doing fan outreach. The Israel brand of Cadbury’s Time Out candy, Pesek Zman, launched a new social game designed around its product. Israel airline El Al introduced an attempt to game Facebook’s new profile layout to provide a banner greeting to users. Finally, Mercedes-Benz recently wrapped up a campaign to help increase Twitter and Facebook followers, culminating with its Super Bowl commercial.

Taco Bell's Free Crunch Taco Coupon Giveaway

Goal: Engagement, Product Purchase, Network Exposure, Page Growth

Core Mechanic: Free crunchy taco coupon after a user Likes the Taco Bell Facebook Page.

Method: The landing tab for the Taco Bell Facebook Page is a screen asking the user to click Like to gain access to a coupon for a free crunchy taco. The Page advertised the coupons before the launch and, after clicking Like, the process is fast and self-explanatory for the user to print the coupon from Facebook. This promotion likely comes in part from a recent lawsuit filed against the company claiming that its meat filling isn't really 100% meat.

Impact: Response on the company's Page has been tremendous, as updates pertaining to the free taco coupons number in the thousands.

The Boeing Store

Goal: Engagement, Network Exposure

Core Mechanic: Interacting with fans who share on Boeing's Facebook Page by reaching out to them about the material posted to the Page.

Method: Boeing invites its Facebook fans to check out new merchandise and explore aerospace on its Page and ask fans to share photos, information and other feedback. One such fan, Dr. Jeremy Hampton, recently was invited to be a guest at the debut of the company's latest 747 passenger plane after submitting photos to the Page, for example.

Impact: For a company that doesn't offer any consumer products or services, Boeing's near 75,000 Facebook Likes is pretty impressive. More than a dozen fans have also shared photos to the Boeing Page.

What are today's most effective Facebook marketing best practices, and which campaigns have profited most? Visit the Cases section of Inside Network's Facebook Marketing Bible for the full summary of brand campaigns on Facebook from the past week.

Inside Network Happy Hour Today – Washington DC and Barcelona

Posted: 15 Feb 2011 06:57 AM PST

Will we see you at an upcoming Inside Network Happy Hour?

The Inside Network Happy Hours are a casual way to meet and get to know the community of developers, investors, and entrepreneurs who read our news and research.

These events are free to the public and all are welcome. Drinks are on us for the first half of each mixer.

Join us at the following upcoming events in your city:

Washington DC
When: 5 pm – 8:30 pm TODAY Tuesday February 15
Where: Cedar in Penn Quarter
RSVP here

Barcelona – Mobile World Congress
When: 5 pm – 8:30 pm TODAY Tuesday February 15
Where: La Clara, 3 blocks from Fira Montjuic – Barcelona conference center
RSVP here

New York City
When: 5 pm – 8:30 pm Thursday February 17
Where: Cibar near Union Square
RSVP here

More Events — Details Coming Soon

Berlin – late February
San Francisco – March
Palo Alto – April
San Francisco – May

Facebook’s Updated Platform Policies: Changes to User IDs, Ad Providers, and Iframe Page Apps

Posted: 14 Feb 2011 03:27 PM PST

Facebook has updated its Platform Policies to control the use of iframe Page tab applications, prohibit the use of ad providers that haven’t agreed to its terms, and keep user data and User IDs from being sold, transferred, shared, or used inappropriately.

Overall, the changes should serve to increase application virality, improve security, and maintain the quality of the user experience.

The Best Practices section present in past versions has also been removed from the document.

Below we have excerpted the changes and deletions made to the Facebook Platform Policies document since its last official update on September 21st, 2010. In bold we show the policies that have been revised or removed, and accompany each with our thoughts on the trigger for the change and its impact.

Revised Policies

I. Features and Functionality

  1. You must not violate any law or the rights of any individual or entity, and must not expose Facebook or Facebook users to harm or legal liability as determined by us in our sole discretion.
  2. You must not include functionality that proxies, requests or collects Facebook usernames or passwords.
  3. You must not circumvent (or claim to circumvent) our intended limitations on core Facebook features and functionality.
  4. If you offer a service for a user that integrates user data into a physical product (such as a scrapbook or calendar), you must only create a physical product for that user’s personal and non-commercial use.
  5. If you exceed, or plan to exceed, any of the following thresholds please contact us as you may be subject to additional terms: (>5M MAU) or (>100M API calls per day) or (>50M impressions per day).
  6. Your website must offer an explicit “Log Out” option that also logs the user out of Facebook.
  7. Special provisions for apps on Pages:
    a. Apps on Pages must not host media that plays automatically without a user’s interaction.
    Our thoughts: This will keep Facebook Pages from bombarding users with unwanted audio and video — one of the most frequent criticisms of MySpace.
    b. When a user visits your Page, if they have not given explicit permission by authorizing your Facebook app or directly providing information to your Page, you may only use information obtained from us and the user’s interaction with your Page in connection with that Page. For example, you must not combine information from any other sources to customize the user’s experience on your Page and may not use any information about the user’s interaction with your Page in any other context (such as analytics or customization across other Pages or websites).
    Our thoughts: This prohibits developers from improperly repurposing user data scraped through a Page tab application to optimize their other web or Facebook presences.

