What’s your strategy? Its time to take advantage

Marketing Week
Interest in social media is phenomenal. Little wonder, as millions of people are interacting like never before. And advertisers are eager to be part of this space, whether it’s via brand pages on Facebook, ad-funded blogs or ad-funded music downloads on MySpace. It is labelled as the very being of Web 2.0, with users communicating with each other and discussing poor holiday experiences, sharing music tastes and downloads, or just keeping up with friends’ latest news.

And advertisers are eager to follow them into this space, whether it’s via brand pages on Facebook, sponsored blogs or ad-funded music downloads on MySpace. Over 100,000 brand pages were created in the first 24 hours after Facebook rolled out its Facebook Ads proposition. MySpace, too, has attracted advertisers’ attention, with over 80% of the Fortune 500 running campaigns across the platform.

Yet, earlier this month, at the Monaco Media Forum, Publicis chairman Maurice Levy labelled Microsoft’s $240m (£117m) investment in Facebook as “insane” and cautioned that advertisers’ rush to embrace social media and social networking in particular was reminiscent of the over-inflated economics and expectations that led to the dotcom crash in 2000-01. So not everyone appears convinced this is the future of marketing. There are over 15 million blogs, yet on average each of them is read by only one person and many marketers remain sceptical.

Nonetheless it is here to stay and brands can use social media – in its various forms of chatrooms, forums, blogs, vlogs, photo-sharing sites and, of course, social networks – to their advantage. We look at its strategic fit and how it can affect search results, boost sales, influence brand reputation and, importantly, engage increasingly disparate audiences.

It is time to evaluate where in your strategy social media should sit.

BBC plans social networking site for radio

Brand Republic
The BBC has unveiled plans to launch its own social networking site, bringing together listeners to its 10 national radio stations, in a move described by one of its developers as 'the radio service of tomorrow'.

The project, provisionally named Radio Pop, allows users to instantly access BBC radio stations online, log their favourite programmes and share their listening preferences with friends in their network.

The recommendation facility is similar to that used by music site Last FM, where users share their musical tastes and discover new artists by tapping into other users' preferences.Radio Pop users can bookmark their favourite programmes using the "pop" button and share it with the rest of their network.Users would also have access to a series of graphs showing which stations and shows they listen to the most, and what their friends are tuning in to.

The head of research and development in the BBC's Audio and Music Interactive department, Tristan Ferne, said Radio Pop would work "a bit like a supermarket loyalty card".

He said the project was still at the protoype stage, and the BBC was looking to team up with other broadcasting and technology partners to make it work.

Ferne said: "We've had a really good response to this. I guess this is partly because everyone can see how it is relevant, but also I suspect it's because it appeals to the inner geek in us all."

Whether Radio Pop, or a similar concept, would appeal to the listening public remains to be seen."

The data gathered by the site would also allow the BBC to send targeted promotions to listeners and better analyse their radio listening habits.The BBC -- like the commercial radio sector -- is currently reliant on quarterly radio listening figures from industry measurement body Rajar, a diary-based system which has frequently come under fire.

Radio Pop would give the BBC instant access to data detailing which programmes are popular and how listeners use word-of-mouth to recommend radio content to others.

The site is currently being tested by 90 people in the BBC -- and it is hoped the final product will become integrated with the BBC Radio Player.
Ferne said individual listening data would be made public by default, although users could opt to keep some of their information private.

The project follows the launch earlier this year of the BBC's Facebook application for radio, which Ferne said had been downloaded by 8,000 people.

Facebook forced to change advertising policy after mass protest

Brand Republic
Facebook has been forced to alter the way it runs its advertising on the site after more than 50,000 users protested against the social networking site releasing information on their internet activities without permission.

Since Facebook introduced the new Beacon ad system earlier this month, more than 50,000 Facebook members had signed a petition objecting to the programme, which sends messages to users' friends about what they are buying on various websites, including eBay.com and Blockbuster.

Late yesterday Facebook made an important change, saying that it would not send messages about users' internet activities without getting explicit approval each time.

The company said in a statement: "We appreciate feedback from all Facebook users and made some changes to Beacon in the past day. Users now have more control over the stories that get published to their mini feed and potentially to their friends' news feeds."

Users now have to proactively consent to Facebook posting their actions onto their news feeds by clicking an "OK" button, which pops up once a consumer makes a purchase on participating websites.

If the user does not act, the notification will go away until a future Beacon pop-up appears -- it will contain all older, unapproved notifications as well as the new one.

Facebook has also expanded the user help section that deals with Beacon, and links to it on every pop-up notification for the programme.

The release said: "We recognize that users need to clearly understand Beacon before they first have a story published, and we will continue to refine this approach to give users choice."
Political group MoveOn.org started the anti-Beacon petition on November 20, complaining the Beacon system was an intrusion of privacy. As of last night more than 50,000 Facebook users had signed it.

There is still no way to universally opt out of participation in the Beacon program. MoveOn.org said it would be tracking the effects of the latest changes before deciding if it would still push for a universal opt-out.

Science Museum unveils mobile portal

Precision Marketing
The London Science Museum has created a mobile Internet website to reach out to a younger audience.

The site is designed to act as a ‘museum in your pocket’ by allowing mobile users to interact with the museum through their mobile handsets. Users can access the mobile portal by texting ‘SM’ to the shortcode 80876. They are then sent a WAP push text message which will take them straight to the mobile portal.

