Google Launches Long-Awaited E-Bookstore Google has launched its long-awaited e-bookstore, Google E-books, bringing more than 3 million books — many of them free — to any device with a web browser in the U.S. The initiative, previously known as Google Editions, offers an alternative sales model from the dominant players in the space, such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Apple. Instead of purchasing e-books through a single online store to read only on compatible software (i.e. books bought from the Kindle Store can only be read on Kindle apps), Google lets consumers buy books either from its store or any other online vendor that sells books in EPUB and PDF formats, and read them on any device with a web browser. This allows independent booksellers with loyal customer bases to advertise and sell Google e-books via their own venues and take an (as of yet undisclosed) cut of the revenue, an opportunity previously denied to them. iPhone Gallery Android Gallery iPad Gallery Image courtesy of Flickr, AZ Adam
5 Lessons Celebrities Can Teach Us About Facebook Pages Dan Schawbel is the bestselling author of Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success (Kaplan, April 09), and owner of the award winning Personal Branding Blog. Celebrities have officially taken over social networks and are using them to connect with fans and promote their movies, albums and other products. The recent redesign of Facebook Pages has presented celebrities with a great opportunity to engage their fan base and amass hundreds of thousands, if not millions of fans. While it seems very few big name celebrities are actually using Facebook as a tool to build their own brands and gather their large followings, there are a few who are actively networking on their Pages. Here are 5 lessons we can learn from them. 1. Vin Diesel: As Adam Ostrow points out, with now over 7 million fans Vin Diesel is the most aggressive and authentic celebrity on Facebook. What we can learn: Be authentic and start conversations instead of just pushing promotional material. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Facebook Shares Tips and Case Studies for Brand Marketers With its recent redesign and a slew of new features, Facebook has been moving to make Pages a focal point of the site. Personally, I recently described these changes as “the business model that moves [the company] from a successful social network to a highly profitable business.” Thus, it’s not surprising that Facebook is starting to do more to reach out to brands that might benefit from using revamped Pages. The latest example is (fittingly) a Facebook Page that the company has setup to promote “Facebook Marketing Solutions,” complete with case studies from a number of large brands using the tool, tips and how-tos, and discussion with marketers.The brands that Facebook is featuring include household names like Adobe, Lionsgate, and Ben & Jerry’s, but there are still some useful tidbits for those with slightly smaller budgets. It lets visitors to Ben & Jerry’s website select their favorite flavor and share it on Facebook.
ISBN 101 For Self-Publishers One of the parts of book publishing that seems to confound newcomers to the field is the purpose and use of the International Standard Book Number (ISBN). Usually the ISBN appears to be the same thing as the ubiquitous Bookland EAN scannable barcode that graces the back covers of almost all books printed today. Not only that, but since the rise of companies that perform publishing services for authors, there has been even more confusion about whether you need to own your own ISBN, whether free ISBNs from these companies are “just as good” as getting your own ISBN, and if it’s a good idea to buy ISBNs from re-sellers who offer lower prices for a single number. Let’s review the basics of this unique identifier and explain what is so important about it, how it benefits self-publishers, and when you can safely forget about it. Created to Solve Real-World Problems ISBN was created as a stock-keeping identifier. It was created to solve a real-world problem, and it worked well. Resources
HOW TO: Create Branded Promotions on Facebook [500 FREE Invites] You cannot expect your brand to gain traction in social media by simply setting up a blog or a Facebook page. You have engage your audience by participating in the conversation, providing value, and reaching out to potential customers. On Facebook, this is especially true - a good campaign push can take your brand a long way. With that in mind, Wildfire has created a web tool and Facebook application that can do just that. Building a sweepstakes Wildfire campaigns just require entering basic information - when does the promotion start, how long does it run for, the name of the campaign, and the prizes. The customization features are impressive. Worth the price? Wildfire's services do not come free - the standard campaign costs about $0.99 to $2.99 each day the contest runs. So is it worth the price? Invites to Wildfire Wildfire is currently in beta and invite-only, but that doesn't mean you can't try out Wildfire and make your own judgment on this new tool.