II. Storing and Using Data You Receive From Us

  1. You will only request the data you need to operate your application.
    Our thoughts: This prevents developers from using a dummy application with little functionality to requests large volumes of valuable user data. Though the inappropriate use of this data is already prohibited, this more explicitly prohibits the practice of asking for unnecessary permissions.
  2. You may cache data you receive through use of the Facebook API in order to improve your application's user experience, but you should try to keep the data up to date. This permission does not give you any rights to such data.
  3. You will have a privacy policy that tells users what user data you are going to use and how you will use, display, share, or transfer that data and you will include your privacy policy URL in the Developer Application.
    Our thoughts: This makes it easy for Facebook’s policy enforcement team to review an app’s privacy policy and determine if it is inadequate or being violated in the event of a complaint. Facebook temporarily removed this statement from the Platform Policies because it was already in its Site Governance documents, but has re-added it here for clarity.
  4. A user’s friends’ data can only be used in the context of the user’s experience on your application.
  5. Subject to certain restrictions, including on transfer, users give you their basic account informationwhen they connect with your application. For all other data obtained through use of the Facebook API, you must obtain explicit consent from the user who provided the data to us before using it for any purpose other than displaying it back to the user on your application.
  6. You will not directly or indirectly transfer any data you receive from us, including user data or Facebook User IDs, to (or use such data in connection with) any ad network, ad exchange, data broker, or other advertising or monetization related toolset, even if a user consents to such transfer or use. By indirectly we mean you cannot, for example, transfer data to a third party who then transfers the data to an ad network. By any data we mean all data obtained through use of the Facebook API, including aggregate, anonymous or derivative data.
  7. You will not use Facebook User IDs for any purpose outside your application (e.g., your infrastructure, code, or services necessary to build and run your application). Facebook User IDs may be used with external services that you use to build and run your application, such as a web infrastructure service or a distributed computing platform, but only if those services are necessary to running your application and the service has a contractual obligation with you to keep Facebook User IDs confidential.
    Our thoughts: The change comes in response to the discovery and subsequent disabling of apps by some developers that were selling User IDs to data brokers. Facebook was heavily criticized by the mainstream media for the data leak, and so it is seeking to clarify exactly how and with whom User IDs can be shared.
  8. If you need an anonymous unique identifier to share outside your application with third parties such as content partners, advertisers, or ad networks, you must use our mechanism. You must never share this anonymous unique identifier with a data broker, information broker, or any other service that we may define as such under our sole discretion.
    Our thoughts: Facebook made its unique identifier system mandatory for all applications on January 1st, 2011 in order to protect user IDs from being exposed to third-parties that weren’t explicitly permitted access.
  9. You will not sell any data. If you are acquired by or merge with a third party, you can continue to use user data within your application, but you cannot transfer data outside your application.
    Our thoughts: Facebook has had a similar statement in its developer policies before, but added the stipulation regarding mergers and acquisitions to its Site Governance documents in September to close a loophole that could be interpreted as allowing companies to buy access to data by merging with or acquiring developers with legitimate access.
  10. If you stop using Platform or we disable your application, you must delete all data you have received through use of the Facebook API unless: (a) it is basic account information; or (b) you have received explicit consent from the user to retain their data.
  11. You cannot use a user's friend list outside of your application, even if a user consents to such use, but you can use connections between users who have both connected to your application.
  12. You will delete all data you receive from us concerning a user if the user asks you to do so, and will provide an easily accessible mechanism for users to make such a request. We may require you to delete data you receive from the Facebook API if you violate our terms.
  13. You will not include data you receive from us concerning a user in any advertising creative, even if a user consents to such use.
  14. You must not give your secret key to another party, unless that party is an agent acting on your behalf as an operator of your application. You are responsible for all activities that occur under your account identifiers.