Features of the site include a range of engaging games, video downloads, and bite-sized facts from the Science Museum’s best-selling book Why Is Snot Green?

The data captured as part of this campaign will be used in the future in targeted outbound campaigns. The site was created by mobile media publisher MoMac, using the GoMedia mobile publishing platform.

Science Museum licensing executive Ben Jackson says: “MoMac has created something that visitors can come back to time and again as a valuable reference point.”

Sham Careem, managing director at MoMac UK, says: “More people than ever are using their mobiles to connect to the Internet. Therefore, organisations such as the Science Museum are looking to mobile as an increasingly important channel for communicating with their customers.”

Site puts charities in touch with young people

ThirdSector
TimeBank, the National Volunteering charity, has launched a website that will enable charities and other users to promote their ideas for social change to young people.

The site, www.junction49.co.uk, is aimed at “socially conscious 16 to 25-year-olds” and invites people and organisations to post their ideas for social change to receive feedback from advisers and other users on how to make them a reality.

The site will also include “ready-made opportunities” to take action and connect with like-minded people. Users can create their own profile pages on the site to promote their causes, campaigns, events and opportunities for action.

A Junction49 spokeswoman said the site – which also has backing from T-Mobile and volunteering charity v – would be more than just a “second home for an organisation’s web content”.

“It opens up another world of opportunities because it’s built around a model of discussion and exchange,” she said. “It’s somewhere they can proactively approach a new socially conscious and active audience, and is a vehicle to engage their supporters in a way that existing infrastructure doesn’t perhaps allow. Organisations can tell their stories, share advice, poll users or encounter their weird and wonderful ideas for change.”

Richard Piggin, senior communications officer at Beatbullying, an anti-bullying charity, welcomed the site. “Junction49 has the potential to allow Beatbullying to talk to our existing supporters in a unique way, while reaching out to a new audience,” he said. “The site gives charities a platform to come together and promote their offerings on one site, which will ultimately lead to more young people taking positive action in their communities and the world.”

Networking for charity

The Times
'What makes a good charity app?' is probably not a question that occurred to Canon Milford when he planned the first meeting of the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief, later Oxfam, in 1942.

He would therefore likely be amazed that in the race to become the most progressive and engaged charity in the 21st century, a small icon the size of fingernail and known as an app is the newest territory organisations like his are fighting over.

Charities are desperately trying to tap the power of social networking sites as a way of attracting new members. Alongside building a profile that users of such sites can 'befriend', one option open to them is to develop an 'app': a piece of software which enables those who download it to interact with like-minded souls.

With MySpace this week announcing its new charitable platform, and a slew of charity apps going live on Facebook, it seems an appropriate time to reflect on how charity is embracing web 2.0 - and in turn how web 2.0 is extending its hand to the world's causes.

Impact, MySpace's new UK-based charity platform, takes the same format the site has used for music and video and applies it to charity. The site is awash with videos, links to featured charities, blogs, charity-related news, details of upcoming events, a message board, and an 'I want to get involved' window that lets you enter your postcode and find out about nearby activities.

In short, it's a charity portal that - in addition to supplying bits of media content - largely sends users out to charities' own MySpace profiles, which in turn offer additional features. (Friends of the Earth's profile, which has just under 5,000 friends, gives users the option to make donations, buy FoE-related gifts, install an FoE logo on their profile, and communicate with one another.)
Facebook seems to be used in a different way. Charities can certainly set up basic profiles or groups, which keep those who join them up to date abut the organisation's activities, but increasingly they are employing software firms to write customised applications that users can download, and which enable a greater degree of interactivity.

One of the best is the NSPCC's, which, once installed, appears as a green circle on the left hand side of a user's profile. Linking to the NSPCC Facebook page immediately lets the user see how many others have added the 'app' and how much money has been donated to the causes supported by the site. A neat section called 'Deeds' lists challenges that can be taken on - from donating £2 of your salary a month to getting involved in a local campaign - and shows how many people have committed to each. (Friends can also be invited to take part in a particular 'deed'.)

Save the Children's Facebook app, which is due to go live next week, lets users group together to make donations using a tool called 'social fundraising'. (The most expensive gift - used to build a classroom in Africa - is £625, and comprises 25 donations of £25 each.) The app will also interact with the more address book-like features of Facebook by, for instance, when a friend's birthday is approaching, suggesting that you dedicate a charitable donation on their behalf.

"Charities are realising the enormous power of social networking sites which, when they open their APIs [so that you can write these programs for them], allow you to do pretty much anything," Saleem Jafri, director of UareL, which has developed Save the Children's app, said.
In many ways it's not appropriate to talk about Facebook's 'approach' to charity, other than to say that charities are as free as anyone else to write apps for the site.

The way that it and MySpace are being embraced by charities, however, indicates an emerging distinction between the sites: that whereas Facebook tilts towards creating 'social tools' and throwing in bits of media on the side, MySpace does the two the other way around.

MySpace, however, which is owned by News Corp, parent company of TimesOnline, has said that it is committed to letting software writers create apps for it too, and also recently announced a big push to improve relations with the developer community. It's likely that more of the software whizzbangery we've come to expect from Facebook - be it charity-based or elsewhere - can be expected on its site soon.

