Inside Facebook
Inside Facebook |
- Top 25 Facebook Games For May 2011
- Facebook Tech Ops Exec Jonathan Heiliger to Depart by End of Summer
- Facebook Allows Users to Hide Recent Activity Story Types From Their Profile Walls
- Facebook for Blackberry PlayBook Includes Core Features but Lags Far Behind iOS and Android
- Causes to Bring the Big Donor Communication Experience to All Donors and Facebook Pages
- Facebook Sponsored Stories Ads Have 46% Higher CTR, 18% Lower Cost Per Fan Says TBG Digital Test
- Enrique Igelsias, Football, TV, Disney, Converse and More on This Week’s Top 15 Growing Facebook Pages
- New Facebook Platform Industry Hires: Kontagent, Nanigans, Syncapse, Vitrue and Wildfire
| Top 25 Facebook Games For May 2011 Posted: 03 May 2011 07:30 PM PDT Going into May 2011, many of the games from April's top 25 Facebook games stay with us while some foreign language games vanish. Add to that a few notable newcomers, and you've got our top 25 Facebook games for May 2011.
First up, we sort the top 25 by daily active users. This gives us an idea of which games people tend to visit habitually. Be sure to compare this list to the top 25 monthly active users list for an idea of which games have a higher retention rate (or "sticky factor") with players. Remember that DAU is vulnerable to sharp fluctuations as a result of ad campaigns, technical difficulties, and holiday lulls when people aren't visiting Facebook when they usually would. > Continue reading on Inside Social Games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Facebook Tech Ops Exec Jonathan Heiliger to Depart by End of Summer Posted: 03 May 2011 07:00 PM PDT
Among his achievements at Facebook — which he helped bring up to 99.88% uptime in the US so far this year — he successfully advocated for chip manufacturers to develop more web-focused processors, and led the development of Facebook’s first wholly-owned data center, as well as the open-sourcing of its data center and server design, in the Open Compute Project. He’ll be replaced by Jay Parikh, a relatively recent hire from Ning. After Facebook, Heiliger says he’ll be taking a break from startup life — aside from advising some startups (he’s on the board of social business-focused Jive Software as well as Webmonsters, a tech networking organization). Before Facebook, he’d been an executive at LoudCloud, Danger and Bubble Motion among other companies, as well as a tech advisor for venture firms Sequoia Capital, Accel Partners and Index Ventures. See his LinkedIn profile for more details.
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| Facebook Allows Users to Hide Recent Activity Story Types From Their Profile Walls Posted: 03 May 2011 04:32 PM PDT Now when users go to hide an automatically generated Recent Activity post from the wall of their profile, they’ll have the option to “Hide all” current and future stories of that type. For instance, users could choose to never show Recent Activity stories when they add someone as a friend, RSVP to an Event, comment on a photo, or Like a Page. Users can unhide story types if they reconsider via the profile story settings manager. The new “hide all” option will allow users to freely take action around the site without announcing these activities or manually hiding the stories they produce. This will be especially useful for power users who might leave dozens of comments or Like dozens of Pages at a time
Facebook has made several other changes to the Recent Activity section of the profile wall over the last few months. It tested and then implemented text excerpts for comment activity stories, began showing a “became friends after attending [Event]” story, and tested showing Page Likes as rich, full news feed stories before reverting them to simple, one-line Recent Activity stories. To use the new “Hide all” option, users can click the ‘x’ next to a Recent Activity feed story they don’t want shown on their profile wall. This will reveal the standard option to remove just that post, as well as one to “Hide all [of that story type]“. If clicked, the “Hide all” option reveals a confirmation prompt explaining that all stories of that type will no long appear in Recent Activity.
