Accedo selected as Preferred Developer Consultant for Facebook Platform

Accedo Broadband, the leading provider of app stores and applications for IPTV and Connected TV, recently announced that it has been selected as a Preferred Developer Consultant for Facebook applications.

Facebook launched Facebook Platform in May 2007 to enable developers and entrepreneurs to access the core features of Facebook through a set of powerful APIs. Facebook Platform enables companies and developers to build apps or integrations that can potentially reach an audience of more than 500 million people.

Accedo is working with TV operators, CE manufacturers, TV platforms and media companies to create advanced TV applications, which integrate with Facebook. Applications are both stand-alone apps and integrated apps with contextual functionality and are compliant with all major IPTV middlewares and Connected TV solutions.

Accedo Broadband Selected by LG Electronics to keep Facebook and Twitter users connected

Accedo Broadband, the leading provider of Connected TV applications, has announced that LG Electronics selected Accedo to develop Facebook and Twitter applications for LG Smart TVs.

Facebook and Twitter for LG Smart TV are now available in over 100 countries and 30 languages on 2010 and 2011 LG Smart TVs. Facebook users can see the latest updates, photos and videos from their friends. Twitter followers can see the latest tweets and send their own updates via the onscreen keyboard.

Verizon Launches Room To Learn Website

Verizon has launched its new Room to Learn social media website to help customers get full value from their digital lifestyle and the connectivity that allows them to access their digital content anywhere, anytime. As digital entertainment and connected applications continue to generate excitement for consumers, more and more of them are looking for answers about today's enabling technologies.

The Room to Learn interactive site has been developed in conjunction with Powered, a leading social media agency that is based in Austin, Texas, and that is working with the Verizon Community, the company's online hub for customer forums, blogs and idea exchange.

Room to Learn will initially focus on popular home-entertainment and home-networking topics that include introductions to digital entertainment, wireless networking, making sense of 3D TV, and organizing and backing up digital media collections. The site includes helpful tools such as online workshops, how-to articles, videos, shopping guides and check lists.

To read more please click here.

Industry-First Integration of Mobile Promotions With Facebook and Twitter

Mozes, the leader in mobile engagement, announced the industry-first integration of mobile promotions and social media. Marketers can now easily create mobile campaigns, like sweepstakes, that will spread virally using the new integrated social media features of Mozes Connect.

Fans can also participate in a variety of other exciting mobile promotions granting them VIP fan access to meet Grammy-award winning stars, attend amazing shows all over the country, and even get signed memorabilia.

Marketers can boost participation rates and encourage sharing of their mobile campaigns by logging in to the Mozes Connect platform and entering their Facebook and Twitter credentials to post customized messages to their pages. Marketers can also increase participation in their campaigns by promoting them to an existing mobile fan list, as well as through the Mozes iPhone application. You can download the free Mozes application for the iPhone or iPod touch here.

For the full press release, click here.

Rallycast Debuts as the First On-Screen HDTV Social Experience

Service Integrates Fantasy Sports from ESPN, CBS and Yahoo, Text Messaging & Facebook Status Updates on Internet-Connected HDTVs

Rallypoint, a leading software developer for Internet-connected HDTVs, launched Rallycast Fantasy Sports, the ultimate fantasy sports and social networking experience for Internet-connected high-definition televisions. Rallypoint also announced a new partnership with retail chain Best Buy to distribute Rallycast.

Rallycast’s line of TV Apps allow users to overlay personalized Internet content on their HDTV. Rallycast features a Toolbar menu system where users can access TV Apps for fantasy sports, check sports scores and stats, send text messages and post status updates on Facebook and write on friend’s walls. In the future, the company also plans to offer more TV Apps that feature Web 2.0 content from popular websites, expanded TV show content and home shopping.

Rallycast TV Apps are overlaid within the television program the user is watching, so users never have to change the channel, connect their computer to the TV, or take a laptop into the living room. Users can see multiple TV Apps at the same time.

Rallypoint and Best Buy are committed to educating consumers on the new capabilities of Internet-connected HDTVs and will use the in-store video network to display more information about the Rallycast product line.

NBC utilizes Facebook for "Community" Premiere

NBC's pilot, Community, a smart comedy series will make its premiere on online with Facebook (not NBC.com and not NBC-owned Hulu). If you want a sneak peek at the new sitcom, you have to become a fan of it on Facebook.