NSPCC launches Christmas wishlist in tie-up with Amazon

A one-stop place for sorting out cards, presents and all the admin that accompanies Christmas, the NSPCC wants to make Christmas chores, like writing a present list and shopping online, fun and hassle free.

NSPCC head of e-fundraising, Polly Gilchrist said: "NSPCC wishes is a charity first, combining lots of way to ease the stress at Christmas. One of the best things the initiative allows is for your child - or you! - to create a Christmas gift list via Amazon. Friends and relatives simply go online, select the appropriate list, choose the presents they want to buy and they'll be delivered in time for Christmas! What makes it even better is that up to 10 percent of the purchase price goes to the NSPCC."

Other ways the NSPCC wishes can inject a bit of online festive fun include:

• Secret Santamatic - let the NSPCC sort out the office Secret Santa. Type in all participating names and let Santamatic sort out who buys for whom along with budgeted gift suggestions and confirmation emails when the shopping is done!
  

Letter from Santa - bring some magical festive cheer into a child's life by arranging for a special personalised letter from Santa, flown all the way from his grotto in Lapland by his trusted reindeer, to be delivered to their door.

Personalised e-cards for friends and family - design your very own card to send your Christmas wishes via email.

The Christmas 'wish wall' - share your Christmas cheer by posting messages of goodwill to all men (and women!) for all to see and share.

Help The Aged revamps transactional site

NMA
Charity Help The Aged has revamped and relaunched its transactional site in time for Christmas.
'Cows 'n' Things' will now sell a large range of ethical gifts including goats, beehives and medical equipment, ranging from £5 to £400.

The site can be viewed in HTML or Flash, and users can search for items by price, category or alphabetically.
Users can also add personalised messages to their purchases, and send out to multiple people.

The site has been redesigned to offer users improved functionality and navigation. The work was carried out by digital agency Twentysix London.

Paul Coffey, client services director at Twentysix London, said, "Cows 'n' Things is a positive scheme that can provide aid at grass-roots level and we have conveyed that optimism through bright graphics, fun animation and by featuring the stories of the elderly whose lives have been transformed by donations."

Help The Aged raises money to help disadvantaged elderly people from isolation, neglect and poverty.

£750m online bonanza’ awaits

Precision Marketing
Brand owners could miss out on £750m in online sales by failing to embrace social networking and video-sharing websites to communicate with consumers, according to a new survey.

The report, compiled by Royal Mail and The Future Foundation, reveals that 66 per cent of the 'Recommendation Generation’ – a newly identified breed of young, educated, urban and online social networking consumers – are more likely to buy a product online as a result of a recommendation or ‘word of mouse’.

Now businesses are waking up to the fact that consumers are turning to the Web for information about brands (www.precisionmarketing.co.uk), companies that set up their own branded networks for product information and reviews could engage with customers and boost sales as over a quarter of the ‘Recommendation Generation’ say they would sign up to such a site.

Royal Mail marketing director Alex Batchelor comments: “Our research shows that the battle for the home shopping pound will increasingly be fought and won in the aisles of social networking sites where the power of recommendation rules.

“Retailers cannot afford to ignore this new generation of shoppers, and those who tailor their sites to drive ‘word of mouse’ and understand how to interact with existing social networkers will benefit.”

The report shows that two thirds of social networkers are more likely to buy a product as a result of a recommendation compared to just half of people who don’t use social networking sites and that recommendation is the number one reason given for choosing to visit a particular brand’s site. Over a quarter have already bought from a website on the strength of a recommendation.

The Future Foundation editorial director James Murphy adds: “The development of the ‘Recommendation Generation’ is part of a fundamental shift in the basis of consumer capitalism – a community of online-savvy individuals at liberty to engage with the pleasures of shopping on their own terms.

“Indeed, modern consumers are so confident in themselves, that the ultimate endorsement of a product comes from the lips and clicks of their friends. This is an environment in which brands can benefit greatly, but they will need to be more sensitive than ever before to the voice of the consuming public.”

Facebook fundraising

Professional Fundraising
You can’t seem to go anywhere these days without someone asking you whether you are on Facebook, MySpace or LinkedIn. If there is such a huge community interacting via these social networking sites, what opportunities does this create for fundraisers? Ted Hart takes a look

Those who will successfully raise money in the internet age are those who learn online fundraising is not merely an electronic version of direct mail. Successful charities will learn a whole new set of techniques and deploy a whole new generation of tools to inspire donors.

Whether it’s Myspace, Bebo Nation, Facebook or LinkedIn (or many scores of other social network sites), it is becoming more important to develop a strategy linking the digital life of donors and supporters to the charities they care about. The true powers of online-based methods lie in their ability to do more than simply function as a novel way to raise money. It lies in the areas of communication and the relationship building promise of Web 2.0. In fact, these are the real drivers of fundraising success both off and online. The internet is an ideal platform from which to inform and engage with potential donors, many of whom may be beyond the reach of normal fundraising channels. Communication and relationship building are key components to the successful use of these techniques.

Giving donors the chance to participate and to contribute beyond the gift is proving to be successful. While proving a serious area of growth, the use of these new techniques challenges the traditional top-down, ask-give relationship charities have traditionally had with their supporters.

Through the harnessing of advocates and donors, charities can develop communities of support far beyond their direct mail lists or even email lists. Online social networking has become one of the most important differences between what is traditionally practical offline and what is now possible to access online.
According to the Wall Street Journal, donors and volunteers are satisfying philanthropic urges on the internet, turning to blogs and social-networking sites to spread the word about their causes.