If users click the “Edit Options” link at the end of the prompt or at the bottom of their profile wall, they’re shown the “Edit your profile story settings” manager, allowing them to return previously hidden story types to their wall. Note that friends will still be able to see a user’s activity where it took place — the “hide all” option merely prevents a link to that activity from appearing on a user’s profile. As well as enabling users to secretly engage with content on the site over time, the new option facilitates bursts of certain types of activity. For instance, a user could answer a slew of Facebook Questions, update their profile by Liking all of their new favorite bands, or leave a multitude of comments on a new photo album of a best friend. It can also help users preemptively scrub their profile of Recent Activity stories that might get them in trouble, such as commenting on a photo of an ex-girlfriend, or posting identical birthday greetings to multiple friends. By enabling this option, Facebook increases flexibility in site usage for its most engaged or sensitive users. This means they can interact as much as they want with whoever they want without broadcasting their habits, which for may have been inhibiting activity for some. Brand marketers might not be too happy about the new option though, as the Recent Activity stories published when users Like a Page or comment on a Page’s wall can help convert their friends into fans. [Thanks to Brittany Darwell and Lionel Bonnaz for the tip] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Facebook for Blackberry PlayBook Includes Core Features but Lags Far Behind iOS and Android Posted: 03 May 2011 03:02 PM PDT Yesterday, Blackberry announced the launch of a native Facebook app for its new tablet device the PlayBook. It will include the ability to browse the news feed, upload and browse photos, send Messages, and most innovatively, Chat with multiple friends simultaneously via two-panel interface and be notified of new instant messages. Unfortunately, the app lacks a core mobile feature — Events — as well as new Facebook features such as Groups and Places. Facebook for Blackberry PlayBook lags far behind native apps for iOS, Android, and even the standard Facebook for Blackberry, but at least the tablet has an official native Facebook app, unlike Apple’s iPad.
Facebook said last year that it is seeking to maintain feature parity between the native iOS and Android apps, with both receiving new features within a few weeks of their launch on the web version of Facebook. Meanwhile, Blackberry, Palm webOS and Windows are much farther behind, with none of them supporting Facebook Groups which launched October. The PlayBook tablet’s large screensize makes it useful for browsing media through the news feed. If users click on a video or website link, the content will be loaded in the PlayBook web browser. Users can upload and browse photos in tablet-optimized albums, and also tag friends in photos — one feature lacking in Facebook for Android. However, part of the draw back of an experience designed for a wide screen is that Facebook for Blackberry PlayBook can’t be used in portrait mode.
Facebook’s native smartphone apps only allow users to view one Chat conversation at a time, requiring users to dive in and out to carry on multiple conversations at once. The PlayBook app’s two-panel interface lets users switch between online friends and active conversations on the right while sending instant messages on the right. Users receive notifications whenever they receive a new Chat no matter where in the app they are — a major improvement over the Facebook for iPhone and other mobile apps that don’t include Chat notifications.
While the news feed and Chat may work well, a mobile device needs to support feature that are core to mobile use cases such as Places, which allows users to check in to nearby locations, and Events, which allows users to view the address of a party they might be on their way to. Without these, in many cases Blackberry PlayBook users may be better off using Facebook’s mobile website via the browser, which includes Places, Events, and Groups. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Causes to Bring the Big Donor Communication Experience to All Donors and Facebook Pages Posted: 03 May 2011 12:56 PM PDT
Causes hopes that by bringing the compelling stories of the organizations it hosts to the audiences of all Pages and its own 150 million total users, it will be able to significantly increase the volume of donations it processes and make the app a destination for giving.
Causes has already helped raise $30 million for 27,000 non-profits since its launch in May 2007 when the Facebook Platform opened. There much work to be done, though, so it has now hired 25 employees in hopes of increasing donations and signing on more of the 500,000-plus non-profits in existence. Interviews that Causes has conducted with users indicate that they want more and better communication about the impact of their donations, which the new initiatives aim to provide, the company tells us. Telling Stories to Increase DonationsThe revamped donor communication program sees Causes hand-picking organizations that are producing especially compelling success stories and promoting their goals via email to swaths of its install base, such as those who’ve expressed interest in a related type of non-profit, such as animal rights or civil rights. These sets of users, whether active or ones who made a donation to a similar Cause years ago and haven’t returned, will receive opt-out emails that specify the progress being made and how their donations have or could make an impact. This contrasts with the traditional small donor experience where contributors never hear about the impact of their donation, or only receive a content-less follow up asking for more money. The program launches today to convey the long-term success of a campaign headed by Not For Sale, an anti-human trafficking organization. The campaign seeks to raise $50,000 to bring food, clothing, shelter, education, and job training to 50 victims of human trafficking in Romania. Causes users that have expressed interest in human rights or international development will receive impact narrative updates about the fight against modern slavery via emails with photos, videos, and stories from NFS’ workers on the ground. There will also be opportunities for two-way communication, allowing donors to request more information about specifics.
