Originally posted on The Naked Pheasant.

Zynga, the fast-growing maker of Facebook games like FarmVille and Mafia Wars, has been called by the New York Times “the hottest start-up to emerge from Silicon Valley since Twitter and, before that, Facebook.” This week, its CEO, Mark Pincus, is profiled in the story, the second in two weeks, highlighting the company’s recent success (though not without its fair share of controversy). Among other things, the article profiles Pincus as a fearless entrepreneur and visionary aiming to build an online entertainment empire as important to the internet “as Google is to search.”

While Zynga will cite profits and player numbers as success criteria, it is another recent trend Zynga is pioneering that has caught my attention; advertising through social gaming. Zynga came under fire recently for allowing advertisements into its games. Some ads, for example, signed up players for subscriptions to costly text-messaging services. This caused a PR headache for the company with TechCrunch, the technology blog, calling the practice “ScamVille,” after some users filed a class-action lawsuit.

But with 211 million players every month, according to AppData.com, Zynga is perhaps well on its way to making social gaming as important to the internet as anything else thanks to a new partnership with an American food manufacturer, (also covered in the New York Times recently). Cascadian Farm, an organic farm in the U.S. and subsidiary of General Mills, is using one of Zynga’s more popular games, FarmVille, to reach a growing customer segment through advertising. Instead of your standard click-through ads a la GoogleAd Words however, the Cascadian Farms content will be integrated into the gaming experience.

In FarmVille, you participate, create, build and manage your own farm. You gain experience points by visiting your friends’ farms and lending a virtual hand. From next week, players in the U.S. will be able to purchase (using farm bucks) and plant, an organic blueberry crop from Cascadian Farm. In doing so, FarmVille users will learn about organic farming and green living through standard game play, and at the same time, earn additional points to grow fruits and vegetables or raise animals on their virtual farms. Cascadian Farm executives said in a New York Times article that they hope that the company can expand its food niche and make itself better known by increasing awareness among FarmVille’s audience – that’s 221 million players a month. Users will also be able to access a $1 off coupon.

It will be curious to see just how successful Cascadian Farm is on FarmVille. Will the strategy work to attract and educate potential customers through participation and content or will it backfire? While integration in game play gives the user unique exposure to content in an experiential manner, will users see through the stunt and reject it as advertising or is this campaign just clever enough to work?

Originally posted on Logic + Emotion.

While the current trend in all things social is demonstrating ROI (did Old Spice Increase sales etc?) There remains a lack of emphasis on actually executing well in social spaces with the assumption that this is simply where customers, consumers, employees etc. will go to seek information and interact. That’s why I think Altimeter’s recent report listing out 8 success criteria specific to marketing initiatives on Facebook is a breath of fresh air. I was fortunate to help inform the report as an ambassador for Edelman Digital, and was happy to see best practices featured from brands we work with such as AXE (client). That aside, the report is worth reviewing and digesting as it goes through the 8 criteria in depth backing it up with examples:

With the above criteria in place, Altimeter has drafted a simple framework for brands and organizations to keep in mind as they build out their digital embassies in the Facebook ecosystem. Using this criteria, Altimeter then selected a few brands to evaluate calling out specific best practices and areas for opportunity. Here’s how the brands fared when compared with each other:

At minimum the report offers a few choice insights and examples of brands to look at and learn from while you are developing your strategies and tactics for this space. Specifics such as being inconsistent or not addressing angry comments serve as early indicators to learn from as companies develop their rules of engagement for Facebook and other digital embassies. While other studies focus on devising formulas that assign dollar values to Facebook connections, reports such as this offer a few high level guidelines for how to best navigate through social systems such as Facebook. Have a read and chime in. What are your best practices?