III. Application Content

A. Prohibited Content – You are responsible for all content of and within your application, including advertisements and user-generated content. You must not promote, or provide content referencing, facilitating, containing or using, the following:

  1. Alcohol-related content (unless the appropriate Demographic Restrictions are used), or sale of tobacco products, ammunition and/or firearms;
  2. Content that infringes upon the rights of any third party, including intellectual property rights, privacy, publicity or other personal or proprietary right, or that is deceptive or fraudulent;
  3. Gambling, including without limitation, any online casino, sports books, bingo or poker;
  4. Illegal activity and/or illegal contests, pyramid schemes, sweepstakes or chain letters; if you run, reference, or facilitate a legally permissible sweepstakes, contest, or other promotion you are subject to Facebook’s Promotions Guidelines;
  5. Content that is hateful, threatening, defamatory, or pornographic; incites violence; or contains nudity or graphic or gratuitous violence.

B. Advertisements and Cross-Promotions

  1. You must not include advertisements or promotions, cross-promote other applications, or provide web search functionality in content distributed through Facebook social channels.
  2. You can only utilize advertising or similar monetization related products or services from companies that appear on this list within Apps on Facebook.com (effective February 28, 2011).
    Our thoughts: Facebook wants to ensure any advertisements appearing within its canvas adhere to its terms. Facebook launched the Ad Providers list at the end of  2010, but only specified a deadline for compliance with this announcement of policy changes.

IV. Application Integration Points

  1. You must not incentivize users to use (or gate content behind the use of) Facebook social channels, or imply that an incentive is directly tied to the use of our channels.
  2. You must not pre-fill any of the fields associated with the following products, unless the user manually generated the content earlier in the workflow: Stream stories (user_message parameter for Facebook.streamPublish and FB.Connect.streamPublish, and message parameter for stream.publish), Photos (caption), Videos (description), Notes (title and content), Links (comment), and Jabber/XMPP.
  3. Users must always consent to any Stream story you post on their behalf. If you do not use the Feed form which gives users the option to preview and customize their post, you must not publish a Stream story unless a user has explicitly indicated an intention to share that content, e.g., by clicking a button or checking a box that clearly explains that their content will be shared.
  4. You must provide users with an easily identifiable “skip” option whenever you present users with an option to use a Facebook social channel.
  5. You must not provide users with the option to publish a Stream story to more than one friend’s wall at a time.
  6. Platform integrations, including social plugins:
    a. Your advertisements must not include or be paired with any Platform integrations, including social plugins such as the Like button, without our written permission.
    b. You must not sell or purchase placement of a Like button or Like box plugin.
    c. You must not incentivize users to Like any Page other than your own site or application, and any incentive you provide must be available to new and existing users who Like your Page.
    d. You must not obscure elements of the Like button or Like box plugin.
  7. Facebook messaging (i.e., email sent to an @facebook.com address) is designed for communication between users, and not a channel for applications to communicate directly with users.
    Our thoughts: This prohibits applications from asking for a user’s @facebook.com email address so they can spam their Messages inbox. Facebook originally began allowing applications to ask for a user’s third-party email address to clean up the Messages inbox, and wants to keep it that way.

Removed Policies

I. Features and Functionality

5. All emails to users must originate from the same domain.

Our thoughts: The distinction could be considered arbitrary, but it also made it easier for users to unsubscribe or filter out emails from applications

II. Storing and Using Data You Receive From Us

7. You must not use user data you receive from us or collect through running an ad, including information you derive from your targeting criteria, for any purpose off of Facebook, without user consent.

Our thoughts: This prevents applications and Page from deducing a user’s identity or demographic information by determining that they were brought to the app or Page by an ad that was targeted to a specific demographic and then using it for unapproved purposes.

IV. Application Integration Points

4. If a user chooses to “skip” you must not present the user with the same prompt during that user’s visit to your application.

Our thoughts: As an application’s session length can vary widely, Facebook removed the arbitrary limit on showing a skipped call to action again within the same session. This will slightly increase virality.

6. You must not prompt new users to send invitations immediately after they connect with your application.

Our thoughts: The “immediately after” time period was ambiguous, so Facebook dropped this restriction. Users don’t tend to send out invitations until they’re sure they like the app, so this change offers application a new but somewhat ineffective method of growing virally.

VIII. Definitions

3. By "basic account information" we mean: user ID, and the user IDs of the user's friends who have also connected with your application.

Our thoughts: Removing User ID and the User IDs of friends from basic information makes this data harder to come by for applications, and will protect Facebook from criticism that it is facilitating a user data leak, albeit of otherwise public information.

