VW's Social Media Campaign "Punch"

Keith Barry of Wired.com reports that Volkswagen is looking to revive an old American pastime by utilizing social media. The game, "punch buggy" was popular in the United States as individuals sharing a car ride would punch one another when they spotted a VW Beetle.

With the help of celebrity, Tracy Morgan, the car maker will unveil the game during the Super Bowl.

According to Tim Ellis, Volkswagen’s Vice President of Marketing, “The campaign is a modern twist on a classic game that has been played on America’s highways for generations and will help consumers gain a new perspective on the breadth of our vehicle offerings, quality, performance and value.”

Learn more:VW Social Media Campaign Delivers One-Two Punch

CALL FOR PRESENTERS: Performance Marketing Expo

Calling all Affiliates, SEO Experts, Social Media Strategists and Performance Marketing Gurus...

It's time to mix it up and head down to Miami as the "who's who" gather to do business. IIR - the world's largest international conference organizer - proudly unveils the latest "CAN'T MISS" premier meeting place for the Affiliate Marketing & Performance-Based Marketing industry.

We are currently seeking presenters for this event. Only experts in affiliate marketing, advertising (both traditional and online), social media, and search will be considered. Deadline to submit is Friday, February 12th.

Topics for Consideration for Affiliates include:
• Becoming an SEO Expert: Proven Strategies to Keep Them Coming (and Coming Back!)
• Building a "Sticky" Affiliate Website: Features, Functions & Fun
• How to Improve your Affiliate-Advertiser Relationship (and Get a Higher Payout!)
• Taking the Leap: Developing an Affiliate Business Model to Create an Affiliate Company
• Setting Your Integrated Social Media Approach: Skill-Sets Every Affiliate Must Have
• Maximizing Your Work Flow: How to Effectively Brand & Build Online Authenticity Using Social Media
• Community Building for Affiliates: Monetizing Your Company's Reach
• Primer: Getting Started with Affiliate Marketing

Topics for Consideration for Merchants include:
• Becoming an SEO Expert: Proven Strategies to Keep Them Coming (and Coming Back!)
• Shopping Engine (and Shopping Cart) Optimization
• Email Marketing & Remarketing Strategies: How to Remarket for Your Customer Base
• Landing Page Optimization: Overcoming the Barriers to Conversation
• Managing Multiple Brands Online to Achieve Individual Product Objectives
• Leveraging Your User Community: Facebook Fan Pages, Forum & App Building
• Successfully Leveraging the Value of Twitter as a Business Driver
• Branding vs. ROI in Social Media: Winning in a World of Social Technologies
• Tracking and Measuring Your Social Media Efforts

Submittal Procedure
If you are interested in speaking at the event, we invite you to submit a speaking proposal directly to Kelly Potanka, Conference Producer, on or before Friday, February 12th, 2010. Send to kpotanka@iirusa.com Please note: abstracts are reviewed and selected on a rolling basis, so please submit early. For consideration, please include:
• Proposed speaker name(s), job title(s), and company name(s)
• Contact information including address, telephone and fax numbers and e-mail
• Talk title
• Summary of the presentation (3-5 sentences)
• What the audience will gain or learn from your presentation (please list 3-5 deliverables)

Due to the high volume of responses, we are unable to respond to each submission. All those selected to participate as speakers will be notified shortly after the deadline.

Calling All Affiliate Networks, Agencies and Affiliate Managers...
Become a Sponsor/Exhibitor and Meet Your 'Wish-List' Contacts through Facilitated Networking Activities.

Your business success is dependent upon making as many quality connections with top performing affiliates. We all network at events. What sets this event apart is the facilitated activities that showcase expertise, connect like-minded people and match the right people with the partners most likely to result in a win-win for both. We ensure you meet exactly who you need to meet. We take part in the responsibility because we understand it's all about ROI.

To become a sponsor or exhibitor, please contact Lisa Deutsch, Senior. Business Development Manager:
Phone: 646-895-7482, Email: ldeutsch@iirusa.com

The Pope and Social Networking

PCWorld.com reports that Pope Benedict XVI is advising members of clergy to be more active in social networking--and His Holiness is practicing what he preaches.

"The increased availability of the new technologies demands greater responsibility on the part of those called to proclaim the Word, but it also requires them to become more focused, efficient and compelling in their efforts," wrote the Pope in his message for the 44th World Day of Communications, to be held May 16.

The Vatican already has a multilingual Web site, but has recently launched the "Pope2you" portal, offering a Facebook app, iPhone app, YouTube channel, and Papal videos.

So - what can we learn from The Pope's foray into social media? How will his leadership differ from other leaders because of it?

Learn more: Pope2you: What the Pontiff Knows About Social Networks

The 3 Facebook Settings Every User Should Check Now

The New York Times in partnership with Read Write Web has clearly outlined the important privacy settings that you should implement immediately, if you haven't done so already. Those of you who edited your privacy settings prior to December's change have nothing to worry about - that is, assuming you elected to keep your personalized settings when prompted by Facebook's "transition tool."