The web is currently undergoing a normalization toward social. Base components of the social web such as friending, liking, voting, peer recognition, etc are permeating online presence down to static business sites.  As a result, the 2010 installment of SocialDevCamp Chicago is attracting professionals from a wider variety of industries.  Registrants include web and marketing personnel from healthcare, design, human resources, non-profits, and of course software companies.  Such an eclectic audience might be viewed as a hindrance by some, particularly those believing specialization and exclusivity maximize knowledge gain.  The SocialDevCamp team, however, is excited for the event’s diversity to increase the collective “known unknowns” of the audience.

The term known unknowns is borrowed from former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and refers to knowledge “you know that you don’t know.” This is a counterpoint to “unknown unknowns” or knowledge “you don’t know that you don’t know.”  We are not implying that SocialDevCamp has any connection to politics or global affairs but WE ARE suggesting that uniting a diverse group of people via the common interest of the social web can boost curiosity, knowledge, and creativity. For example, a talented PR professional at SocialDevCamp might have executed countless successful social campaigns for large brands without exploring the functionality of software.  Listening to a session on developing apps will probably not transform anyone into a programming genius, but the new knowledge does expand the realm of possibilities for client pitches and also improves future discussions with developers.  Similarly, an experienced developer interested in the social web could gain valuable insights on building a new product by talking to experienced PR professionals.

We hope you will join us on August 14-15 at the Illinois Institute of Technology’s amazing campus center (really – a train runs through the building).  Make sure to investigate the speaker list to determine where you will create new “known unknowns.” A good start will be listening to keynotes from Chris Messina of Google and Ben Huh of the Cheezburger Network.  And in the process, you’ll likely pick up new friendships and hobbies. Check out what the event looked like last year through our recap video:

Andy Angelos is an entrepreneur and musician living in Chicago, Illinois. He is currently working on working on SocialDevCamp Chicago, ScaleWell, and an online communications firm entitled Get Talked About. He is a practitioner of thinking before talking, especially on Twitter.

It seemed helpful the first time the Check-Up doubled as a book club, so to continue the link sharing, here are another five resources to check out when you are looking for news in the digital health space.

Newsmap

There is never enough time in the day to keep up with trends and news. However, sometimes tracking down the big story is worth your time, and luckily there’s a really cool tool called Newsmap to help by visualizing news stories like a word cloud. You can even drill down the topics into certain verticals, like health, to get a category specific view of the news of the day.

5 Ways Social Media Helps Promote Good Health (Mashable)

Mashable is a go-to news source for just about everyone online because they often break many stories related to social media, technology and online culture. In addition to those short pieces, Mashable retains a bunch of contributors who offer longer guides to different corners of the Internet. For a can’t miss one on how digital media can help improve your health, Alexander Howard’s piece from early July is a great resource.

Former FDA Official to Pharma Marketers: Don’t Expect Much Regulatory Guidance on Social Media (eMarketer)

Health communicators in the U.S. have been tracking the future of FDA regulations for the digital space very intently since last November’s hearings. In an interview with eMarketer, Peter Pitts, a former FDA official familiar with the existing DTC guidelines, gives some disheartening news: any guidance from the administration is likely to only address “long-hanging-fruit issues,” and not move forward into some of the bigger questions.

‘Twitter Doctors’ Lists Medical Kings of Social Media (Social Times)

There are many ways to gauge influence on Twitter (like the awesome Edelman creation, TweetLevel), but you can never go wrong by checking many different sources. Twitter Doctors breaks down just those medical professionals who use the microblogging service, and is easy to sort based on followers, retweets or influence. Read more at Social Times for some more information on who the highest rated medical Twitterers are.

Ask Wolfram|Alpha about Medical Drug Treatments (WolframAlpha Blog)

Wolfram Alpha is not a traditional search engine, per se – It bills itself as a knowledge engine, and the data it gives back are not links to other sites, but detailed results that help to answer the query right there. On its own blog, the WA team recommends a new thing to look for on the network: medical and drug treatment data. Check out the results for what happens when you search for “drug treatments diabetes” to give it a whirl.