According to NewTeeVee, "this is the first network programming premiere that the social network has hosted. Facebook is already exerting itself as a personal video sharing platform — extending that influence into premium content should have the folks at Hulu HQ concerned. Sure Hulu has Facebook Connect, but that’s still one step removed from putting the show right where people are already interacting and sharing what they like. Additionally, with Facebook, as opposed to other sites, the fan additions, comments and reviews are from real people."

Beginning September 17th, Community is about a band of misfits who attend Greendale Community College.

Facebook’s Search Toolbar Gets More Muscle

Facebook is expanding to allow searches for anything on its site, including products, movies, etc. Testing has been taking place over the past couple months and asking users to share their status updates with everyone, not just their confirmed friends.

The improved search feature will help Facebook compete against Twitter over which site can provide the best picture of what people are thinking and doing in real-time. To recap, Facebook acquired the social media tracker FriendFeed, enhancing its ability to let users pull their activity on sites such as YouTube and Flickr onto Facebook.

Facebook acquires FriendFeed

Facebook, the popular social networking website, announced on Monday that it has acquired social aggregator FriendFeed with no financial terms publicized.

Launched in October 2007, FriendFeed was created by four former Google employees. There were responsible for creating gmail and google maps. And, now they will be joining Facebook in senior engineering and product roles.

Among other differences, FriendFeed’s news feed design is in real-time, where users have to manually refresh on Facebook.

FriendFeed cant wait to start on new innovations for Facebook's 250 million global users.

Twitter, Facebook, Google Attacked

On Thursday, August 6th, an online attack silenced Twitter for most of the day; although, full service appeared to be restored by evening. In addition, Facebook and Google fended off similar attacks.

Analysts characterized the disruption as a denial-of-service attack, in which hackers overwhelm a Web site by sending it a deluge of junk requests, and one suggested the attack might have originated in Russia or Georgia.

For the full New York Times article, click here.

Revision3 - Follow up Interview on Social Media

What is your advice to brands who want to participate in the social media (i.e., companies social networking sites, posting comments on third-party blogs, etc)?

My advice to companies wanting to participate in social media is to simply get involved, start today, no matter how small. Sign up for a company twitter account, start a blog (revision3's blog)- whatever. Just get the socialization with your audience/customers rolling in some form or another. You don't need to be an expert or do everything under the sun. Just start with one thing and build from there. Just by having a presence on Facebook or Twitter or having a blog will be a step in the right direction and it will give your customers a place to go to interact with you. Then once you're interacting balance your needs with the needs of your customers. Don't be afraid to ask what your customers want from you. What sites do they use, how do they want to interact with you and then listen and act based on this valuable feedback.

How can the effectiveness of the social media advertising be improved (form the publishers’ perspective)?

Effectiveness of social media can be improved with advances in agreed upon metrics, so that we're working off the same concepts and numbers. Additionally the continued adoption from the general public of the participatory lifestyle that social media provides.

For more information on Revision3, visit http://www.revision3.com/ .

Sony running beta tests of Home Virtual World

While it’s not exactly a world like “World of Warcraft” or Linden Labs’ “Second Life,” Home is the most ambitious push by any console maker into creating a virtual world for gamers. It will live or die on whether it’s simple, fun, and deep enough for gamers who have plenty of other things they want to do — like play games. And the price is right: free for those who have a PS 3.

Read More at The New York Times

Interested in Parks Associates Perspective on Virtual Worlds and Social Media? Read our new white paper.

CONNECTIONS™ Summit at CES to examine business strategies, opportunities for advanced digital solutions

Speaker submissions accepted through September 12

Parks Associates and CEA® announced the session topics for the upcoming CONNECTIONS™ Summit at CES, which will focus on business strategies, opportunities, and challenges for advanced technology, new media, and new access services.

CONNECTIONS™ Summit at CES will address the new business and product opportunities inherent in the increasing connectivity of today’s market.

Session topics include the following:

• Consumer Purchase Habits
• Advanced Video Services
• Digital Home Customer Support
• Social Media
• The GPS Market
• Connected Consumer Electronics
• Digital Photo Frames
• Connected Gaming and Game Consoles
• Digital TV and Set-Top Boxes
• Home Systems and Controls

Parks Associates is currently accepting speaker submissions for CONNECTIONS™ Summit at CES at http://www.parksassociates.com/events/connections/summit/2009/agenda/index.htm . The deadline is September 12, 2008.

In addition, Parks Associates will feature its latest consumer research projects in Booth #25556, South Hall 2 during the CES International event.

The full press release is available at: http://www.parksassociates.com/events/connections/summit/2009/media/pr5.htm