Bug Prevents Facebook Old Page Walls and Iframe Tab Apps From Loading if Logged Out

Posted: 14 Feb 2011 12:35 PM PST

Facebook is currently experiencing a significant bug that is causing the walls of Pages that haven’t upgraded to the redesign and new iframe Page tab applications from loading for users who are logged out. This can cause problems for brands and developers who direct users to their Facebook presence from external websites and offline advertising, as visiting users will think the Page is broken and leave.

Judging by the Facebook Developers Blog post from last week announcing the ability to create iframe Page Tab apps, commenters appear to have first spotted the bug on February 10th. Facebook has acknowledged the bug for iframe tab apps; its current status is “ASSIGNED.” Earlier today, several members of a closed Facebook Group for social marketers noticed a similar bug for Page walls.

It’s currently unclear exactly how widespread the bug is, but we’ve yet to find any old Page walls or iframe tab apps that are exempt from the problem.

Until Facebook fixes the bug, Pages should consider setting their default landing tab to either their info section or an FBML tab application so that logged out users who visit will see something that loads properly. Old Pages without iframe tab apps that are experiencing the issue with their wall can also choose to upgrade to the new Page redesign to resolve the problem.

Sponsored Stories Ads: Walk-Through and Marketing Campaign Strategies

Posted: 14 Feb 2011 09:52 AM PST

Facebook Marketing Bible

The following is an excerpt from the Facebook Marketing Bible, the comprehensive guide to marketing your company, app, or brand using Facebook. The full version of this article, available through a Facebook Marketing Bible subscription, includes a guide to understanding Sponsored Stories ads, a walk-through of how to buy them, and detailed marketing campaign strategies for driving a variety of performance metrics through all four Sponsored Stories types. It teaches advertisers exactly when to run the ads and what marketing efforts to pair them with.

Advertisers using Facebook’s self-serve ad tool can run Sponsored Stories ads that promote news feed stories published by users and Pages to Facebook’s right sidebar. Sponsored Stories allow advertisers to augment viral buzz by giving greater distribution and visibility to posts that endorse their organization or business.

Here we’ll walk through how to use the four types of Sponsored stories — Like Stories, Page Post Stories, App Stories, and Check-In Stories. We’ll also provide strategies for integrating them into highly successful ad campaigns that can drive Likes, engagement, brand reputation, application usage, foot traffic, and monetization.

Sponsored Stories Strategies

Page Post Story

Page Post Stories can be used to drive extra traffic to one of your Page’s tab applications, an outbound link, or a piece of content your Page has posted. Only your Page’s latest update will appear in the Page Post Sponsored Stories ads, so be sure to only run them after especially important updates, and pause them once you’ve run less important updates or those without a specific call to action.

Some examples of Page updates you might want to pair with Page Post Stories include an outbound link to:

  • Your website
  • A sign-up form for your email or phone marketing list
  • An ecommerce store where users can buy your product
  • A news article about an important upcoming product release you want to build buzz for
  • An app store where users can download your app to help you attain a place on the store’s charts
  • YouTube where they can watch your video in order to secure enough views, votes, or comments to place in top 10 lists and reach the home page
  • An article that you want to gain traction on social news sites like Digg or Reddit
  • A poll you want users to vote in
  • A petition for a cause you support that you want users to sign

Or to content within Facebook such as:

  • a photo or video your want more exposure for
  • a link to a tab application that offers a game, a piece of content or entry into a contest
  • a canvas application or game your want users to install
  • an Event you want users to attend
  • a question or poll your want users to answer
  • an affiliated Page you want users to Like
  • a heartfelt thank you to fans. This can facilitate conversions later on.

Access the Sponsored Stories walk-through, strategies for Like Stories, App Stories, and Check-In Stories, and learn more marketing best practices at the Facebook Marketing Bible, Inside Network's complete guide to marketing and advertising on Facebook.

Valentine’s Day on Facebook: Causes, Flowers, CityVille, Topps and More

Posted: 14 Feb 2011 08:30 AM PST

Valentine's Day marketing promotions seem a bit subdued this year, unlike in previous years when brands like Target and Skittles launched Valentine's Day-specific campaigns. Many campaigns combined Valentine's Day marketing with other types of promotions.

A big one this year was an offer from Causes to allow users to buy a flower bouquet through partners like ProFlowers and have a chance to donate $10 to a favorite charity through February 15. Participating charities include Keep the Arts in Public Schools, Prem Rewat, National Parks Conservation, Invisible Children and Campaign for Cancer Prevention, although users may also dedicate their $10 donation to any of the other 10,000-plus Causes charities.