Seen any other good articles or resources? Be sure to keep the sharing going by leaving it for others.

Last month, more than 100 academics from around the globe descended upon New York City at Edelman’s fourth annual New Media Academic Summit, hosted by New York University and Syracuse University. In case you weren’t able to make it, the panels and insights are posted on the website and definitely worth checking out.

Between the panels featuring industry leaders, I participated on a panel of new professionals. Our discussion focused on what the industry is like for new professionals and how much our education prepared us for this field. Here are some of the highlights:

New methods of research

More than just new spaces for brands to execute campaigns, the new digital landscape also offers more opportunities for research and analysis of trends, conversations and opportunities. This requires more than an Excel spreadsheet. Being able to compile this data and translating this into actionable business objectives requires a refreshed research education.

Walk the walk, talk the talk

Playing on Facebook and posting on Twitter doesn’t make you a social media expert. It’s important to understand how brands are walking the walk and talking the talk online. New professionals can get this experience by not only witnessing how brands engage their stakeholders online, but by participating in this process. Some of the ways this can be done include blogging on a topic you’re passionate about, interacting with brands on Twitter and immersing yourself in online communities.

Curiosity and creativity

More than ever, the new generation of public relations professionals need to be curious about the landscape and needs to bring a strong creative background when counseling a client. As new tools and platforms rise to popularity fairly often, a sense curiosity about this landscape will drive innovation. In terms of creativity, this skill can be taught – and learned – with time and effort. You might have heard that even though PR entries were up around 30 percent at Cannes Lions, there were few PR winners, and to top it off, an ad agency won the top PR prize. I’m not here to compare the levels of creativity between advertising and public relations, but it’s important for new professionals to develop a creative sense.

The old skills are important, too

My fellow panelists also spoke to the importance of the “old skills”: a strong, journalistic writing background; business acumen to apply public relations efforts with measurable effects on the business; and a deep academic background in social sciences, marketing and finance.

My name is Albert and I paint on the train. I carry my brushes, canvas, colors, and all the paintings I’ve recently done. All in the palm of my hand. When I get to my stop I pack up and head out. There’s no easel, no sketchbook, no brushes or hassle. Just my finger, my phone, and the satisfaction of turning a basic sketch into a full-blown painting in the time it takes me to get from Grand Central to my stop.

I still carry a sketchbook around but it’s more out of habit than anything else. Now, when I’m on the move and an idea strikes, my first impulse is to grab my phone. Not my pencil. It has even worked its way into a few saves-the-day scenarios and, as a result, has become a major part of my Edelman career gear.

A few months back I was on a tight deadline and needed to come up with a couple of concepts for a client presentation by the morning. I headed home without ideas and nothing came to mind on my commute home or the rest of the night. The next morning on my train ride in with the clock counting down, my brain wakes up. Out comes the phone and I start working. By the time I hit my stop I’ve got two concepts.

My Creative Director loved the sketches so I exported them to my gallery and emailed them out to the team. They got dropped into the presentation, were sent off to the client. About a month later and after getting things tightened up the resulting ad was run in SPIN with several ads on SPIN.com as well.

This process has become part of my every day now. The ability to work and play anywhere and everywhere with ideas can’t be matched. Sorry, sketchbook, but I think our days are numbered.

The Middle East is always a hot media topic across the world but, for the most up-to date news and reliable sources, UAE’s Digital Account Manager, Wissam Akily has this week’s Friday Five. So if you want to know what’s going on in the Middle East, these five portals are your go-to sites.

UAE INTERACT

UAE INTERACT, the official web site of the UAE National Media Council, is one of the broadest sources of information in the country.

The website presents a rich collection of information about the UAE along with over 40,000 archived news stories. English, Arabic, French, German, Russian, Chinese, Portuguese, Korean, Italian and Japanese are just some of the language options available on the site.

The National

As the most recent English-language daily broadsheet to launch in the UAE The National has been a welcome addition to the media scene with its clear-cut reporting and in-depth analysis.