Members on several websites are beginning to tap into the power of the social networking model for charity/cause networking. Such sites may prove successful for connecting otherwise fragmented groups of interested and passionate users. Users benefit by interacting with a like-minded community and channeling their energy and giving.

For example, SixDegrees.org is a site launched by the actor Kevin Bacon, with the aim of bringing a conscience to social networking and for it to be a force for good, rather than just a game or a gimmick.
SixDegrees.org harnesses two important online trends: 1) the growth of social networking sites and 2) the increasing interest in using the web for inspiring people to raise money from others for causes they care about.

The online encyclopedia, developed and maintained using Web 2.0 tools, Wikipedia, has developed a list of social networking sites around the world, which can be found directly at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_social_networking_websites

Donors are spreading the word, even faster than charities are themselves. However, organisations from start-ups to long-established organisations are starting to catch up by launching profiles on sites such as MySpace and Facebook that provide an opportunity for people to connect with a community of supporters. Facebook already had a popular “groups” application, and many social causes have posted content and started groups.

Facebook Groups, developed by Project Agape, allows users to create causes, take donations, and recruit members. Whenever someone creates a cause or joins one, it shows up in their news feed for their friends to see. Information about the cause is also included in the profile itself, including total amount raised by that user and new users recruited. Facebook has a huge and active user base (20 million users, each viewing 50 pages daily), and they are a demographic that is highly likely to want to become involved actively in causes they believe in. Since launch the programme has attracted more than 2.5 million users and raised approximately US$300,000 for the organisations involved.

In late 2006, MySpace launched its Impact Awards in which users vote to recognise individuals and non-profits that have successfully used the site to make a difference. Change.org enables visitors to join ‘virtual foundations’ of peers committed to specific causes and to fundraise for them.

Charities should approach the Internet as a communication and stewardship tool first and a fundraising tool second. Any seasoned fundraiser will tell you that when you can build and enhance a relationship with a prospective donor, you have a much higher chance of successfully soliciting a gift.

We can now say, Web 2.0 and social networking techniques of online giving are no fad, but are tools and techniques that have already and will continue to change the way charities communicate with their supporters in the online world. However, as a charity is introducing these new social behaviors they should note it takes time to establish communication and fundraising norms.

Regardless of the cause, those who support nonprofits tend to be passionate about them and many can be called upon to become advocates, forwarding and recommending content to family, friends and colleagues. This important reality forms the basis of understanding the great opportunity that can be had by harnessing the passion of its supporters.

A website is the 24/7 advocacy and education hub for charities, but it is the legions of supporters, and the networks they represent that make the promise reality.

Social search site Welovelocal to go nationwide

Social search site Welovelocal is to go nationwide after a successful soft-launch.
The ad-free site was set up for businesses to build customisable sites to inform Londoners of products and services.

Over 600 businesses and 5,000 people have registered profiles in the London community.
The site is currently funded by eMomentum but Welovelocal co-founder Max Jennings said it was looking at other avenues of monetisation.

"It would be easy to splatter the site with display ads, but we have chosen to keep it ad-free. Eventually, as it rolls out nationwide we will look to bring in paid for functions for businesses to get more value out of their listing."

Third Sector links up with MySpace

Third Sector news and jobs are now available to 10 million UK MySpace users.
The magazine is providing a daily news feed ?and job-search facility for the social networking site's Impact channel, a new service launched on Sunday for people interested in charities and campaigning.

The channel, which is available at www.myspace.com/impactuk, also provides links to member charities, displays featured events and videos and allows users to post comments and take part in discussion forums.

A search provided by YouthNet's online volunteering database Do-it.org.uk helps users find local volunteering opportunities. They can also download an online donation tool developed by online fundraising service Justgiving.

"MySpace Impact is about helping people to take action and make a difference," said Jamie Kantrowitz, senior vice-president of content and marketing at MySpace International. "For charities and social causes, MySpace Impact provides the perfect place to excite and engage a younger audience they might otherwise miss."

So far, 7,500 people have joined the ?channel as 'friends'. Charities taking part include Oxfam, Friends of the Earth and Project RED. Communication charity the Media Trust has set up a guide at www.myspace.com/mediatrust.

Online customer engagement top priority for UK businesses

More than 50% of companies are using or plan to use social networks as part of their customer engagement strategy, according to a survey.

The survey, by E-consultancy, found that around 90% of UK companies now consider online to be 'essential' to their business, with community and social media near the top of their list of priorities.

More than three quarters (77%) of those businesses surveyed said the importance of online engagement had increased during the last 12 months.

Companies are using a range of methods to interact with customers, including widgets, social networking and video-sharing sites, according to the second annual Online Customer Engagement Report.

Around a fifth of companies (18%) said they were already using web-based widgets, while a further 39% plan to use them in the future.

Just under a third of organisations (32%) were planning to use social networks such as Facebook, with a further 19% already using them.

Video-sharing sites are being used by 21% of companies while a further 29% say their organisations are planning to use them in the future, according to the report.

The research also found that 86% of companies are realising that they need an integrated approach, which embraces all channels used by customers, online and offline.

Linus Gregoriadis, head of research at E-consultancy, said: "The days of a top-down, 'broadcast' approach to marketing are over. It is no longer about who is shouting the loudest.