Causes Vice President Mat Mahan says "NFS exemplifies the kind of donor experience that we want for all of our nonprofits." Mahan tells us “We not only want to be on the cutting edge of impact work, but on the cutting edge of donor relations.” He concludes that the initial response to tests of its revamped donor communication program have been positive, with very low unsubscribe rates to the emails and almost no spam reports. He syas NFS will be the “first in a growing pipeline of partners” for the enhanced communication program. Any Facebook Page Can Now Highlight a CausePreviously, the Causes Facebook Page tab application just directed users to a Causes profile and let users leave comments. Now the app’s default view includes a description of a Cause and big “Give” and “Share” buttons, allowing it to instantly raise money or increase awareness — the two core goals of most non-profits. Pages can also design a custom view allowing them to announce that they want to raise ‘x’ amount of money for ‘y’ cause within ‘z’ amount of time and display a donations progress bar. they can specify that a certain level of donations will produce a certain impact, such as “Donate $50 to save one dolphin”.
While non-profits can feature their own projects, Mahan is excited about the potential for traditional businesses and public figures to highlight Causes that are important to them. For instance, Cory Booker, the Mayor of Newark, New Jersey recently helped raise $35,000 for an animal shelter through a Causes tab app on his Page. When current events stir emotional reactions, such as a dog being left in a dumpster in Booker’s case, Mahan tells us he hopes Pages can channel the energy of their fans towards a productive end by installing the Causes app. Mahan says that Causes’ next step may be to improve the quality of its widgets for third-party websites so even those without a Facebook presence can promote Causes they believe in. Incentivizing the Long Tail of DonorsDespite a major shift of non-profits online, high-quality donor communication is still often reserved for donors who write big checks as if the organizations still had to pay for physical mail shipping costs and phone calls. But with digital devices allowing non-profits to easily produce rich media content that conveys their progress, and by using email as a distribution medium, there is great potential to make all donors feel appreciated for their contributions and keep them engaged so that they donate more in the future. With these updates, Causes is positioning itself to handle this communication and allow third-parties to promote non-profits as well, freeing the organizations to concentrate on best applying donations for the betterment of the world. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Facebook Sponsored Stories Ads Have 46% Higher CTR, 18% Lower Cost Per Fan Says TBG Digital Test Posted: 03 May 2011 10:31 AM PDT Facebook Ads API service provider TBG Digital has revealed that in a 10-day, 3-client, 2 billion impression test, Facebook’s new Sponsored Stories ad units received a 46% higher click through rate, a 20% lower cost per click, and an 18% lower cost per fan than Facebook’s standard ad units. The new ad unit has looked especially promising because it so tightly fits in with how people use Facebook. It converts a user’s activity, such as Liking a Page or a using an application, into a sidebar ad shown to their friends. Those friends can then respond to the ad unit, through taking actions such as Liking the Page or playing a game. With evidence like what TBG is providing, advertisers should strongly consider adding Sponsored Stories to their ad mix, and Ads API tools and services should move quickly to include the ad type in their offering.
TBG Digital carries out the purchase of up to 2 billion Facebook ad impressions a day via its Ads API service for big name clients including JetBlue, American Express, and Vodafone, making it one of the largest ad buyers on the platform. When Sponsored Stories launched in January, it moved quickly to be able to provide purchases of the ad unit at scale to its clients, and has integrated the three new Sponsored Stories types released last week into its offering. While Facebook reported that its own tests showed increased brand lift, engagement, and ad recall, there wasn’t conclusive evidence of how much better Sponsored Stories performed than standard ad units until now. The three clients involved in the test were a retailer, a consumer packaged good brand, and a game developer, ensuring a breadth Sponsored Stories types and destinations were included. TBG Digital’s CEO Simon Mansell told us the company took care to keep the Sponsored Stories and standard ad groups as similar in targeting as possible preserve the integrity of the test. These facts combine with the high impression volume of the test to make the conclusions reliable.
