Why is Facebook not sending notifications about important changes on the network?

The newly introduced changes in the way we can use Facebook for promotions and competitions have been introduced fairly quietly, so I keep on coming across many posts (on and outside of Facebook) still encouraging readers to like pages to take part in promotion or to use "iLike' button to decide upon competition winners. I was checking iTunes fan page since last week and looks like their promotional tab is gone now, but I am not sure if it's due to the fact the admins have learned about the new rules, or simply finished the promotion? Ah, no, hold on, since I looked at it last time they have posted a new promotion! Here you go:

In order to take part in the promotion you HAVE to be a fan of this page, which is a breach of Facebook terms and conditions now. How many people do know about the change though? If you are not a social media marketer but a fan page admin you will probably not hear/read/learn about it. That really annoys me! It would be fairly easy to send an update to all service users or fan page admins, no? By running promotions outside of Faceook apps at the moment and staying ignorant to new rules you are risking that your page will be taken down. (Interesting, would Facebook take off the app store's page?).

I personally somewhat agree with the move. I know, many of my readers will disagree. I just do not like to be forced into being a fan of the page, no matter what the reward is - unless we are talking about relevant and interesting content. I still think the new rules should be introduced all over the network. I start to have a feeling we could do with one central official Facebook blog;)

Do you play games? - impressions around FarmVille on Facebook

FarmVille is a game available in free version to any Facebook user, but accessible also on its own website. Basically it allows its users to plant plants, buy and keep animals, as well as decorations and buildings. It allows users to add neighbours and visit their farms to help them out, as well as leave them a message. Additional form of socialising, and obviously attracting users to the game itself is a feature of presents. Gradually, as you gain enough of experience to move to the next level, you gain more options - seems like a classical game, right?

What I found interesting is how Zynga, company behind the game, smoothly manages to engage Facebook users in the free version of the game attracting them with simple, fun and sociable options and how gradually temps them with more advanced,paid ones. After few weeks of playing it, I experienced another upgrade - some of the items were available to send as presents only from the FarmVille site, not Facebook. A very smart way to take your Facebook based audience to your own venue! Very smart!

I personally have been very attracted by the game after hearing that gaming might become of of the leading on-line trends in recession times, providing cheaper option of entertainment. And well, I had my ups and downs. Initially it was fun, but I considered it a testing period. I came across ethical concern related to my FarmVille updates - one of my Facebook relationships mentioned that my updates from the game are annoying him and warned me that this might affect our on-line friendship.It was actually interesting to see that one person found my stream annoying, but did not want to block the updates from the game (very easy option) and made me think about the subjectivity of ethics in social media for quite a while afterwards.

After few weeks and reaching 25th level I realised I cannot be bothered with all the 'work' (read 'clicking'). That is when new options stepped in, as well as Christmas period started.And we got presents:)

So I moved my deadline to finish using the game, and even found it rather cheap to upgrade it a bit. However I started receiving the message about a unique opportunity to pay less for the FarmVille money, but this lasting only for few minutes. Do not get me wrong, it's probably well working approach, but messages like this one make me mad:) So I stopped playing for a while, simplified my farm (grass for horses instead of hard work with seeds, flowers and coffee:P), visited it less often. Christmas was fun, but I could hardly wait to get over it, started thinking of the post about the game rather than enjoying it really. I think this is the moment which spoiled it for me. And I am still around testing next tactics of what is being proposed within the game, but I think I will not stay there for long. It's a simple game, well build, nice to look at, but I do not want to pay for it. But I had a lot of fun with my friends, oops, sorry, neighbours - and actually met a few new people there, so hey - worth doing simply for networking purposes?

I am still not convinced about payed version though.  I do apologize for ignorance, I really do not play computer games, so it's all rather new to me. Please, let me know - would you pay for more options in this or a similiar game? What would convince you to pay for a game?

GV Post - Poland: Social Network's Logo “Raises Controversy”

The largest Polish social network, Nasza-Klasa ('Our Class' - based around the idea of networking with school peers), appeared in the mainstream media several times last year. In summer 2009 it was featured as #19 on the Techcrunch list of main social networks, valued from $90 up to $553 million pending the measurement metrics. The same summer a resident of Gryfin won a case against Nasza-Klasa [PL] after he found out that someone had set up a fictional profile with his actual photos and personal data. After another court case it has also been legally bonded [PL] to ensure that users do not upload photos without appropriate license. When the social network was celebrating its third birthday in November 2009, questions were also raised [PL] about censorship and moderation of its user accounts. The growing scepticism towards the network became apparent when offices, ministries and the police banned their employees from using the website [PL], which is said to have been useful in crime investigations in the past. Statistics published today [PL] related to the usage of social networks in Poland show the increasing popularity of Facebook as opposed to Nasza-Klasa.