It offers unrivalled news, business, sports and arts coverage from the Middle East and around the world. The website presents its visitors with rich content, an array of services and variety of interactive elements.

TimeOut

TimeOut Abu Dhabi and TimeOut Dubai give residents with an all-encompassing digital handbook for the UAE’S social scene. The websites are expertly compiled and frequently updated by editorial staff with content covering all aspects of daily life in the UAE’s two largest emirates.

These complete city guides also act as a fantastic resource for tourists, featuring arts & culture events’ calendars, restaurant reviews, hotel listings, nightlife and club recommendations along with local guidelines.

MEMRI

The Middle East Media Research Institute, or MEMRI explores the Middle East through the region’s media. MEMRI bridges the language gap that exists between the West and the Middle East, providing timely translations of Arabic, Persian, Urdu-Pashtu, and Turkish media, as well as original analysis of political, ideological, intellectual, social, cultural, and religious trends in the Middle East.

MEMRI’s blog and RSS has proven to be extremely popular.

AME & zawya

AME info & zawya offer the most comprehensive and reliable guide to Middle East business and industry news and breaking stories. It is an indispensable research tool for all professionals across all industries.

AME info provides continuous business and news updates from across the region along with events coverage, reports and in-depth analysis.

Meanwhile zawya is the Middle East’s fully-encompassing business portal offering business and investment news along with real estate, construction, financial and oil & gas market opportunities.

Image credit: cavalierelatino

Originally posted on PRNewser by Joe Ciarallo.

Edelman CEO Richard Edelman is a relatively new user of Twitter, so we reached out to him to conduct PRNewser’s first ever Twitter interview, which took place this morning.

When asked in the interview if there have been any serious offers to buy Edelman this year, the CEO responded, “The big holding companies know our story–the Pirate King–independent now and forever.”

Edelman also said that “social engagement” is a big factor for the agency when looking at potential new hires. “Beyond Facebook and Twitter too,” he said. “[We want them to have involvement in community by donating time and PR expertise.”

If you don’t know who Brian Solis is, perhaps you should take a closer look. Brian is one of the veterans of the communications space who has pushed the PR industry into new territory as an early adopter who fully embraced Web 2.0 and the changes it has brought. You may have seen Brian’s thinking in a slideshow near you—his Conversation Prism is ubiquitous social media frameworks. He’s also written a new book simply titled “Engage” which lays out in depth how organizations can better engage with multiple stakeholders in an era where participation rules and one way communication proves less effective. We recently had a moment to catch up with Brian in a casual setting where we discussed a variety of topics from metrics, to Old Spice to managing change brought upon by social technologies.

Enjoy.

Image credit: Brian Solis

Derek Sivers: How to Start a Movement

With help from footage from Pemberton Music Festival in BC, Derek Sivers explains how movements really get started. (Hint: it takes two). We talk a lot about influencer engagement but to make a movement, the first followers are as important as the influencer.

Six Steps For Dealing With Detractors

Dealing with detractors is perhaps one of the biggest pain points for companies just starting and even well entrenched in social media marketing. Jason Falls points to Forrester’s classification of detractors and offers some advice.

The Real Life Social Network

On Facebook everyone gets lumped into one big bucket called your friends. In real life, you have multiple independent groups of friends that form around life stages (school friends, work friends, camp friends, neighbourhood friends, hockey friends). Furthermore, within each group you have strong ties, weak ties, and temporary ties).

Word of Mouth and Social Media: A Tale of Two Burger Joints

Sobleman’s has been a staple in Milwaukee for the last 12 years building a steady customer base through word-of-mouth. AJ Bombers also built it’s brand through word-of-mouth, but in a considerably shorter time. Social media was the accelerator. And AJ’s owner doesn’t measure ROI. “This is a restaurant built by social media. This is the only way we know it. We can’t say what it would be like without it.”