"Those who are engaging effectively are reaping the benefits of improved customer loyalty and increased revenue."

"Companies are recognising that they have to engage with customers in new ways to get their attention in different environments, whether that is via widgets, video-sharing sites or on social networks."

The report, which was sponsored by integrated consultancy cScape, is based on the findings of a survey of more than 1,000 online marketers, including 456 company or 'client-side' respondents and 438 agency participants.

Why charities must have a new media presence.

By Sue Fidler, Third Sector, 28 November 2007

There is a much debate in the sector about Web 2.0 and social networking.

Almost daily, a charity launches a new site or publicises a presence on sites such as Facebook and Second Life. Consultants and speakers are filling column inches and seminars with their opinions, and charity directors are predicting the future for charities.

But the question is whether the web, let alone Web 2.0, will work for traditional donors. The average charity supporter is reported to be female, over 55, someone who likes gardening and does not fit the typical web demographic. We must accept this fact, and we will continue to provide traditional offline marketing materials until the web-addicted under-40s hit the prime donor demographic - ABC1 empty-nesters.

But I have never heard of a fundraising manager who doesn't have a mantra about "attracting younger supporters" - which means a web presence is critical. New media lets us interact with younger audiences, and we hope these cash-poor supporters will become the donors of the future.

The 16 to 25-year-olds, who could become donors, live so totally on web and mobile media that we must be in their space so they know who we are - we can't expect them to visit our offline world.

But the over-50s, whom we traditionally think of as falling outside the 'webbie' generation, increasingly use the web for convenience and contact - and if we can find a way to tap into that, we may find more of them online than we realise.

And Saga, which caters to the over-50s, has launched a social networking site for its members. If it achieves a usable site with decent visitor numbers, it may tell us all that the web can work for that demographic.

- Sue Fidler is an independent charity ICT, database and internet consultant.

Why charities must have a new media presence.

By Sue Fidler, Third Sector, 28 November 2007

There is a much debate in the sector about Web 2.0 and social networking.

Almost daily, a charity launches a new site or publicises a presence on sites such as Facebook and Second Life. Consultants and speakers are filling column inches and seminars with their opinions, and charity directors are predicting the future for charities.

But the question is whether the web, let alone Web 2.0, will work for traditional donors. The average charity supporter is reported to be female, over 55, someone who likes gardening and does not fit the typical web demographic. We must accept this fact, and we will continue to provide traditional offline marketing materials until the web-addicted under-40s hit the prime donor demographic - ABC1 empty-nesters.

But I have never heard of a fundraising manager who doesn't have a mantra about "attracting younger supporters" - which means a web presence is critical. New media lets us interact with younger audiences, and we hope these cash-poor supporters will become the donors of the future.

The 16 to 25-year-olds, who could become donors, live so totally on web and mobile media that we must be in their space so they know who we are - we can't expect them to visit our offline world.

But the over-50s, whom we traditionally think of as falling outside the 'webbie' generation, increasingly use the web for convenience and contact - and if we can find a way to tap into that, we may find more of them online than we realise.

And Saga, which caters to the over-50s, has launched a social networking site for its members. If it achieves a usable site with decent visitor numbers, it may tell us all that the web can work for that demographic.

- Sue Fidler is an independent charity ICT, database and internet consultant.

MySpace has launched a UK version of its Impact channel, dedicated to charities.

MySpace has launched a UK version of its Impact channel, dedicated to charities.

Based on the same format as the social network's music and film channels, Impact will let users befriend it, leave comments and watch videos.

The channel will also offer news, information on events and links to charity profile pages. Friends of the Earth, Crisis and Action Aid are just some of the charities with profile pages linked through to the channel.

Media Trust will also feature on the channel, offering other charities help on setting up profile pages.

Users will also be able to download a widget to their page linking to JustGiving, allowing them to collect money for their chosen cause.

To kick off the channel MySpace is to donate £2m worth of advertising space to promote it.
MySpace already runs the channel on its US, Canadian and Australian sites.

Social networking . . . all in a good cause

Social networking sites are becoming the battleground for the heart of the internet. They represent the convergence of all the key trends in technology and media - personalisation, aggregation, media-sharing, communities and targeted advertising - and so are subject to intense curiosity.

The latest in a string of announcements about new features, tools and partnerships is from MySpace. Today it launches the UK version of Impact, a platform to encourage, support and promote good causes, campaigns and charities.

Jamie Kantrowitz, senior vice president for MySpace Europe, insists Impact is simply formalising a thriving area of the site that has been growing naturally for years - allowing charities to set up and customise their own page with videos, fund- raising tools and campaign resources.

"Young people are at the core of next generation social interaction and feel it is part of their identity to support these things," she says.

MySpace is giving up around £2m of prime advertising space to launch the new channel. But there will still be display advertising, and the long-term revenue from these will be going to MySpace.

So how will those with a healthy disrespect for authority feel about a charity offering on a site owned by Rupert Murdoch? David Hall, campaign director for climate change group Together, says: "As long as it provides something useful, they will use it. Murdoch has given MySpace scale and focus, and that's why it's a very valuable platform for us."

MySpace argues that Impact is as far from a revenue-generating idea as it could be, but the project is the latest in a string of social networking initiatives as the big three - MySpace, Bebo and Facebook - all battle it out in a very busy market.