Ads API-based media buyers such as TBG Digital test thousands of ad creative and targeting variants per campaign to attain the highest click through rate possible. The creative and targeting of Sponsored Stories are generated automatically, meaning Sponsored Stories not only represent a massive increase in click through rate, but a reduction in labor on the media buyer’s side. Now that many brands have established their Facebook presence, they are concentrating on gaining fans. It now appears that the several Sponsored Stories ad types designed to drive traffic to Pages (Page Like stories, Page Post stories, Page Post Like stories) can reduce the acquisition cost per fan by 18%. This is a significant cost reduction considering many brands are looking to secure millions of additional fans.
Since Sponsored Stories don’t depend on media buyers discovering lucrative niche demographics with high click through rates that Facebook charges more for, Sponsored Stories campaigns have a 20% lower CPC according to the test. This could translate into big savings for brands, performance advertisers, and especially game developers who look to bring in millions of new players with ad campaigns supporting the launches of new games. The data from this test support the assumptions some in the advertising industry have made about the shift towards social ad design. Sponsored Stories ad units take advantage of Facebook’s inherent strength — the social graph — to offer ad design unavailable in traditional search and display. Mansell tells us that currently about 10% of the impressions it buys are through Sponsored Stories, but that he expects that to increase to 25% as more of TBG Digital’s clients are signing on to use Sponsored Stories every day. Since standard ad units are necessary to seed the initial actions that trigger Sponsored Stories, advertisers will always need to buy ads that don’t depend on user behavior. But data indicating that Sponsored Stories can deliver more clicks and more fans for cheaper, expect usage of Facebook’s social ad units to drastically increase this year, and more ad spend to shift from display to the social network. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Posted: 03 May 2011 10:00 AM PDT
Top Gainers This Week
At the top of the list was Sour Patch Kids, which added 1.1 million Likes to its 1.7 total. The Page used Questions and smart quips as status updates on the Page.
Musicians then ruled a good chunk of the list. There was Enrique Iglesias, whose 16.3 million total was augmented by 793,700 new Likes this week. His Page has been using Questions, a landing tab features a game with his music and he's promoting his concerts. Shakira's Page was also on the list with 787,200 new Likes for her 28 million total; she's promoting her album and new single. Rihanna's Page has a total of 31.7 million Likes, having added 683,500 this week, and she's promoting her tour, singles and music videos. Finally, Eminem's 618,400 new Likes pushed his total just over 35 million.
Football (soccer) Pages were on our list. There was FC Barcelona with 14 million LIkes, 642,800 of them new this week. Cristiano Ronaldo's Page with 565,400 new Likes and 25 million total. Finally, there's Real Madrid C.F. with 12.8 million Likes. Each Page seems to be pushing its growth through landing tabs that openly ask visitors to Like the Page and help spread the word; in Ronaldo's case, his Nike promotion is also featured. There were some entertainment Pages. The "Harry Potter" movie Page with 22.3 million Likes added 585,000 this week; the Page has been promoting the final installment of the wildly successful movie series with sweepstakes, interviews and other news. MTV's Page grew by 546,800 to 20.6 million by promoting its shows and celebrity gossip. Finally, "The Simpsons" grew to 25.5 million by promoting the episodes, adding about 531,000 Likes this week alone.
A few random Pages on the list included Converse shoe company with 550,800 new Likes and a total of 15.6 million. The company is giving away 15 free iTunes downloads to Page visitors. Disney continues to promote its Facebook presence, new and old films and stands at 21.9 million Likes with 750,700 added this week. Facebook's Page added 677,200 Likes this week to its 39.3 million total by promoting Facebook-related events and YouTube added 603,100 new Likes to its 32.4 million Likes by promoting popular videos. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Facebook Platform Industry Hires: Kontagent, Nanigans, Syncapse, Vitrue and Wildfire Posted: 03 May 2011 09:15 AM PDT Facebook platform industry hires this week included several account and sales executives, some engineers and a VP of corporate strategy at Syncapse. If your company is hiring new people or making a notable promotion, please let us know. Email mail (at) insidefacebook (dot) com, and we'll get it into next week's post. Also, please note that information about most new hires, below, comes directly from company updates from LinkedIn. Looking for new opportunities? Check out the Inside Network Job Board, which shows the latest openings at leading companies in the industry. Here's this week's list of hires:
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After four years leading Facebook’s infrastructure development, vice president of technical operations 
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