Social Media

Facebook's recently announced beta of its new Graph Search resulted in the sorts of stories and headlines one has come to expect from a company whose every move is subject to media dissection. Some were skeptical about the value of the feature, especially its built-in restrictions: leveraging Facebo...

So now we know why Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg have been so busy recruiting former Google big brains: They coveted their mastery of algorithms, their sure-footedness in navigating mountains of Web-based data. The result? Facebook Graph Search, announced Tuesday by Zuckerberg. Those who were quick ...

When asked why he robbed banks, Willie Sutton famously replied "because that's where the money is." Many e-commerce businesses adopt Willie's strategy by focusing their marketing efforts where all the people are. That may work for robbery, but it's a poor strategy for e-commerce. Instead, adopt an ...

The U.S. mobile advertising outlook is a bit rosier, according to eMarketer's latest forecast. Native display ads running on sites such as Facebook and Twitter are leading the charge for the mobile channel. Overall spending on U.S. mobile advertising -- which includes display, search and messaging-b...

Facebook plans to launch video advertising that will autoplay in users' news feeds some time next year, but it's not yet clear whether they'll be more like silent movies or talkies. Advertisers reportedly will have the chance to buy targeted video ads in the first part of next year. The ads will be ...

Those delectable M&M's characters seen in commercials are making their way to the iPhone. An advergame app titled "M&M's Brand Chocolate Factory" recently became available on iTunes for $0.99. While many M&M's commercials involve the six characters in social situations trying to avoid be...

Those delectable M&M's characters seen in commercials are making their way to the iPhone. An advergame app titled "M&M's Brand Chocolate Factory" recently became available on iTunes for $0.99. While many M&M's commercials involve the six characters in social situations trying to avoid be...

'Tis the season of giving and on Tuesday Facebook made it easier to give, as it added collections of wines to its Facebook Gifts catalog and made the program available for everyone in the United States. For some Facebook members, the season of giving started early, with the social network giant's Se...

When the first banner ads came out in the 1990s, they attracted lots of attention -- and lots of click-throughs. Since then, though, their effectiveness has plummeted, forcing businesses to think creatively about the future of online advertising. This future is likely to include a mix of social medi...

A U.S. district judge has given preliminary approval to Facebook's attempt to settle a class action lawsuit alleging the company violated members' privacy rights by using their images in Facebook's Sponsored Stories ad format. The settlement would give $10 each to those who objected to their images ...

In just a few short years, social networks have become deeply entrenched as a means for consumers and businesses to connect online. Consumers spend more time on social networks than on any other category of sites, according to the latest social media report from NM Incite/Nielsen. That amounts to ro...

The relationship between Facebook and Zynga got even more complicated this week as the pair agreed to new partnership terms that free both from constraints under the prior deal. Zynga's stock took a hit because the new deal allows Facebook to develop its own games. The success of each company has lo...

A Like on Facebook goes a long way. Seventy percent of consumers who engage in social media make purchases from brands they are connected to, according to a new study released by SocialVibe. Connections form when a consumer clicks Like on Facebook, Follows a brand on Twitter or interacts with a bran...

Social media advertising revenues will double by 2016, and native ads -- such as sponsored stories on Facebook and promoted tweets on Twitter -- will be its fastest-growing segment, according to a forecast from BIA/Kelsey. The channel will grow from $4.6 billion in 2012 to $9.2 billion in 2016, pred...

Cyber Monday online sales broke records this year, clocking in at 30 percent higher than 2011, according to IBM Smarter Commerce. Sales are expected to reach $1.5 billion for the day, making Cyber Monday 2012 the biggest online shopping day in history, comScore projects. Including high online sales ...