Another flower-related Facebook offer was The Florist One API, which allows florists to display flowers in a white label Facebook store front, allow users to purchase them on the platform and have them delivered without needing to know the recipient’s address. The API is part of a nationwide affiliate program that allows participants to receive up to 22% commission on each sale, and also works on dating websites, mobile apps and coupon sites.

The Topps trading cards' The Valentine's Day Diamond Dig campaign aimed at increasing engagement on its Facebook Page. The promotion asked users to make their pitch to win a $10,000 engagement ring in a video, then win a chance to dig for the ring in a 30-foot diamond ball pit to propose to their loved one at Grand Central Station in New York City.

Pop star Katy Perry partnered with Schick Quattro for Women on Facebook to promote Valentine's Day and her California Dreams Tour 2011. A Facebook app allows the users to send an e-card featuring Kay Perry by posting it to a friend's Wall; there are four to choose from. eHarmony, the dating web site, also allowed users to share Valentine's Day cards on Facebook or send them via email.

CityVille had an interesting Groupon-Valentine's Day promotion in the game's interface. At the bottom of the screen an ad offered CityVille users a chance at 75 free city cash for buying a Groupon deal of $40-worth of flowers for the cost of $20 for Valentine's Day.

There were also simple heart- and romance-associated apps such as Puzzled Hearts, an app that features different types of animated hearts that saw an uptake in users during the pre-Valentine weeks. Others included Zoo World, which offered users gifts like rose petals and cards in limited quantities and asking players to help animals pair up "lonely animals" for the holiday. The app Horoscopes was also providing users with Valentine's Day content, for example.

For more information about the effectiveness of different kinds of Facebook Page promotions check out the Facebook Marketing Bible.

Badoo, Yahoo, Games and Love on This Week’s List of Facebook Gainers by MAU

Posted: 14 Feb 2011 07:45 AM PST

Looks like Facebook users are looking for love on our Valentine's edition of Top 20 Facebook applications gainers by monthly active users. Badoo topped the list, with other dating apps, SpeedDate as well and Who will be your Valentine in 2011, coming up as well? Meanwhile, Ravenwood Fair and other social games made their usual appearanches, along with a few Connect apps. We compile this data with our AppData tool, which tracks the growth of applications and their developers on the Facebook platform.

Top Gainers This Week

Name MAU Gain Gain,%
1. Badoo 42,297,742 +4,671,748 +12%
2. Profile Banner 3,241,194 +1,142,080 +54%
3. Ravenwood Fair 9,478,040 +1,114,907 +13%
4. Yahoo! 10,836,146 +860,160 +9%
5. Monster Galaxy 6,096,036 +661,665 +12%
6. BandPage by RootMusic 17,390,482 +600,914 +4%
7. SpeedDate 1,606,216 +558,395 +53%
8. Your statistics 2,706,411 +531,220 +24%
9. Phrases 18,544,317 +531,042 +3%
10. Big Business 2,101,568 +501,043 +32%
11. It Girl 8,771,548 +441,425 +5%
12. TIK TAC TOE 812,980 +413,352 +103%
13. Who will be your VALENTINE in 2011? 1,569,030 +401,153 +34%
14. Diner Dash 418,577 +365,262 +685%
15. Dragons of Atlantis 2,225,768 +359,116 +19%
16. Windows Live Messenger 16,266,940 +353,826 +2%
17. 大腦分析 402,162 +321,690 +400%
18. Paradise Life 2,596,341 +312,295 +14%
19. PicBadges 2,133,443 +302,445 +17%
20. Happy Hospital 2,203,922 +274,755 +14%

Badoo was number one our list with a gain of 4.6 million MAUs, or about a 12% gain. SpeedDate was on the list with a 53% gain of 558,400 users, and Who will be your Valentine in 2011? grew by 34%, or 401,200 users.

A few Connect apps, Yahoo with 860,200 new users and Windows Live Messenger with 353,800, joined several notable games. Ravenwood Fair grew by more than 1.1 million users, or a 13% gain. Others games included Monster Galaxy, Big Business (a game in which you build a city), It Girl — a shopping game, Tik Tac Toe, Dinner Dash, Dragons of Atlantis, Paradise Life and Happy Hospital, a vet hospital game.

BandPage by RootMusic continues strong growth with almost 601,000 monthly active users added this week. There was a Chinese app, Analysis of Brain, which is a quiz added 321,700 MAUs to grow significantly in the past week. Finally photo app Profile Banner, Your Statistics and Phrases joined PicBadges on the list.

tirsdag den 15. februar 2011 at 07.53