Facebook Update: Changes to Fan Pages on the Horizon

In October, Facebook announced that updates to the platform would be rolled out later in 2009 and early 2010. These updates are approaching quickly and developers are still receiving clarity on the enhancements.

Check out our quick list reviewing some of the top changes coming from Facebook and their impact:

• Boxes and Boxes tab will no longer be a feature as of late 2009/early 2010. All content will be created via the Facebook feature called an “application.” MS&L has the capability to create applications using this tool. According to Facebook, this area will change for the better to highlight the application’s brand. These application tabs can be intricate; think of them as mini Web sites within the Facebook walls. Here is an example from Facebook/JCrew.
• Tabs located on every Facebook fan page will be reducing in size (from 760 pixels to 520 pixels wide).
• News feed will not feature all updated content on pages. Facebook changed its algorithm so that only relevant content and multiple interactions will appear on fans’ streams. Interaction among fans is essential to having brand pages’ messages appear in users’ streams. It’s important to optimize content to increase engagement among fans before posting.
• Web pages will become a fan page. Facebook’s Open Graph will eventually allow users to “fan” more than brands. They can also “fan” products, SKUs, and more.
• The user-to-user notification feature is going away. Fan pages will connect with fans by use of stream, Inbox, and Email. Facebook pages will have the ability to send direct Facebook messages to fans and obtain their e-mail addresses.

These changes are extensive, but the Ann Arbor digital team is applying best practices to ensure that when the changes are rolled out, the fan pages are structured appropriately. If you have a question about a fan page, please reach out to Todd Yerman for more information.

Read the official news from Facebook’s Developer Roadmap.

— Nichole Mrasek, Account Supervisor

Digital Immersion Day Overview – From a NY Perspective

On December 3, digital leaders from New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and San Francisco were invited to Ann Arbor for a day of digital immersion. I was anxious to meet other digital folks in the network, but having been in the practice for over a year, I didn’t think that I had much to learn about MS&L’s digital capabilities. Boy, was I wrong.

The bright minds in Ann Arbor are changing things up in digital. Here are few things that stood out:

• New Project Management Structure is coming next year with a greater focus on client service.
• There’s an SEO specialist, Kai Blum, who is on staff to help us optimize our work for search engines.
• Multiloguer 2.0 is coming in Q1.

With the 4C’s (Conversation, Community, Content, Conversion) leading the way, there’s much more to come out of Ann Arbor. Stay tuned. I know I am!

— Emily Melton Johnston, MS&L Digital New York

The Home Depot asks, 'What's your DIY-Q?'

Are you part of the do-it-yourself dream team? Do you consider your tool shed your toy box? Or are you just a home improver at heart with an awareness of your limitations when it comes to leaky faucets and landscaping? See how you stack up in The Home Depot’s DIY-Q quiz.

Developed by The Home Depot Atlanta team, with the help of MS&L Ann Arbor, the application is designed to promote The Home Depot gift cards this holiday season. Please take a minute to take the quiz at www.facebook.com/homedepot to find out if you’re a Budding DIYer, a Hero with a Hammer, or the next member of the Home Improvement Hall of Fame.

— Mandy Hunsicker, Atlanta Consumer Practice

Facebook Disconnect

Many Facebook users received e-mails from the company earlier this month disclosing the details of a class-action lawsuit settlement involving the now-defunct Facebook Beacon.

Beacon, the predecessor to Facebook Connect, posted a user’s activity on third-party sites to their profile. A class-action suit was filed against Facebook in August 2008, claiming the system and its partnership with sites like Blockbuster and Fandango violated online privacy laws.

Facebook has since terminated the program, and announced in its e-mail that instead of allowing individual claimants to file for personal compensation, they will use the $9.5 million settlement to establish a non-profit organization “that will identify and fund projects and initiatives that promote the cause of online privacy, safety, and security.”

Read more on this settlement from Mashable.

— Lyndsay Kapurch, Assistant Account Executive

Febreze Fan Page Gets Fresh with the NFL and Facebook

MS&L’s New York team worked with Febreze to help launch the company’s Facebook fan page. Facebook.com/febreze is the first official Febreze Facebook page designed to celebrate the launch of the Febreze and NFL partnership to bring fans and moms a game plan for freshening their home all season long.

As more brands are leveraging Facebook as a social media tactic to engage loyalists and consumers, the MS&L New York team is making the fan page the destination to reach NFL fans and moms. The page serves as a destination for consumers to access special game plans for freshness throughout the football season, compliments of Febreze and its roster of exciting experts, including spokesperson Olivia Manning, and Peyton and Eli Manning’s mom, as well as official league equipment managers who are well-versed on the need to freshen those NFL locker rooms.

So, whether you are seeking tips to get game-day ready or hoping for a chance to win Febreze products to freshen up your high schooler's athletic gear, check us out. MS&L is hosting and updating fun, dynamic content all season long to engage football fanatics and busy moms alike.

Check out Facebook.com/febreze to see the page in action!

- Meghan McGurkin, New York Consumer Practice

Yes, I Yam: Yam of the Week

This week’s Yam goes to Senior Account Executive Eva Fowler from Washington, D.C. Eva yammed a fantastic example of St. Vincent’s Medical Center using YouTube to help raise awareness about breast cancer. The medical center became one of the first hospitals to master the viral video. It’s great to see social media being utilized in ways that many would never associate with the healthcare industry.

Seven Facebook Changes Brands Need to Know

View iMediaConnection’s Top Seven list of Facebook platform changes you should be aware of for your client. Get the latest news on receiving e-mail on your brand pages and how to maximize page updates.

MediaPost asks: “Facebook Pages are Changing: Are you Ready?”

Read more details on the pending fan page updates here.

The ROI of Twitter

It could be the bane of social media marketing's existence. Do social media applications have any ROI value? Some companies, such as Dell, are attributing millions of dollars of revenue to tweets. The company boasts of making $6.5 million in just two years’ time through "direct customer interactions." Read more from Bloomberg.

The Google Goggles and More

Last week at the Computer History Museum, Google's Vice President Vic Gundotra demonstrated some of the company's latest geeky (but fabulous) gadgets. These include both voice and virtual search additions, a suggestion service tailored to your current location and so much more. Read about the goodies here.

Please send any feedback to Nichole Mrasek, Eden Litt or Chris Poterala.