Facebook starts localising content on brand fan pages | Media | What more can Facebook do to expand the fan pages on its site to appeal to more brands and advertisers? Adidas Originals thinks the answer is more localisation of the campaigns and e-commerce links, and has introduced a new tab to its fan page that tailors content according to the location of the Facebook user. Tailoring ads to location is nothing new for Facebook of course, but fan pages are designed to be more engaging than display ads and will be far more relevant to users if the content is region specific. Localisation is pretty modest at this stage and is more national than local, with 13 localised versions for countries including the US, UK, France, Italy, Japan and South Africa. For Adidas, Facebook fan pages are a combination of e-commerce and marketing, though the priority is not necessarily a direct revenue stream at this stage, said a spokesman. Is it more important for Facebook to innovate during a recession – to try to keep its advertisers?
Pump Up Your Book! Why You May Not Be Able to Claim Your Facebook Page Username Com Update: All Pages, regardless of fan count, will be able to register names later this month. See here for details. Warning: before you get too excited about claiming a username for your Facebook Page, you better read the fine print. Yesterday we reported that Facebook will launch vanity URLs for all on June 13th at 12:01am EDT. And even though there may be some question as to whether usernames are a good or bad thing, we know there's bound to be mad dash to grab these vanity URLs. The Issue A quick check of the FAQs for Facebook Usernames reveals that claiming your Page username is a little bit more complicated than just having a Page prior to the May 31 cut off date. That's no small feat for many brand names, let alone startups and smaller businesses. Sure, we understand Facebook's desire to thwart squatters, and Facebook's eligibility requirements explain that the "decision was made to prevent people from creating new accounts just to take advantage of reserving a username." What's Next?
A day of Facebookery « Digital PRescriptions I’ve been skilling up my Facebook Fan Page prowess today and thought I would share a few things before shutting down for the day. First off is the Facebook Fan Page directory which can be found here. As you might expect, you can break down the list of Fan Pages by type of page (e.g. products, TV shows, celebrities, etc.) as well as search them by keyword. Old news? But I often fiddle and search until I find what I’m looking for on Facebook so it’s good to remember that Fan Pages can all be found in one handy place. When you arrive at the page you are greeted by the most popular fan page by number of fans. Michael Jackson – 10,207,298 fansBarack Obama – 6,689,609 supportersVin Diesel – 6,146,520 fansFacebook – 5,022,715 fansR.I.P Michael Jackson (We Miss You) – 4,667,851 fansPizza – 4,582,169 fanWill Smith – 4,428,324 fansI need a vacation!!! I get Obama and the double Michael Jackson entry. I thought I was Rickrolled. I no longer have any connection to this world. Brands Face Book Blogs:
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New Facebook Pages: A Guide for Social Media Marketers This post is co-authored by Curtis Hougland and Kristen Vang of Attention. As more and more marketers use Facebook as a key conduit for brands online, it is important to note some of the new changes to their Business Pages. Following last fall’s overall redesign, these pages will now migrate to the same Wall and tabs design that personal profiles have used. You can explore the new format and follow Mashable on Facebook at Mashable's Facebook page. Following is a rundown of what you need to know: What’s Changing In the redesign, Pages will change from a “box-oriented” design to a “Wall and tabs” design; they will closely mirror the current structure of Personal Profiles. 1. 2. 3. 4. What’s Not Changing Although the structure and design will differ, Business Pages will maintain the same core functionality as before - the ability to share photos, videos, text, applications and custom content. Opportunities 1. 2. 3. 4. Challenges 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. More business resources from Mashable:
eleen :: good stuff * hand made: Add custom tabs to your Faceboo
mashable article on the difference between facebook pages v/s facbeook groups by kidakaka May 31