Web figures from comScore (which do not include users under 15) give MySpace 109 million users each month worldwide, with Facebook at 86 million and Bebo 21 million - both continue to grow, while MySpace is starting to slow.

The biggest problem for MySpace, says Screen Digest senior analyst Arash Amel, is Facebook. "There's a sense it is the next big thing. On the west coast, it has been aggressively stealing top Google people and is growing fast," he says. "They don't have the problem of being restricted by News Corp. Facebook is much more agile . . . but MySpace seems to have lost its way in the last few months."

Bebo's latest push is a well-executed partnership with content companies, bringing video and music from big names including the BBC, BSkyB, MTV and Last.fm. Bebo wants another reason for its users to spend more time on the site, and content companies get to reach those valuable younger audiences.

MySpace launched its own targeted advertising system and a DIY service to rival Google's AdSense. It is also understood to be pushing hard on music deals, shifting to free ad-supported downloads with a raft of major labels.

The first trial, with veteran punk band Pennywise, starts in March. Given its core music following, it seems logical MySpace would focus more on this market, but Kantrowitz says the strategy is to appeal to as many people as possible.

Amel adds: "We may come to recognise, that the lifespan of a social network is no more than a few years - which means media companies need to respond and seed their content across these networks accordingly."

And users, he says, will expect to be able to transfer their information and their content easily between all these platforms, which is just what Google's OpenSocial allows.
As always, it appears Google is one step ahead of the game.

Facebook growth threatens online rivals

Social networking websites such as Facebook are dominating growth in online usage, with big name brands such as Microsoft and Apple losing out, according to new figures.

Research released by Nielsen found that Facebook’s unique users mushroomed by 1,646 per cent in the year to October, attracting 7.8 million UK consumers.

Facebook was the second fastest growing brand, only beaten by RockYou!, which provides applications for social networks. Slide, another social network supplier, was third.

LinkedIn, which provides work-based information on people, and Bunnyhero Labs, which offers applications for Bebo users, were also in the top 10 in terms of audience growth.

The explosion in social networking use has damaged more traditional brands, according to Nielsen. Technology giants Microsoft and Apple saw their user numbers slump by three and six per cent respectively in the 12 months to October.

Market leader Google posted a 19 per cent rise to 27.8 million UK users, but other brands have struggled. Despite modest rises, the growth in the overall internet population has seen the BBC, MSN, Yahoo! and eBay lose market share over the past year.

Advertisers are increasingly turning their attention to social network sites, which appeal directly to the elusive youth audience. While Facebook and MySpace have run online ads, Bebo has integrated brands into its interactive dramas Kate Modern and Sophie’s Diary.

Alex Burmaster, internet analyst at Nielsen Online, said: “The story of the last year has, undoubtedly been the phenomenal growth in user-generated content so it’s not surprising to see this reflected in the leading brands.

“The manufacturers, particularly, have had a tough time online during the last year despite big product launches.”

Red Cross goes online to raise awareness of HIV

The British Red Cross has launched an online campaign to help raise awareness and encourage debate about HIV and AIDS among young people.

Kicking off ahead of World AIDS Day on 1 December, the charity has created a campaign site, 'HIV: What's the story?' which features three video stories based on real HIV experiences played by actors. For instance, one video features a young mum has just discovered her boyfriend has been unfaithful with a girl who might have HIV.

Profile pages for the campaign have been created on social networks such as MySpace, Facebook and Bebo in a bid to boost awareness among young people. Users can add the profile as a friend, add their own stories to a blog as well as upload comments to the page

Website options 'could build donor loyalty'

UK charities could build stronger donor loyalty by offering online giving options, according to academics.

The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University in the US recently carried out a charitable gift survey showing that, although 65 per cent of Americans gave to a charity in the past year, only one in 10 donors gave online.

When asked about their motivation for giving online, 64 per cent of the 1,428 people surveyed said that convenience mattered. One in five said they gave online because they got a request with a link or they could find the website easily.

Melissa Brown, associate director of research at the Center on Philanthropy, said the research could have implications for UK charities in relation to online giving.

“Offering online giving options may be a way to build stronger donor loyalty,” she said. “Organisations that have, or can create, a way to accept donations with attention to security may find it helpful to ask people for an email address so they can get reports about progress toward the organisation’s goals.”

She added that charities should make it easy for current donors to renew or increase their giving and find out about the charities’ activities.

“On your website, be sure to make it convenient for people to give online,” said Brown. “Make the print big enough to read, don’t have too many steps in the process and remember that convenience is paramount.”

Amnesty looks to text messaging to gather Burma support

Amnesty International is to use text messaging as the main response channel for its new Burma campaign following an overwhelming response via text to its last campaign.

The No More Bloodshed campaign encourages supporters to respond “from anywhere, at anytime” by texting ‘Burma’ to 64118. When Amnesty receives a text message it will call the supporter to discuss how he or she can support the organisation’s work.

Text messaging was chosen as the main means of response after the charity’s Darfur appeal earlier this year, in which 90 per cent of responses came via text.

More than 40 per cent of responses to the Burma campaign have been received outside office hours. Of those, more than half were received over the weekend.

According to the charity, this proved the value of text messages in “capturing interest 24/7”. Alistair Baggs, senior direct marketing coordinator at Amnesty, said: “We decided to integrate SMS as our main channel for people to pledge their support for the campaign, and it is again generating record response levels.”