Nasza-Klasa logo today

Yesterday, Gazeta.pl daily news portal posted a short article [PL] informing its readers about a discussion of their portal's users around Nasza-Klasa logo, with gradually disappearing characters. This redesign, conducted during the last few days, was positioned as potentially an attempt of network administrators to allude to the recent theft of the sign from Auschwitz Nazi death camp museum. Gazeta.pl in their article clearly stated quoting of their readers and added that Nasza-Klasa has denied any connection to the recent case, however the article itself raised serious questions about foolishness of those speculations and the fact they were published in the mainstream media.

User glupie polaczki states [PL] today:

They should close down this anti-Semitic portal

Supported by opinion [PL] of another user, fqw:

It's gone now. How can they mock in such an anti-Semitic way!? how…I ask you…?

Others criticize the article itself. Ols85 mentions [PL]:

ONLY HERE - Gazeta.pl editors are all excited. Pulitzer guaranteed, I think…

SOber states [PL]:

It's always the best move to add on to something ideology, and afterwards strongly believe in it.

The majority of voices mocks the content of the article referring to more rational reason of the logo change - re-branding. Titus explains [PL]:

Honestly, it requires a great deal of bad will and inner need to seek conspiracy to associate the fact of “renovation” on nk with the theft of the sign… It was apparent from the beginning that it was a simple attempt to change the logo pictured in a funny and interesting way.

User autor autor sums up those comments saying [PL]:

This information is a final proof that Poles are functionally illiterate people. They cannot comprehend what is being said to them in media programmes, and they cannot grasp a simple message “we are changing our logo”, displayed in a nice way.

Local social media specialist, Socjalistka, dug out two links [PL] to announcements that Nasza-Klasa had acquired nk.pl domain, which supports the version of re-branding.

This post has been originally written for and posted at Global Voices Online, here.

The New Community Rules: Marketing on the Social Web by Tamar Weinberg

Tamar Weinberg is best known from her contributions to Mashable and her post 'The Ultimate Social Media Etiquette Handbook', but recently her book 'The New Community Rules: Marketing on the Social Web' becomes equally popular.It is basically a student book for everyone interested in how social media works for marketing purposes and personally I think it should be a mandatory course tought at every single marketing school. From the introduction to social media and settign up goals and strategy, she is guiding us through major types of media - blogs, microblogs, social networks, social bookmarking, news sites, touches upon types of content (photo, video, audio) to finalise the process of understanding on-line marketing with coherent approach and ethics of it. Perfectly structured book full of practical advice and interesting additional reading coming from the best source! I strongly advice everyone already working in social media marketing or intending to do so to read it and keep it on their shelf! It's one of those books you read once and come back to it many, many times!

I am so happy Tamar decided to put it all on paper and share with us! Thank you!:)

Trending hashtags, spam, brand transparency and Twitter ethics - a big no-no!

I am so pissed off!

It's Monday, I am grumpy. It's sunny and I am stuck in the office. It's lunchtime, and I have no time for eating.

But mainly: it's not good news about Air France gone missing.

It's good news to see Twitter reacting though.

And here comes the stupid spamming idea, which I so, so dislike! Why, why on earth do we have people using potential tradegy for spamming purposes? I just cannot comprehend, it does not fit into my system that someone can be so cheeky...

More experienced Twitter users realise it's a spam, but would each and every one of Twitterati do so?

So what do you think? What do you think about spammers and companies using trending hashtags on Twitter and in other platform for their own purposes - be it spam or simple brand management?

And yes, Andy, you are right. There is something wrong with the system and something needs to be done. I think there is a bunch of developpers outthere who could build an automated tool (maybe using semantic web, I mean we have seen what Google Wave spell checker can do, right?) in reaction to this, annoyingly always reappearing trend itself:/ I am convinced there always will be a need for human factor in similiar cases, but is Twitter working on it?

Thoughts?

(I need a coffee to calm down. #coffeetalk)