Learn from the article how to change the following settings now:

1. Who Can See The Things You Share (Status Updates, Photo, Videos, etc.)
2. Who Can See Your Personal Info
3. What Google Can See - Keep Your Data Off the Search Engines

Learn more: The 3 Facebook Settings Every User Should Check Now

Facebook Building Data Center in Oregon

eWeek.com reports that the social networking giant has announced plans to build an environmentally-friendly data center, its first, in Oregon.

“It is important to understand what a data center is and how it impacts your Facebook experience. A data center is a central location that houses thousands of computer servers, which are networked together and linked to the outside world through fiber optic cables,” Facebook's vice president of technical operations Jonathan Heiliger explained. “Think of a data center as essentially one very large computer that contains the collective computing infrastructure to make web properties, like Facebook, work.”

Learn more: Facebook Building Data Center in Oregon

Efforts to help Haiti continue online

As we reported last Wednesday, there are many efforts going on in the online world to help those who are affected by the earthquake in Haiti. Now, the New York State governor, David Paterson, has set up an online registry for the New York State residents who were in Haiti at the time of the earthquake.

Governor Patterson said this of the new registry:

“Presently there is little information from Haiti because the earthquake caused extensive damage to Haiti’s infrastructure. Although there is a massive international relief effort under way, it will take time until Haiti’s infrastructure is restored and systems are in place to help locate and identify individuals.

“However, collecting information now about New York citizens in Haiti will help locate them once information becomes available. Once the massive response to this catastrophe is in place, I am sure a number of organizations will work to reunite loved ones. This registry will be of vital importance to that effort.”

Read more about Governor Patterson's online effort here.

Twitter Becomes More Popular in Brazil, Indonesia, and Germany

Recent stats have shown that twitter growth has slowed down in the US, but this post on ReadWriteWeb highlights how the micro-blogging service has attracted new users across the globe. Recent data from Sysomos shows us that the US accounts for 50% of all twitter uses followed by Brazil, UK, Canada, and Germany..in that order.

Interestingly enough San Francisco, Twitter's hometown, comes as the 10th most active group users. Twitter's most active users are located in New York City, London, and Los Angeles.

Check out the full data here.

Social Media Helps Haitian Relief Effort

Timesonline.co.uk reports that minutes after last night's devastating earthquake in Haiti, Twitter and other social networking sites were abuzz with witness accounts, photographs and appeals for help.

Haiti's disaster is the next in a string of incidents that have utilized the power of social media to raise awareness, send relief and to funnel cash. This has proven to be one of the greatest powers of social media--helping others.

Here are some links to connect you to the Haitian relief effort.

• Yele Haiti
• Wyclef Jean
• Carel Padre
• Haitian Americans United For Change
• Haiti Needs Us, And We Need Haiti

Interactive Community Map on Best Places to Go in 2010

Here's an interesting use of social media technology...A map provided by Google for the NY Times that shows the most recommended places to go on vacation in 2010. The bigger the circle the more recommendations are made for that particular country. Once you click on the location a collage of photos are automatically selected for that country, sort of what Flickr does for their slideshows.

Fox uses social media to celebrate the Simpsons

According to Mashable, when The Simpsons became the longest running prime time show in American history last night, they took to the social media realm to celebrate. Their new Adobe Air App hit Facebook hours before the show aired last night. The Simpsons Unleashed works with Friend Connect to bring the latest Simpsons commercials to your desktop. This tried and true brand has successfully integrated social media into the way they market their products. For more on the app, read the Mashable article.

France considers tax for Google, Yahoo and Facebook

BBC reports that Google and other net firms could be taxed under plans being considered by the French government. The money could be used to fund legal alternatives for buying books, films and music on the internet. But critics say the tax would be difficult to implement and Google says it could slow down innovation.

Learn more: France considers tax for Google, Yahoo and Facebook

What do you think of France's move to tax net firms? Will it not only slow innovation but thwart attempts to find new and effect business models?

We'd like to hear your thoughts.

Social Media Trends to Watch Out for this New Year

I came across this post in which new media guru Daisy Whitney shares with us five new media trends to watch out for in 2010. Take a couple of moments to view this video. Enjoy!

Guardian: How to say stupid things about social media

This is sure to give you a chuckle -- especially if you've heard the whines and woes of those not in the social media sphere. Writer Cory Doctorow discusses the "stupid" things people say and responds with some witty and well-thought answers as a reply. Any other whines about social media not listed?

How to say stupid things about social media

Videos on Robust Social Media Strategies

Recently I came across this posting from respected blogger in the social media space Louis Gray in which he has embedded several videos including one on a three easy steps to a robust social media strategy and how to launch a high quality business blog. Make sure to take a couple a minutes to view these videos. See the post here.