Creature discomforts site goes live

The Creature Discomforts (www.creaturediscomforts.org) site goes live today. Since the holding page was launched on Monday morning the site has received widespread media coverage and nearly 3,000 people have signed up for news of the site launch.

More ads and a "making of" video will be released via the website over the next couple of weeks.
A new campaign to challenge and change attitudes towards disability is being launched by Leonard Cheshire Disability today.

The charity has teamed up with Aardman Animations to create a highly original campaign called Creature Discomforts. The awareness campaign is based on the much-loved Creature Comforts series but features the hallmark plasticine characters with disabilities, combined with the real voices and experiences of disabled people.

The Aardman Animations team has created new characters for Leonard Cheshire Disability’s campaign including a bull terrier in a wheelchair, a stick insect with a walking stick and a tortoise on crutches.

The campaign highlights the disadvantage and discrimination that disabled people experience every day, largely as a result of the ignorance of the wider population.

The animations are based on the genuine voices of disabled people describing in their own words the negative attitudes and barriers they experience, which separate them from society.
The Creature Discomforts characters also appear in adverts that will be seen online, in magazines, at bus stops and on the Tube.

One of the four animations addresses a common assumption that people in wheelchairs are not able to speak for themselves. The animation opens with Spud the Slug, who is in an electric wheelchair saying: “…that many people say – oh you’re in a wheelchair – you’re rubbish. You can’t do anything. A lot of it, it is ignorance.”

Peg the Hedgehog appears next, sitting in her wheelchair having a cup of tea. She says: “People have assumed that wheels mean… nothing up here in the brain, you know.”

Flash the Sausage Dog appears last, saying: “Because we’re in a wheelchair doesn’t mean to say we’re not capable of thinking. Now let’s get things put right. Not just for disabled, for everybody. So we can all work in harmony together.”

Each of the four animations ends with the message “change the way you see disability”.
Bryan Dutton, Director General, Leonard Cheshire Disability said: “We want people to change the way they see disability, to think and act differently and to make a positive difference to the lives of disabled people.

“Disabled people experience unnecessary social barriers which are created largely through ignorance. In the twenty-first century it is unacceptable that such negative attitudes to disability still persist. Everyone has a part to play in creating a world in which disabled people are included in every aspect of life.

“Creature Comforts is well known and much-loved for its ability to bring home messages in a simple, everyday way. Our Creature Discomforts campaign builds on this, making a serious point with humour.”

Steve Harding-Hill, the Director of Creature Discomforts at Aardman Animations said: “Leonard Cheshire Disability’s new campaign is an important step towards changing everyone’s attitudes to disability. Working on it has been an amazing experience for us all at Aardman.

“Taking the real voices and experiences of disabled people and creating animated stories that are informative, entertaining and poignant has been an immense but incredibly satisfying challenge.”

In January, the animations will be aired on ITV.

Website usability

By Sue Fidler, Third Sector, 14 November 2007

Sue Fidler on what Amazon and eBay can teach charities about website usability.

There are two types of website usability: the one that we have had drilled into our heads about contrasts, tags and tabs, and the one we haven't really started talking about - yet.

Making your site accessible for blind, partially sighted and disabled users is an essential part of designing a good website. Making it usable for your visitors is critical.

Historically, we have learnt to talk about visitors rather than users, but in the world of a billion websites, most of us do not surf; we visit sites because we have clear reasons.

But most sites do not think about users and what they are looking for. We have taken brochure-ware to a level at which every piece of content we have is loaded - simply because we have it. Whether there is an audience or a purpose is irrelevant. Because there are no overheads to adding copy, we load as much as is possible. We have been told that content is king, so we have created a morass of content.

But what do users want? If they are new to your charity, they want a snapshot of who you are and what you do - something that can be displayed on the homepage with a few choice statements and images. If they know your charity, they have come for new information, to buy or donate, to volunteer or to campaign. Yet most of our sites bury this usable content under pages of copy about why, what and who we are.

The sites we love and use the most, such as Amazon, eBay and the BBC's website, give us what we want on the homepage and have exceptionally clear navigation tools. There are no pages about why they exist, because they exist for a clear purpose.

When we start honing our sites to meet user needs, and put in-depth content at the bottom rather than the top, they will be more usable.

- Sue Fidler is an independent charity ICT and internet consultant.

New urban woodlands website launched

A charity is hoping to trigger a "woodlands renaissance" in London with its new website featuring events, history, volunteering opportunities and the benefits of spending time outdoors.

The Capital Woodlands project, which is managed by the charity Trees for Cities, aims to raise awareness of woodlands in the capital and encourage Londoners to enjoy woodland activities.

The website, www.capitalwoodlands.org, lists activities across the city, from woodland fun days and tree and fungi identification walks to community planting days.

Mayor of London Ken Livingstone said: "London is one of the greenest cities and the www.capitalwoodlands.org website is a fantastic way of finding out about local events.
"I would encourage Londoners to use it to get out and explore the woodlands the capital has to offer."

Trees for Cities chief executive Graham Simmonds added: "The new Capital Woodlands website provides a fantastic opportunity for Londoners to get involved in the project.

"This accessible new website will be a source of valuable information on one of London's hidden gems, our wonderful woodlands.

"At Trees for Cities we want to see the capital's woodlands enjoyed and used to their full potential and this website will provide a great new tool in helping to achieve this."

NSPCC extends Facebook application

The NSPCC, the UK charity, has launched its second phase of brand engagement called NSPCC Deeds across its Facebook application, designed to create a community around the prevention of cruelty to children.

Developed in association with Panlogic, the application incorporates the charity’s ‘Be the Full Stop’ campaign and is said to mark its continuing commitment to the UK's fastest growing social network.

It aims to harness Facebook’s viral infrastructure by enabling users to perform a deed and challenge their friends to do the same deed or others.

Going “live” today, the application has also been enhanced to encourage user conversations about deeds, events or anything else through a new Wall tab.

Social aspects such as voting, feedback and comments functions are also being employed to further engage users. Further new features, including video content, help support the organisation’s brand communications and emotional call-to-action.

Emily Knee, senior digital account manager at NSPCC, said: “We are really excited by the second phase of the Facebook application and are pleased with how Facebook users are interacting with the NSPCC online to date.

“By giving the users quick and easy ways to make a big difference to children everywhere, we hope our latest offering will encourage users to engage even further with our cause.”

Initially launched in September, the NSPCC’s Facebook application has attracted nearly 12,000 users and generated £2,765.

Children In Need uses web to connect with fundraisers

Children In Need is embracing cross-platform tactics as it looks to build a greater sense of community for its fundraisers.

The charity event, held on 16 November, is keen to connect with its supporters and is embarking on a campaign that spans radio, online, mobile and interactive TV.

The organisers view digital as an opportunity to engage closely with the Children In Need audience rather than just as a donations channel.

Visitors to the site are encouraged to download a fundraising pack, with 27,000 downloaded so far, compared to 6,000 at this time last year.

Fundraisers are also encouraged to upload images and videos from their CIN events.
"Those who get involved are part of a community. The site helps them feel they're a part of the event," said a BBC spokeswoman.

Govt sets up network site for over-50semail article to a friend

Govt sets up network site for over-50s


The Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) has launched a social networking website to enable the over-50s to communicate with the Government about issues that concern them.
The site, www.generationxperience.wordpress.com, has been set up in partnership with a number of other government departments and organisations including Better Government for Older People, the International Longevity Centre, Help the Aged and Age Concern.

Each week a new topic will be started on the website for users to discuss and contribute to. It also contains links to events and relevant organisations, as well as other social networking sites including Myspace, Facebook and YouTube.

Mike O’Brien, Minister of State for pensions reform, says: "With this pilot scheme, we’re using a method of communication that is becoming increasingly commonplace for this age group. As many of the popular social networking sites are oriented towards young Internet users, this is an effective way of talking to and listening to older people in the UK and has great potential to reduce isolation and promote digital inclusion."

Scope debuts SMS information service

Disability charity Scope has launched a new text message service that will send information and advice about coping with cerebral palsy to the mobile phones of disabled people and their families.

The free service is aimed particularly at young people, who use their mobile phones more than other age groups. It is an extension of the Scope Response service, which focuses on offering information and guidance to the parents of children recently diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

Disabled people and their families will be encouraged to text questions to the Scope response team, members of which will answer them either by text or, in cases where a more detailed answer is required, by phone.

Steve Cairns, head of Scope Response, said: “Disabled people often don’t have as much access to computers as non-disabled people do, largely for financial reasons. This text-based service is a great way for us to reach out to people, wherever they are.”

The funds for the text service will come out of Scope Response’s £1m annual budget.

Google confirms move into social networking with OpenSocial

Google has unveiled details about its plans to take on Facebook with the launch of a new social networking project, which it will link with a range of other networks including business-focused sites.

The company is working on a cross-platform project named OpenSocial, which will work across a number of social networking sites including LinkedIn, Plaxo, and Google's own Orkut service.Other confirmed partners for the project include Hi5, iLike and Oracle. The two biggest players in the sector, Facebook and MySpace, are not taking part.

OpenSocial is an attempt to break down the barriers between social networking services -- all of which have a different way of storing and using visitor data.

Google's cross-platform initiative will allow web developers to build a standard set of applications that will work across these sites.The OpenSocial technology will also allow user data and friend lists to pass more freely between sites. This could prove a more attractive proposition for both advertisers and web developers looking to reach a wider audience.

The move comes five months after Facebook began allowing outside developers to build add-ons for the site, which users can choose to embed into their profiles.

News Corp-owned rival site MySpace followed suit in October. However, neither of these tailor-made applications work outside of the sites for which they were designed.

Meanwhile, Google has sent an email mailshot to Facebook application developers inviting them to take part in a beta test, which would allow developers to embed Google Adwords into their work.

Google's share price hit a new high yesterday, breaking the $700 (£350) mark less than a month after it broke $600.

Its $707 price values the San Francisco web giant at nearly $220bn -- a significant improvement on the company's initial $100 share price when it first floated on the Nasdaq stock exchange in August 2004.

WSPA to open in Second Life

World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) has become the latest brand to use virtual world Second Life to raise awareness.

The charity has begun building office space, meeting rooms and an auditorium in the virtual world.

It will also build a farm and aquarium to educate users on animal causes. WSPA will also hold a concert in Second Life, with virtual musicians.

The work is being created by developers Depo Consulting but is also being opened up to Second Life developers to take part.

Users will be able to create their own items for the virtual world such as sheep for the farm; the best will be included in WSPA's areas.